Treats for your chickens

Treat Types for your chickens

General Opinions

Apples

Raw and applesauce

Apple seeds contain cyanide, but not in sufficient quantities to kill.

Asparagus

Raw or cooked

Okay to feed, but not a favorite.

Bananas

Without the peel

High in potassium, a good treat.

Beans

Well-cooked only, never dry

Also, greenbeans.

Beets

Greens also.

.

Berries

All kinds

A treat, especially strawberries.

Breads

All kinds - good use for stale bread or rolls

Feed starches in moderation.

Broccoli & Cauliflower

.

Tuck into a suet cage and they will pick at it all day.

Cabbage & Brussels Sprouts

Whole head -

Hang a whole cabbage from their coop ceiling in winter so they have something to play with and greens to eat.

Carrots

Raw and cooked

They like carrot foliage too.

Catfood * (see bottom of page)

Wet and dry

Feed in strict moderation, perhaps only during moulting * (see bottom of page)

Cereal

Cheerios, etc.

Avoid highly sugared cereal such as Cocopuffs, etc.

Cheese

Including cottage cheese

Feed in moderation, fatty but a good source of protein and calcium

Cooked Chicken

.

They may like it and it won’t kill them, but it just seems so….. ummm………… wrong.

Corn

On cob and canned, raw and cooked

.

Crickets (alive)

Can be bought at bait or pet-supply stores.

Great treat – provides protein and it’s fun to watch the chickens catch them.

Cucumbers

Let mature for yummy seeds and flesh.

Eggs

Hardcooked and scrambled are a good source of protein, and a favorite treat.

Feed cooked eggs only because you don’t want your chickens to start eating their own raw eggs.

Eggplant

.

.

Fish / Seafood

Cooked only.

Flowers

Make sure they haven't been treated with pesticides, such as florist flowers might be.

Marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, etc.

Fruit

Pears, peaches, cherries, apples

Grains

Bulgar, flax, niger, wheatberries,etc.

.

For chicks, cutting them in half makes it easier for them to swallow.

Great fun - the cause of many entertaining "chicken keepaway" games.

Grits

Cooked

"Leftovers"

Only feed your chickens that which is still considered edible by humans, don't feed anything spoiled, moldy, oily, salty or unidentifiable.

Lettuce / Kale

Any leafy greens, spinach collards, chickweed included.

A big treat, depending on how much other greenery they have access to.

Mealworms

(see photo after the chart)

Available at pet supply stores or on the internet, although shipping is expensive!

A huge(!) favorite treat, probably the most foolproof treat on the books.

Meat scraps of any kind.

Not too fatty.

In moderation, a good source of protein

Melon

Cantelope, etc.

Both seeds and flesh are good chicken treats.

Oatmeal

Raw or cooked

Cooked is nutritionally better.

Pasta / Macaroni

Cooked spaghetti, etc.A favorite treat, fun to watch them eat it, but not much nutrition.

Peas

Peas and pea tendrils and flowers, put peas in ice cube trays filled with water. chickens will peck at the Peas trying to get them r

.

Peppers (bell)

.

Raw

Seeds are a big treat.

Popcorn

Popped, no butter, no salt.

Potatos / Sweet Potatos/Yams

Cooked only - avoid green parts of peels!

Starchy, not much nutrition

Pumpkins / Winter Squash

Raw or cooked

Both seeds and flesh are a nutritious treat.

Raisins

.

Rice

Cooked only

Pilaf mixes are okay too, plain white rice has little nutrition.

Scratch

Scratch is cracked corn with grains (such as wheat, oats and rye) mixed in.

Scratch is a treat for cold weather, not a complete feed. Toss it on the ground and let them scratch for it for something to do.

Sprouts

Wheat and oat sprouts are great!

Good for greens in mid-winter.

Summer Squash

Yellow squash and zucchini

Yellow squash not a huge favorite, but okay to feed.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds with the shell still on is fine to feed, as well as with the shell off.

A good treat, helps hens lay eggs and grow healthy feathers.

Tomatos

Raw and cooked.

Turnips Cooked. Not a huge favorite

Watermelon Served cold, it can keep chickens cool and hydrated during hot summers.

Seeds and flesh are both okay to feed.

Yogurt

Plain or flavored- A big favorite and good for their digestive systems. Plain is better.

Sunny Side Up Ranch- Treats for your chickens