Since we started this page, we at the typesofchicken.com team have given you articles on many different subjects concerning your chicken, and most of them were on what you should do to or with them.
We started getting questions from you on some particular subjects like is some food bad or good for your chickens and alike.
After some research and a few discussions with some more experienced poultry keepers, we decided to give you an article on what you should NOT feed your chicken.
1. Chocolate or candy
Well, this is obvious and that is why I wanted to get it out of the way as the first no-no for your chickens.
I guess everyone who has had a dog in their life know that chocolate and candy are not good for your dog but did you know why is that?
Chocolate and candy contain Theobromine which is an alkaloid of the cacao plant, and it is not only toxic to dogs but for your chickens and the rest of your poultry.
2. Green Potato Skins
Green potato skins are something that you should avoid feeding to your chicken because they contain Solanine which is another toxic material for most of the animal kingdom even for humans.
Although in some small amounts they will not make a big difference, if given regularly green potato skins can be very bad for the health or even deadly to your chickens.
3. Moldy or rotten food
In one of our previous articles we have mentioned that you should give your leftover food to your chickens, but this does not count for the moldy and rotten food, because it can be very dangerous for your chickens.
4. Avocado pit and peels
Although many experts will say that avocados are very good for the health of your chickens, after some research I found out that the fruit is the very good thing for your chickens’ health.
But the pit and peels of avocados contain a compound named Persin which can be very toxic to some animals – especially birds.
Some people also avoid giving their chickens citrus and say that their chickens hate it so you might want to check their reaction to the fruit before consider regularly feeding it to them.
5. Dry or undercooked beans
Dry beans contain hemagglutinin which is toxic to birds. If you want to give beans to your chickens make sure that you cook them properly because that destroys the hemaglutinin them.
6. Do NOT feed your chicken with anything too salty
The small body of chicken cannot sustain large amounts of salt.
Giving your chicken food that is salty can lead to many health issues with them such as salt poisoning, salt toxicity, dehydration and more.
7. Raw eggs or chicken meat
This is a big no-no because if you introduce eggs or chicken meat to your flock, chances are that they will turn cannibalistic – which you don’t want. We are talking about RAW meat and eggs.
But for example, can chickens eat cooked chicken? Undamaged, completely cooked chicken and other fowl will not hurt your birds. So yes, chickens can eat cooked meat.
If your chickens are eating their eggs it is most likely that they are overstressed or there is something missing in their diet.
8. Onions
Onions are not a big no-no for your chickens because they have some health benefits, but you should know that onions contain Thiosulphate which destroys their blood cells. So we recommend that you try giving onions to your chicken as less as possible.
9. Apple Seeds
Although apples are very good for your chicken, their seeds – not so much.
Apple seeds contain small amounts of cyanide and can be deadly to your chickens.
Do your chickens a solid and remove the seeds from the apples before serving.
10. Dry rice
Dry rice is not good for your chickens because it can get bigger when introduced to the moisture of your chicken stomach and that can cause big problems for them.
Wondering what treats to give chickens? – We talked already about giving chickens carrots, grapes, zucchini, sweet feed, etc.
So if you plan on feeding your chicken rice make sure you cook it before serving it to them.
