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