But, as robust as chickens are, there are still a few things chickens cannot eat. Much like a child who eats too many cookies right before dinner time. When Can Tomatoes be Harmful to Chickens? It is not a good idea to put them with the chicken's food. Although these omnivorous birds can eat the vast majority of the foods that we eat, there are some definite foods that chickens shouldn’t eat. Some plants are poisonous to chickens although fortunately they are quite savvy about what not to eat and it is very rare for a chicken to eat poisonous plants due to their bitter taste. Lettuce and Leafy Greens - All are excellent to feed to your chickens and are full of nutrients and water, creating a great treat for the dark orange egg yolk! Chickens are lucky because they can eat almost anything they come across. If in doubt, keep potentially harmful plants away from your birds. Get it wrong, and it can lead to reduced egg production, deformed eggs, feather picking and other unwanted behaviour. This is the reason they are omnivorous animals, just like humans. You can toss some into the chicken coop with them to see if the chickens want to eat them. Mums generally grow to a width and height of 1 to 3 feet so keep this in mind when planning your garden. For best results, select a spot in full sun away from trees and big shrubs. Feeding your chickens is one of, if not, the most important task when it comes to raising backyard chickens. Chickens need a well-balanced diet to live happy, healthy lives. Most chickens are not picky eaters and will be thrilled if you offer them anything on this list. But when giving them a variety of treats, you should be careful enough not to provide them with toxic foods. Darkling beetles can carry poultry diseases and internal parasites (Goodwin and Waltman, 1996). It can be tempting to take a pale of leftovers out to your coop and dump everything right into their feed dish. The leaves and stems of most mum plants can be toxic for rabbits in high quantities. Prevention is far easier than cure. So chickens can eat bread, it’s just a matter of balance. Giving your chickens too much junk food, and/or too many snacks could result in simply ruining their supper! Chrysanthemum. Soil needs to … Any unripe green veggie, like green tomatoes and green potatoes, can make your chickens … There is a reason we eat ripe tomatoes, except for the occasional fried green tomato, because green tomatoes are not suitable for people or chickens. You can start mums indoors from seed 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date. Chickens can safely eat fresh bay leaves. Both the larvae and beetles eat decaying leaves, sticks, grass, dead insects, feces, and grains. Outdoors, this is one of the plants that is most likely to be ignored by wild animals, such as deer or wild rabbits, because of the strong scent and fuzzy texture of the flowers. In addition, I'm often asked for a list of vegetables and herbs that can be planted in the garden that are safe for chickens to eat and a list of things that aren't safe. Chickens can eat a lot of different food items– don’t forget they are omnivores, so they love both meat and veggies. Flowers - Nasturtium and rose are excellent for Vitamin C, Chrysanthemum helps boost immunity, and Marigolds have the … They can also feed on dead animals and are known to bite on the skin and drink the blood of turkeys and chickens (Harmon, 2012). As you can see, the list of foods that chickens can eat is pretty epic! Get it right and you will have a healthy flock who merrily cluck every time you bring them one of their favourite snacks or kitchen scraps! 3.