What to avoid feeding chickens

If you are a new owner of backyard chickens, it is possible you have considered which kitchen scraps are ok to give chickens and which are best avoided. Surprisingly, even if you give chickens foods that are toxic, it's likely that they won't eat them anyway. Chickens seem to be surprisingly cluey in deciding what to eat and what not to eat.

Can I feed by chickens leftover meat?

Chickens are omnivores, meaning that naturally they eat both meat and vegetable material. So giving chickens meat is quite alright. Even if you don't give your chickens meat, they would be regularly eating meat anyway in the form of insects, worms or perhaps a mouse. Protein from such meats as well as quantities found in layer pellets is necessary in their diet.

Should chickens eat citrus or banana?

Most chicken owners would say that chickens simply avoid these. Like us, chickens love the flesh of most fruits, but don't tend to like the peels. These peels can be better used in the compost heap than in the chicken coop.

What about green potato skins?

If you've given potato to your chickens, don't panic. Some people believe that chickens should not be given potatoes, but in fact it's only the potato skins that are of concern. The part of the potato that should not be given to your chickens is the potato skin if it has gone green. The green is the visible sign of the starch being broken down into a toxin. This green on a potato indicates the toxin 'solanine' (although the green itself is chlorophyll and is in itself harmless). This toxin is a glycoalkaloid poison found in species of the nightshade family, to which the potato as well as the tomato and others belong. While peeling the skin from the potato will remove most of the toxin, it's best not to feel your chickens any green potatoes or their skins.

Can my chickens be fed eggshells?

Calcium is an important part of your chickens' diet as it helps in producing eggs with a nice strong shell. The chickens can easily break eggs with a thin shell, which can then result in the chickens eating their own eggs. A cost effective source of calcium for your chickens is their own empty eggshells. Make sure these are crushed nice and small and easy for your chickens to eat. An alternative is shell-grit which provides a slow-release source of calcium for your chickens.

What about weeds or lawn cuttings?

Be sure to give your chickens green weeds from your garden as these are a source of vitamins and can contribute carotenoid pigments for yolk colour. Obviously if you have recently sprayed your weeds with a poison don't give these to your chickens. It's also worth noting that grass clippings from the lawn mower have been known to cause problems in chickens known as an 'impacted crop'. When a chicken eats throughout the day their 'crop' fills up and at night the crop empties into the gut. If chickens eat large lengths of grass clippings, these many form into a ball in their crop, preventing them from then eating properly. This problem doesn't occur when chickens 'free-range' on lawns as they will eat small pieces of lawn at a time. So make sure your grass cuttings are nice and short if you're going to feed them to your chickens, otherwise save them for the compost heap.

Layer Pellets - important for a balanced diet

A balanced diet for your backyard flock is very important and can generally not be obtained from only kitchen scraps or garden weeds. For maximum health do not restrict the feed intake of layer pellets. Interestingly, chickens cannot overeat and need a regular supply of feed to satisfy their nutritional requirements. A self-feeder with a regular supply of feed is recommended and used by most owners of backyard chickens. Most laying chickens eat approximately 120g layer pellets or grain mix per day or around 850g per week, but depends on the quantity of other green feed or scraps that they are also supplied with.

How much water do chickens need?

Chickens drink from 1 to 2 cups water a day (from 250ml to 500ml), with more consumed in hot weather. A regular supply of fresh water is important as too little water results in dehydration, excessive stress, and a decline in egg production. Chickens who have gone without water for 24 hours are said to take 24 more hours to recover completely.

Be sure to look at Royal Rooster's great range of chicken coops that are perfect for any backyard. Royal Rooster also make slim-line drinker and feeder sets that reduce grain wastage and keep water nice and clean.