Give Chicken Healthy food avoid the dangerous foods
Chickens are known for their voracious appetites and willingness to devour a wide variety of things, including kitchen trash. While feeding kitchen scraps to your hens can help you save money on feed and decrease food waste, it’s important to be aware of the things that can be hazardous to them. This article discusses popular foods that should not be served to hens since they can harm their health and well-being.
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- Green potatoes and potato peels contain solanine, a poisonous chemical that is deadly to chickens. The peels, eyeballs, and any green sections of the potato have the highest concentration of solanine. It is critical not to feed your chickens green or sprouting potatoes. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are safe for chickens because they are not members of the nightshade family and do not contain solanine.
- Apple Seeds and Cherry Pits: While apples and cherries are acceptable to feed to chickens, their seeds and pits contain cyanide. Cyanide inhibits oxygen absorption in cells and is lethal to chickens. Feeding them apple seeds or cherry pits may cause darkened combs and breathing difficulties.
- Chocolate: Chickens, like dogs, should not be given chocolate. Chocolate includes theobromine, which is poisonous to birds’ digestive systems and hearts. In chickens, even a modest amount of chocolate can cause cardiac arrest. Because of its higher cocoa content, dark chocolate is the most harmful, but all chocolate should be avoided.
- High-Fat Foods: Chickens should be offered unhealthy treats in moderation, such as greasy, fatty, salty, and highly processed foods. These meals are tough for chickens to digest and can cause digestive problems and obesity. While moderate amounts of such foods are OK, large amounts should be avoided.
- Coffee Grounds: Because caffeine is toxic to chickens, coffee grounds should be kept away from them. Caffeine poisoning can impair calcium absorption and weaken the immune system, resulting in heart and lung issues. Caffeine overdose can lead to agitation, convulsions, and even death.
- Avocado Skins and Pits: Avocado skin and pits contain persin, a chemical that can cause respiratory issues and even death in hens. Avocado skins and pits must be kept away from your birds. The avocado fruit, on the other hand, is safe and delightful for poultry.
- Foods that are rotten or moldy: Chickens can eat overripe fruits and vegetables, but they should never eat anything that is rotting or moldy. Mold is a fungus that can cause mycotoxicosis in hens, which causes weight loss, mouth ulcers, and liver and kidney failure. This caution also applies to chicken feed; if it becomes moldy; do not feed it to your hens.
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- Lawnmower Clippings: While hens enjoy eating grass, avoid feeding them lawnmower clippings. Eating grass clippings can result in an impacted crop, which occurs when long blades of grass bond with feed, causing an obstruction. Feed your chickens’ tiny, finely mulched grass as a treat to avoid this.
- Onions and garlic contain chemicals that can be poisonous to chickens, causing digestive upset and hemolytic anemia. These foods, whether raw, cooked, or dried, should be avoided in any form. Even modest amounts of onions and garlic might be hazardous to your flock.
- Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits, contain citric acid, which might upset hens’ sensitive intestinal equilibrium. Citrus fruits may cause digestive problems, including diarrhea. While little amounts of citrus are unlikely to be harmful, it is advisable to avoid offering these fruits on a regular basis.
- Rhubarb Leaves: Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, which is hazardous to hens. Consuming rhubarb leaves can cause calcium deficiency and possibly death. Make sure your chickens can’t get to the rhubarb leaves if you have them in your garden.
- Salty Foods: Salty foods, such as chips, pretzels, and salty snacks, should not be fed to chickens. Excessive salt consumption can result in dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, which can lead to health issues in your birds.
- Alcohol is poisonous to hens, just like it is to humans. Alcohol use in chickens can result in serious consequences such as confusion, lack of coordination, and even death. Give your chickens no alcoholic beverages or foods made with alcohol.
- Human drugs and supplements should never be administered to hens unless specifically prescribed by a veterinarian. Many human drugs, such as pain relievers and cold cures, are toxic to hens. Always seek medical attention from a veterinarian.
- Raw beans contain lectins, which can be toxic to hens. Consuming raw or undercooked beans can cause stomach problems, vomiting, and diarrhea. Cook the beans well before serving them to your herd.
- Dairy Products: Because chickens lack the enzymes required to digest lactose, dairy products are not good for them. Giving chickens milk, cheese, or yogurt can cause gastric upset and diarrhea. Stick to things that hens may readily digest.
- Processed and Sugary Foods: Avoid giving processed and sugary foods to chickens, such as candies, cookies, and sugary cereals. These foods have little nutritional value and might cause obesity and other health issues in your birds.
Feeding kitchen scraps to chickens is a great method to supply them with extra nutrients while also reducing food waste. However, it is critical to be aware of the items that are toxic to chickens. Green potatoes, apple seeds, cherry pits, chocolate, high-fat foods, coffee grounds, avocado peels and pits, rotten or moldy foods, and lawnmower clippings should be avoided. You can assure your chickens’ health, well-being, and continuing production of tasty eggs by being attentive of what you feed them. Green potatoes, apple seeds, cherry pits, chocolate, high-fat foods, coffee grounds, avocado skins and pits, rotten or moldy foods, lawnmower clippings, onions, garlic, citrus fruits, rhubarb leaves, salty foods, alcohol, medications, raw beans, dairy products, and processed and sugary foods should all be avoided by your chickens.
