Chicken University · Flock Care · 5 min read
One of the quiet joys of keeping backyard chickens is that your kitchen scraps suddenly have somewhere better to go than the trash. Chickens are enthusiastic omnivores and will make short work of a surprising range of leftovers. But not everything from your kitchen is safe, and knowing the difference matters.
Here is a practical guide to what your flock can eat, what to limit, and what to keep away from them entirely.
The Basic Rule Before You Start
Treats and scraps should make up no more than 10 percent of your flock's daily diet. The other 90 percent should be a quality layer feed that gives them the protein, calcium, and nutrients they need to lay consistently and stay healthy. Scraps are a supplement, not a replacement. A hen that fills up on kitchen leftovers and skips her feed will eventually show it in her egg production and her health.
With that said, offering scraps in reasonable amounts is one of the best parts of keeping chickens. It reduces food waste, keeps the flock entertained, and gives you a reason to interact with your girls every day.
Vegetables Your Chickens Will Love
Most vegetables are excellent for chickens and will be eaten enthusiastically. Leafy greens are among the best things you can offer. Kale, spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce, and cabbage are all nutritious and easy to feed. Hang a head of cabbage in the run and watch your flock entertain themselves with it for an entire afternoon.
Cooked or raw squash and zucchini are great options, seeds and all. The seeds of squash are actually thought to have mild deworming properties, which is a bonus. Pumpkin in fall is a flock favorite for the same reason and most chickens will hollow out a pumpkin with impressive efficiency.
Broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are all fine either raw or cooked. Carrots are nutritious but best grated or cooked since raw carrots are hard for hens to break down efficiently. Beets, peas, corn, and sweet potato are all well-received.
Cucumber is a great summer treat, high in water content and cooling on hot days. Slice it in half lengthwise and set it in the run. It will be gone quickly.
Fruits Your Chickens Will Enjoy
Most fruits are safe and loved by chickens. Berries of all kinds, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, are among the most enthusiastically received treats you can offer. Watermelon is another summer staple that doubles as hydration on hot days. Set out a halved watermelon and your flock will eat it down to the rind.
Apples are fine with the seeds removed. Apple seeds contain trace amounts of cyanide and while a few are unlikely to cause harm, it is a simple enough precaution to core them before offering. Bananas including the peel are safe and most hens enjoy them. Grapes are fine cut in half to prevent any choking risk. Peaches, plums, and pears are all safe with the pits removed.
Citrus is generally not recommended. Most chickens will avoid it on their own due to the strong smell and acidity, and some research suggests it can interfere with calcium absorption in laying hens. It is not highly toxic but it is worth skipping when better options are available.
Grains, Bread, and Cooked Starches
Cooked rice, pasta, and oatmeal are all safe and well-loved by chickens. Cooked oatmeal on a cold morning is a flock favorite and a nice way to give your girls a warm start to a winter day.
Bread is safe but should be treated as an occasional treat rather than a regular offering. It has low nutritional value and fills birds up quickly, which can crowd out more nutritious feed. Whole grain bread is a better choice than white if you are going to offer it.
Cooked beans are fine. Raw or dried beans are not. Raw kidney beans in particular contain a compound called phytohaemagglutinin that is toxic to chickens and can be fatal in small amounts. Always cook beans thoroughly before offering them.
Cooked grains like barley, quinoa, and wheat berries are all good options. Plain popcorn, unbuttered and unsalted, is a treat most flocks find irresistible.
Proteins Your Flock Will Go Wild For
Chickens are omnivores and in the wild would eat insects, small lizards, and even small rodents given the opportunity. Offering protein-rich scraps supports feather growth, especially during molting season, and keeps the flock in good condition.
Cooked eggs, scrambled or hard boiled and mashed, are one of the most nutritious treats you can offer. New keepers often feel strange about this but there is nothing wrong with it. Cook the eggs first so the hens do not associate raw eggs with food, which could encourage egg eating in the nest box.
Cooked meat scraps including chicken, yes chicken, are safe and high in protein. This is another one that surprises people but chickens in the wild are not vegetarians and cooked poultry is a legitimate protein source. Keep portions small and make sure there are no cooked bones that could splinter.
Mealworms are arguably the most universally loved treat in the chicken world. Dried mealworms are available at most feed stores and are an excellent high-protein supplement, especially useful during molt when hens need extra protein to regrow feathers. Use them in moderation since they are high in fat.
Plain yogurt and other plain dairy products are fine in small amounts. Most chickens enjoy yogurt and the probiotics can be beneficial for gut health. Cheese in small amounts is generally fine. Skip anything heavily salted or heavily processed.
What to Limit
Some foods are not outright toxic but are worth limiting in your flock's diet.
Salty foods should be kept to a minimum. Chickens have low salt tolerance, and too much sodium can cause increased thirst, digestive upset, and in large amounts can be dangerous. Skip processed snacks, crackers, and anything heavily seasoned.
Sugary foods are not harmful in small amounts but offer no nutritional value and can contribute to digestive issues if offered regularly. Treat sweet scraps the way you would bread, occasionally and in small portions.
Avocado flesh is debated among chicken keepers. The skin, pit, and leaves contain persin which is toxic to birds. Most sources recommend avoiding avocado entirely to eliminate any risk, even though some keepers offer small amounts of the flesh without apparent issue. It is an easy one to skip given that better options are always available.
What to Never Feed Your Chickens
Raw or dried beans, as mentioned above, are toxic and should never be offered uncooked.
Chocolate contains theobromine which is toxic to chickens as it is to dogs and cats. Even small amounts can cause serious harm.
Onions and garlic in large amounts can cause a condition called hemolytic anemia in chickens by breaking down red blood cells. Small incidental amounts are unlikely to cause harm but large quantities of either should be avoided.
Rhubarb leaves are toxic to chickens. The stalks are generally considered safe in small amounts, but the leaves should never be offered.
Anything moldy should never go into the flock. Mold produces mycotoxins that can cause serious illness and death in chickens. If you would not eat it yourself because it has gone off, do not give it to your hens.
Heavily processed foods, fast food, and anything with artificial preservatives or additives are best kept out of the run entirely. Your flock's digestive system is not built for processed human food and the long-term effects of regular exposure are not good.
A Simple Way to Think About It
If it is a whole food that you would feel good about eating yourself, it is probably fine for your flock in reasonable amounts. If it is heavily processed, heavily salted, moldy, or from the avoid list above, keep it out of the run.
Feeding scraps to your chickens should feel like a natural extension of a healthy kitchen, the vegetable trimmings, the leftover oatmeal, the berry stems and apple cores. That is the sweet spot where reducing waste and keeping a healthy flock overlap perfectly.
A flock that eats well lays well. And a flock that lays well deserves a coop that keeps them safe, comfortable, and happy year-round. [Shop OverEZ Chicken Coops →]