You can feed your chickens almost anything, which is one of the best things about having them in your backyard. I love giving chickens table scraps that my dogs won’t eat. It’s a waste to throw away food, so it’s good to know that chickens will eat some scraps that people would normally throw away.
But not everything is safe to give to your chickens. In fact, some foods that you might think are safe for chickens are in fact, quite the opposite. Some food scraps are dangerous (even deadly) to give to chickens. Read on to learn more about some common food scraps that you shouldn’t feed your chickens.
As a chicken keeper, you likely want to offer your flock a diverse, healthy diet. Dry beans may seem like a nutritious addition, since they are high in protein. However, raw or undercooked beans contain a toxin called lectin that can be very dangerous for chickens So can chickens eat dry beans safely?
The short answer is no – chickens should never consume raw, dried beans or undercooked beans. But with proper preparation to eliminate toxins, certain bean varieties can be a healthy treat in moderation. Keep reading to learn all about feeding beans to chickens.
Dangers of Raw Beans for Chickens
All types of raw beans, including kidney, pinto, black, cannellini, navy, and more, contain a form of lectin called phytohaemagglutinin. This naturally occurring toxin helps protect the beans from predators. But it is harmful for animals if ingested
When chickens eat raw or improperly cooked beans, the lectins bind to their cell membranes, especially in the gastrointestinal tract. This disrupts digestion and causes cells to clump together and rupture, damaging the intestinal lining.
Symptoms of lectin poisoning in chickens include:
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Weight loss
- Lethargy
In high enough doses, the lectins in raw beans can be rapidly fatal to chickens. Even small amounts may cause long-term digestive issues.
So it is crucial to only feed chickens beans that have been thoroughly cooked to deactivate the lectin. Canned beans are a safe option since the canning process destroys lectins.
Cooking Beans to Remove Toxins
To make dry beans safe for chickens, they must reach an internal temperature of at least 176°F (80°C) during cooking. This destroys nearly all of the harmful lectins.
The best methods for preparing beans are:
- Boiling for at least 10 minutes
- Baking at temperatures above 325°F
- Pressure cooking for 3-5 minutes
- Canning
Beans should be softened all the way through. Avoid any partially cooked beans, as traces of lectin may remain in the center. Also do not feed chickens the cooking liquid from beans, as it may contain small amounts of lectin.
When rehydrating and sprouting beans, make sure they are cooked afterward. The sprouting process alone does not eliminate lectins. Only thorough cooking makes beans safe.
Benefits of Cooked Beans for Chickens
Once beans are properly prepared, they offer excellent nutritional value:
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Protein – Beans are one of the richest plant-based protein sources, with most varieties containing around 20-25% protein. This aids egg and muscle development in chickens.
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Fiber – The complex carbohydrates and fiber in beans promote digestion and gut health.
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Iron – Beans have substantial iron content to prevent anemia and strengthen immunity.
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Other vitamins and minerals – Beans provide B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and more to support overall health.
The high nutrient density makes beans a great supplemental feed. They are also a natural source of protein to replace meat-based feeds.
Bean Varieties for Chickens
Most types of cooked beans are safe for chickens in moderation. Some top choices include:
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Black beans – High in antioxidants like anthocyanins along with fiber and plant protein.
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Kidney beans – Rich in iron, magnesium, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. They have the highest lectin content when raw though, so be sure to cook them thoroughly.
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Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) – A good source of protein along with being high in iron, phosphorus, and calcium for strong bones.
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Pinto beans – Contain high amounts of protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium and B vitamins like thiamine and folate.
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Navy beans – Full of manganese, copper, fiber and phosphorus. Their small size makes them easy for chickens to eat.
Avoid feeding large amounts of gas-producing beans like lentils, split peas, and soybeans, as they may cause digestive upset. Stick to offerings of 1-2 tablespoons per chicken.
Feeding Guidelines
When introducing beans, follow these tips:
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Start with small portions of 1-2 tablespoons per chicken twice a week.
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Mix beans into feed or offer as an occasional treat, not a primary food source.
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Toss beans in salads or mixes along with veggies, grains, seeds, and fruits for variety.
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Make sure plenty of fresh water is available to aid digestion.
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Watch for signs of gastrointestinal distress and discontinue beans if any issues arise.
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Cook beans thoroughly every time before feeding. Do not take shortcuts.
As long as proper precautions are followed, beans can be a beneficial addition to your chickens’ diet. Just be vigilant about proper preparation and moderation. Never feed chickens uncooked beans or let them forage plants in the bean family. With care, beans can provide nutrition without posing a risk of lectin poisoning. Your chickens will thank you for the tasty, protein-packed treat!
Dry Beans And Lentils
Most people wouldn’t throw out dried beans or lentils because they have a shelf life of almost forever. As you clean out your pantry, don’t give your chickens a bag of pinto beans that you’re only half way through and aren’t going to cook.
Uncooked beans and lentils contain a compound called phytohaemagglutinin. This compound is poison to chickens. Cook the beans to destroy the compound and then you can feed them to your flock. You can also sprout beans and lentils. Once sprouted, they are safe to feed.
If you feed your chicken’s cooked beans or lentils, make sure they are homemade. They don’t need the extra salt that beans from a can usually have, so don’t give them that.
Many years ago, it was popular to throw rice at weddings. You’d get a little bag of rice and toss the rice at the couple after the ceremony. Birds were eating the rice, which was often very bad for them, so people switched to throwing birdseed instead.
Dried rice isn’t dangerous because of a chemical but because of the fact that it’s dried. When you cook rice, it swells. The rice does the same thing when you feed it to your chickens. It comes in contact with the moisture in the bird’s digestive tract and swells. When the rice expands, it can expand too much and cause harm to their gut.
Avoid this problem by cooking rice first. Chickens will go crazy over cooked rice. Don’t feed them dried.
I’m a huge fan of avocado. It’s one of my favorite foods to eat fresh. In fact, at any given time, there are bound to be several avocados in our fridge. You don’t eat the skin or the pit of the avocado, and it becomes a food scrap.
The skin and pit of the avocado is not something that you want to feed your chickens. It contains a toxin called persin. Persin is dangerous to feed chickens and in large enough amounts, it can be deadly. The skin and pit have the largest concentrations of persin, but there is a small amount that is present in the flesh as well. Be on the safe side, and avoid giving your chickens any avocado.
For the most part, chickens are smart about what they can and cannot eat. They tend to avoid foods that are bad for them and eat more of the foods that are good for them. If you have fruit trees, you’ll know that chickens are crazy about fruit that falls to the ground. If it’s soft enough, they’ll eat all of it. Apples, cherries, and other stone fruits that fall to the ground become fair game for chickens.
Related Post: How To Store Apples
Apples, cherries, and other stone fruits have seeds that contain cyanide. If your chickens eat small amounts of the seeds, they’ll probably be fine. The problem happens when they consume too many cyanide-containing seeds. Don’t spend hours trying to get all the seeds out of the apple cores, but be careful giving your chickens apples. Don’t let apples become the only part of their diet.
This shouldn’t need to be said because who doesn’t eat all of their chocolate? When did chocolate become trash? But if you don’t eat your chocolate, you should know that giving it to your chickens can be bad for them. It’s also dangerous to feed to dogs — in case you didn’t know.
Chocolate contains a toxic chemical called theobromine. Avoid the issue and just eat the chocolate yourself.
The nightshade family includes tomatoes and eggplants. These plants contain a toxic substance called solanine. Solanine is found in all parts of tomato and eggplant. The leaves, stems, and raw tomato and eggplant fruits contain solanine.
Do not give your chickens tomato or eggplant scraps. It may be tempting to throw plant parts into the coop for them to eat. Compost these scraps instead.
Kat Shereko / Insteading
Many homecooked meals that I prepare have chopped onion in them. I cut off the ends of the onion and don’t use them, and sometimes I only use part of the onion. But I never give the onion scraps to my chickens.
Onions contain a toxin called thiosulphate that destroys red blood cells in chickens. If enough red blood cells are destroyed, chickens can develop jaundice or anemia. Avoid this problem, and put your onion scraps into a compost pile instead.
Wait, lettuce is bad for chickens? I thought it was healthy. I’ve heard these questions before, so please bear with me. Part of the reason lettuce is so healthy for humans is it’s a low calorie-dense food. Lettuce contains a large amount of water.
Related Post: How To Grow Lettuce Indoors
Chickens will go crazy over lettuce and eat a ton of it. If your chickens eat a lot of lettuce, they will also drink a lot of water. This can make them have diarrhea. You can give them small amounts of lettuce, but keep in mind that too much may make their stomachs upset. Also, the type of lettuce makes a difference in the amount of water it holds. Iceberg lettuce is full of water while some other types, like buttercrunch lettuce, don’t have as much.
This is another vegetable that, although it is super healthy, can be dangerous to feed to your chickens. The water content of spinach isn’t as high as that of lettuce, so your chickens won’t get diarrhea if they eat too much.
Eating too much spinach can prevent proper calcium absorption. Spinach contains large amounts of vitamins and minerals which is always a good thing, but if your chickens eat too much spinach, they will absorb only nutrients from the spinach. One nutrient not found in spinach in large amounts is calcium. While a chicken’s body is busy absorbing nutrients from spinach, it’s unable to absorb calcium.
Play it safe and don’t give chickens spinach. Feed them kale, cabbage, or collard greens instead.
Did you know that if rhubarb isn’t cooked properly it can be dangerous for you to eat? It’s true! The leaves and stems of the rhubarb plant contain oxalic acid which can be toxic to you and your chickens (spinach also contains small amounts of oxalic acid). Put rhubarb scraps in the compost bin to be safe.
Many of the flowers you plant around the yard or in containers can be dangerous for your chickens. If your chickens are free range, they probably won’t bother them. If you put these plants next to the coop and your chickens can’t get out, they might be tempted to eat them, so stay away from foxgloves, lobelia, mushrooms, oak leaves and acorns, holly, lupine, and ferns.
There is some debate about feeding coffee and tea to chickens. I’ve never fed either to mine because it’s valuable in compost piles. However, some people claim their chickens really like coffee grounds and tea leaves.
Coffee and tea both contain caffeine which is a methylxanthine. In large enough amounts, it can lead to heart problems. Avoid giving it to your chickens by tossing coffee grounds and tea leaves on your compost pile.
Are raw eggs dangerous to chickens? No. Will they give hens the habit of egg-eating? Potentially.
Chickens can develop a liking for raw eggs. If that happens, you’ll have a hen that will raid your nesting boxes looking for more. It’s difficult to fix an egg-eater, and much easier to prevent it from happening. If you have extra eggs that aren’t going to be used, cook them before feeding to your chickens. They won’t associate cooked eggs with the eggs they lay, and you’ll be safe.
Anything Perceived To Be Unhealthy
They shouldn’t eat anything that has been fried or is very salty or sweet. Excess fat, sodium, or sugar can make them sick. If it’s not good for you, it’s not good for your chickens either.
Lets Give This A Try…
FAQ
Can chickens eat uncooked dry beans?
Can chickens eat pinto beans?
Are beans good for poultry feed?
Can chickens eat dried beans?
Here are some tips for safely feeding beans to chickens: Limit dried beans to 1-2 times per week. Overfeeding can cause digestive issues. Soak dried beans for 8-12 hours before cooking to neutralize lectins and phytic acid. Cook dried beans thoroughly until very soft before feeding. This improves digestibility.
Can one eat beans raw?
Most beans and many other legumes are unsafe to eat raw. They contain a compound called lecithin, a glycoprotein that, when undercooked or raw, is toxic.
Can chickens eat beans?
Beans are a great source of protein, antioxidants, and fiber for your chicken! They contain B-vitamins that can be beneficial to the health of your chicken. Beans also provide potassium which helps maintain electrolyte balance in cells as well as magnesium which is necessary for cellular energy production among many other things.
Can chickens eat refried beans?
It is certainly safe to give refried beans to your chickens but bear in mind that these will contain a high amount of fat because of the way that they’ve been cooked. Too much fat can cause digestive problems in your hens. Therefore, these should only be fed in extreme moderation and only as a very occasional treat.