Good and Bad Table Scraps for Chickens

Raising chickens on the homestead means you have natural composters right at your finger tips! However, just because chickens act like they will eat anything doesn’t mean they can eat everything. There are good and bad table scraps for chickens that you should be aware of when giving your flock leftovers and scraps. As a rule of thumb, chicken’s can eat almost anything that we can eat, but there are a few important exceptions. Sometimes a chicken will know what is bad to eat and what is good to eat, but we must still be careful what we offer them.

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Treats or Scraps?

One thing I want to clarify before we go much further is the difference between treats and scraps in reference to the following lists of foods. Technically speaking, table scraps are treats since they are not a supplement and they are simply an additional food source in your flock’s diet.

For the sake of this post in am going to define treats and table scraps based on their origin. Table scraps are usually leftover foods from your kitchen or garden. Treats on the other hand, are foods that you buy for your flock. The following lists includes foods that you may eat on a regular basis and may end up sharing with your flock in the way of scraps and leftovers.

These lists will help you determine if what you are eating is safe for your chickens to eat also!

Feeding Scraps Like a Modern Pioneer

In earlier posts like How to Use Chicken Feed Supplements, Homestead Chicken Treats by Season, and Simple Natural Chicken Keeping on the Homestead, I talk a little bit about feeding scraps to the homestead flock. The range of foods we eat now and share with your chickens are wide and varied compared to what the early pioneers would have available and would have shared with their flocks.

Also, back then, food was more valued than it is today. The pioneers would make their own food and would be careful about making just enough to feed their family or have a way of saving it since they wouldn’t want to waste any. An early pioneer’s flock of chickens probably didn’t get as many scraps as our modern flocks do today!

That being said, a valuable part of having chickens on the homestead is the fact that any leftovers or scraps you do have don’t have to go to waste! You just have to be conscious about what treats and scraps they get as well as how frequently they get them.

Scraps are not supplements, but they are an additional source of energy and can add nutrition to your flock’s diet. To feed your flock scraps like a modern pioneer, simply keep these principles in mind:

• foods listed under the good and great categories can be offered more frequently and may even add nutrition to your flock’s diet
• foods listed under the bad and ugly categories should be fed in moderation or avoided all together
• fruits and vegetable add variety to your flock’s diet
• grain and seed based scraps are just supplementing the grains and seeds already present in the flock’s feed
• always let your chickens decide if they want to eat something and how much of it they want to eat

Now for the lists of good, great, bad, and ugly table scraps for homestead chickens!

Ugly Table Scraps

The foods in the ugly category will probably not immediately kill your chickens but it is best to avoid them as best you can.

These table scraps should be avoided as much as possible.

• Dry or Uncooked Beans- contains hemaglutin (a natural insecticide) which is toxic for chickens; soaking, cooking, or sprouting the beans removes the toxin
• Caffeine and Chocolate
• Sugar & Sweets- includes cookies, cake, ice cream, cupcakes, donuts, candy, and gum
• Highly Processed Foods– includes white bread, buns, bagels, crackers, cereal, and other boxed foods
• Unripe members of the nightshade family and their leaves and vines- eggplant, tomatoes
• Fast Food– are high in fried fats
• Rhubarb– also a member of the nightshade family
• Raw Potatoes- member of the nightshade family which contains the toxin solanine, this toxin also kills red blood cells

Bad Table Scraps

Most of the foods in the bad category will not be fatal to your chickens immediately but in large quantities or over time they could lead to health problems or even death! Some of these foods contain toxins in small amounts while others are just down right bad to feed to your chickens.

These table scraps should be avoided, but they are fine if offered  in very small amounts or if they get consumed accidentally.

• Citrus– the acids from citrus fruits could reduce calcium absorption  which creates thin shelled eggs or a drop in laying; citrus on occasion is fine because it’s acid is very weak
• Eggplant– member of the nightshade family, leaves are toxic, should only be fed to chickens if it is completely mature and cooked
• Onions- contains small amounts of the toxin theosulphate which destroys red blood cells resulting in anemia; small amounts of cooked onions are fine
• Tomatoes– ripe tomatoes contain minimal amounts of solanine and can be fed to chickens in moderation
• Apple Seeds- contain small amounts of the toxin cyanide; it’s fine of your chickens eat a whole apple on occasion, I don’t worry too much about my chickens eating too many apple seeds
• Avocado (pit, skin, and leaves)– contains the toxin persin which is associated with myocardial necrosis in chickens; small amounts of the avocado flesh is fine for your chickens
• Peanut Butter- peanut butter is high in fat, so only use it as a special treat
• Fats– lard, butter, and beef or pork fat should be avoided in large quantities
• Oils– coconut oil is the best oil for chickens to have but should only be fed on occasion
• Dairy Products- chicken’s have a hard time digesting the milk sugars in dairy

Good Table Scraps

Table scraps in this category are foods that may already be present in your flock’s feed or are okay for chickens to eat in addition to their feed. Scraps that are similar to the ingredients already present in your flock’s feed should be fed in moderation so that they don’t cause an imbalance in your flock’s diet.

These table scraps are fine for your chickens to consume in moderation.

• Corn
• Whole Grain Bread Products- whole grain breads, buns, and bagels, sugar-less crackers and cereals, cooked pasta and rice, whole oats
• Seeds- sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds
• Unsalted Nuts- almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts; be sure to shell the nuts and chop them up into bit sized pieces before offering them to your chickens
• Popcorn- unsalted, not buttered, and air popped
• Cooked Chicken- occasionally giving your flock cooked chicken will not harm them; organic, non-GMO chicken is the best kind of chicken for both you and your flock
• Seafood- fish, shellfish, lobster
• Eggs- preferably cooked; feeding raw eggs to your flock could result in egg eating
• Peppers- bell peppers, cayenne peppers
• Green Beans
• Peas
• Cooked Meats- hamburger, turkey, lamb, pork, steak; you can also feed your chickens raw hamburger and steak scraps
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Fruit with a Pit– do not feed the actual pit to your chickens since it does contain a slight amount of toxin; peaches plums, mangoes, cherries
• Spinach
• Turnips

Some of these table scraps contain goitrogens which is thought to interfere with the thyroid functioning. If fed in moderation, they should pose no threat to your flock. Here are some of the ones that contain goitrogens: broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, radishes, spinach, and turnips.

Great Table Scraps

The foods in this list actually provide nutrition and variety to your flock’s diet. These scraps can be offered in the largest quantities and fed more frequently. They stimulate the greens and berries that free-roaming chickens would forage for.

These table scraps can be offered to your flock in considerable quantities and are beneficial for your flock.

• Fruits- grapes, mangoes, peaches, plums, pears, apples, papaya, pomegranate, watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe,
• Berries– blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, elderberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries
• Squash- pumpkin, summer squash, zucchini, cucumber
• Root Vegetables- carrots, beets, radishes, sweet potato
• Leafy Greens- lettuce (not Iceberg lettuce though), collard greens, chards, spinach, bok-choy
• Micro-greens
• Sprouts & Fodder

How Much?

Following this list of foods you can feed your chickens I should make note that food scraps and treats should only make up about 5- 10% of your flock’s diet. That means about 2 tablespoons of treats per chicken on occasion (not every day). The ‘great’ table scraps can be offered more frequently and in larger quantities than the other table scraps.

Ideally you should give your flock scraps in the afternoon, after they have already had their fill of their normal feed. Treats should not replace your flock’s regular intake of chicken feed.

You can keep a bowl of scraps to give to your chickens and then give them the bowl during the afternoon or evening. Fresh scraps or leftovers are always the best for your flock. Never give your chickens food that has gone bad, is moldy, or rotten.

Some scraps can be fed free-choice to your flock and you can let them work on the scrap as they wish. I especially like using this method for pumpkins, squashes, and zucchini.

Have more questions about a certain food or quantities of scraps? Let me know and I will try and answer your question as best as possible!

Now you know what you should avoid giving your flock, what is fine to give to your flock, and what is great to give to your flock! Your chickens can help you compost table scraps and save some money! Remember, leafy greens, fruits, and vegetables are the most beneficial for your flock. Then comes nuts, seeds, and meat scraps. Special treats, like popcorn and peanut butter should be limited.

Have fun spoiling your flock, just remember to not over do it!

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by Alexa