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 owner, you likely want to provide your flock with healthy, nutritious treats. You may have wondered if beans could make a good addition to their diet. The answer is yes—when prepared properly, beans offer some benefits for chickens. However, raw or undercooked beans contain toxins and must be avoided.
This article provides a complete guide to feeding beans to chickens, including nutritional value, health benefits, proper preparation, and potential dangers
Can Chickens Eat Beans?
Chickens can safely eat properly cooked beans in moderation Beans provide protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that chickens need However, chickens’ digestive systems are not designed to process large amounts of plant-based foods.
While beans can be an occasional treat they should never make up more than 10% of a chicken’s total diet. Overfeeding beans could lead to digestive upset nutritional deficiencies, or obesity.
It’s critical to only feed thoroughly cooked beans with all toxins destroyed. Raw, sprouted, or undercooked beans contain lectins and other anti-nutrients that can poison chickens.
Nutritional Value of Beans for Chickens
When prepared correctly, beans can offer the following nutritional benefits for chickens:
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Protein: Beans contain plant-based protein to support growth and egg production. But chickens require animal sources for complete protein.
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Fiber: The fiber in beans promotes healthy digestion and prevents constipation. But too much fiber causes loose droppings.
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Vitamins: Beans provide B vitamins, vitamin K, and folate. Chickens need these water-soluble vitamins since they don’t store them in their bodies.
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Minerals: Beans supply minerals like iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc to support bone health, immune function, and more in chickens.
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Antioxidants: Compounds in beans have antioxidant effects to reduce inflammation. But the benefits are likely small for chickens.
While beans have some positives, they should only be a supplemental source of nutrition. A chicken’s primary diet should be complete feed providing all required nutrients.
Health Benefits of Beans for Chickens
When fed properly, beans may offer chickens the following health benefits:
- Maintain digestive health due to fiber and prebiotic content
- Support bone strength from minerals like calcium and magnesium
- Provide antioxidants to reduce inflammation and cell damage
- Boost immunity through vitamin and mineral content
- Support healthy feathers, skin, muscles, and eggs through protein
- Prevent obesity compared to higher-fat treat options
Beans give chickens a plant-based change of pace from their usual insect and animal-based protein diet. Just feed beans sparingly to maximize benefits and avoid risks.
Risks of Feeding Beans to Chickens
While properly cooked beans are safe in moderation, there are some risks to be aware of:
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Raw or undercooked beans contain lectins and phytohaemagglutinin, which are toxic and can be fatal. Beans must be thoroughly boiled.
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Too many beans could lead to loose droppings, diarrhea, gas, and upset stomach due to the high fiber content.
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Overfeeding beans could displace more nutritious animal proteins and fats chickens need.
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Beans could cause allergic reactions or food sensitivities in some chickens.
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Incomplete soaking and cooking can leave anti-nutrients that inhibit nutrient absorption.
To prevent issues, introduce beans slowly and discontinue use if any diarrhea, vomiting, or other concerning symptoms arise. Only offer beans occasionally as a treat, not daily.
Safe Types of Beans for Chickens
Most common bean varieties are safe for chickens as long as they are prepared properly. Some of the most chicken-friendly options include:
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
- Pinto beans
- Navy beans
- Lentils
- Chickpeas/garbanzo beans
- Lima beans
- Mung beans
Avoid coffee beans, cocoa beans, and fava beans, as these contain caffeine and other toxins that can sicken chickens. Also do not feed canned baked beans or other pre-seasoned bean products made for human consumption.
Preparing Beans for Chickens
If you want to feed beans to chickens, follow these tips to prepare them safely:
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Pick dried beans with no signs of moisture or mold. Discard any damaged beans.
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Soak beans for at least 8 hours to begin breaking down anti-nutrients. Replace soaking water 2-3 times.
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Rinse soaked beans well before cooking.
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Boil beans for at least 10 minutes until very soft. Undercooked beans are toxic.
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Drain excess water and mash beans into a paste or puree for easier eating.
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Allow beans to cool fully before feeding to avoid crop burns.
Always monitor your flock closely when introducing new foods like beans. Discontinue use if any signs of illness or allergic reaction occur.
Are Beans a Healthy Chicken Treat?
Beans can be a nutritious occasional treat for chickens in moderation. However, chickens don’t require beans, as their natural diet consists of seeds, plants, and insects in the wild.
There are healthier, more species-appropriate treat options for chickens, including:
- Fresh fruits like berries and melon
- Cooked eggs
- Leafy greens like kale or spinach
- Vegetable peels and scraps
- Mealworms or crickets
- Oats or rice
Treats should make up no more than 10% of a chicken’s daily food intake. Monitor your chickens’ body condition and health closely when offering any human food treats like beans.
Are Beans Bad for Chickens?
Beans themselves are not inherently bad for chickens. However, raw, sprouted, or undercooked beans are toxic and potentially deadly due to natural lectins and other anti-nutrients. Bean preparations for human consumption are also unsafe.
As long as beans are thoroughly cooked and fed in strict moderation, they can be a nutritious supplemental snack. But chickens do not require beans, and there are healthier treat options to provide instead. It’s best to limit or avoid beans if possible.
Never make assumptions when feeding human food to chickens. Always research first and start slowly to watch for any adverse effects. Focus on providing a balanced commercial feed and supplement with healthy, natural treats specifically suited for chickens.
The Bottom Line on Feeding Beans to Chickens
Thoroughly cooked, unseasoned beans can be fed to chickens occasionally as a treat. But beans should never exceed 10% of a chicken’s diet. Raw, sprouted, or undercooked beans are toxic and must be avoided.
While beans provide some nutritional value, chickens do not need them. It’s best to stick to a quality complete feed and offer natural, species-appropriate treats. Monitor your chickens closely for any signs of digestive upset when introducing new foods.
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.
I Fed My Chickens Rice and Beans for a Month…Here’s What Happened
FAQ
Can chickens eat beans every day?
Are canned beans safe for chickens?
Can I feed my chickens cooked pinto beans?
Do chickens eat beans?
Chickens do enjoy eating beans! The texture and taste seems to appeal to them. Chickens will readily eat fresh green beans, sprouted beans, and soaked or cooked dried beans. Of course, every chicken has their own preferences. Some may love beans, while others aren’t as interested. But most chickens do seem to relish beans as part of their diet.
What type of beans should one eat?
The most healthy beans are chickpeas, lentils, peas, kidney beans, black beans, soybeans, pinto beans, and navy beans. They contain a lot of fiber and proteins.
Can chickens eat dry beans?
Even though dry beans are laden with nutrients, it is not advisable to feed them to your chickens without cooking. The main reason why you shouldn’t do that is that dry beans may kill your bird after eating them. Your chickens can eat beans. Cook the beans well before allowing your chickens to feast on them.
Can chickens eat red beans?
Small Red beans: As their name suggests, Small Red beans are small with red skin. They are also oval-shaped with a delicate flavor, and their texture is softer than that for kidney beans. They are also popular in places such as the Caribbean and surrounding areas. When feeding your chickens, make sure to boil them for up to 90 minutes.