It’s nice watching your chickens feeding; during this time, you get to see how greedy they are, and you can also identify the greediest chicken. Sometimes you may forget and get too much involved in the fun and experimentation on how much your chickens consume. This is, however, dangerous, mostly when you are feeding them on one meal alone.The question of the appropriate fruits to feed chickens has raised many debates, and many are not sure about the appropriate fruit. If you grow grapes in your backyard, it will be enjoyable watching chickens eat grapes and how high they can jump to grab some grapes for themselves. If you also love grapes, it would be nice sharing them with your chickens once in a while because chicken enjoys such special treats. Such moments will always strengthen the bond you have with your chickens.
Fruits your chicken can eat.
How do you dispose of your food leftovers apart from dumping them into the garbage bins? Those who have chickens will respond that; their chickens are useful when it comes to disposing of food leftovers. Be cautious about what food leftover you feed your chicken. There are certain fruits not recommended for chickens. The fruits you feed your chicken should be limited to the following.Berries are suitable for chicken consumption since they are soft, and chicken’s beak can easily penetrate the berries to eat the soft parts. Berries are ideal for chickens since they are rich in vitamins A, B&C, which are essential for the immunity and growth of the chicken.Lately, certain arguments state that berries are harmful to chicken since they are treated with pesticides while in the farms. These pesticides contain certain toxins that are harmful to birds. In response to this, I recommend that you only feed your chickens occasionally on berries and give them a small quantity. Secondly, ensure you wash the berries before feeding them to the chickens.
Can chicken eat grapes?
Many facts and fiction surround this subject matter, some of them proven while others are yet to be proven or are purely rumors. Sometimes you may have doubts whether grapevines in your backyard are safe for your chicken. Worry no more, they are safe for your chickens.Grapes contain vitamins and minerals essential for chickens. Chickens require a balanced diet, and the best source of vitamins and minerals for your chicken is the grapes. These vitamins obtained from grapes are vital for chickens’ immunity.Grapes, unlike other fruits, are very soft, and your chicken can easily penetrate their beaks into the grapefruits. Chickens should only consume soft fruits since it prevents their beaks from cracking when eating the fruits. The softness of grapes enables chickens to eliminate unwanted parts of the fruits very quickly.Chicken love pecking the ground in search of different meals; this means that they not only feed on one type of meal. Providing grapes will enrich them with vitamins and probably save them from cracking hard fruits and hurting their beaks. Monitoring the consumption of grapes prevents your chicken from eating grape’s seeds. The seeds are indigestible and can choke or hurt them.Chickens tend to grab fruits and run away with them, ensure that whenever you feed them on grapes, you have an amount sufficient for all of them. An adequate amount of grapes will prevent them from swallowing the grapes without breaking them in small pieces. Consuming unbroken fruit could lead to a blocked digestive system; alternatively, undigested grapes are a waste of food.
Can chickens eat Blueberries?
Of all the berries and other fruits, the best fruits for your chicken are the blueberries. They are suitable due to their size, and once in a while, your chicken can eat them wholly without chocking. Chickens love blueberries because of the high sugar levels in berries. The sugar levels can be both a benefit and a risk. It can expose the chicken to high blood sugars; alternatively, it complements the starch levels in your chicken.
Can chickens eat raisins?
Chickens love having some sweet treats within their meals, what other way would you give your chicken a sweet treat if not giving them some raisins? Chickens love it totally and enjoy making it a diet. When feeding your chicken some sweet treats, you should be cautious not to provide them with too much raisins.Too much consumption could lead to digestive problems, and they will spend a while before they consume some food. So monitor that greedy chicken to ensure that it does not consume excess raisins. Animals do not have control when eating some sweet treats; it is your role to determine the levels consumed by each chicken.Chickens should also not feed on raisins regularly. To ensure they do not feed on raisins regularly, you can develop balanced diet guidelines and set out that particular day when your chicken has a special treat of raisins probably once a fortnight or thrice a month.
What not to feed your chicken
Chickens are vast feeders and are likely to feed on anything they come across. You should watch how your chicken feeds and restrict them from what they should eat. You should ensure that they only roam around your backyard or compound. Controlling their movement will help you monitor and control whatever they eat.
Chocolates
Chocolates are harmful to many pets, such as cats, dogs, and chickens. Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine; these two substances are harmful to birds. When consumed too much, they can cause cardiac arrest in birds and eventually death. Your chicken should not feed on anything having caffeine, such as coffee drinks. Giving them a small portion is not harmful.
Green tomatoes and potatoes
I can’t deny that chickens love potatoes, mostly mashed potatoes. Green potatoes are already having sprouts growing on them, while green tomatoes are unripe tomatoes. Green tomatoes and potatoes have chaconine and solanine that is very poisonous to chicken. These chemicals cause paralysis and drowsiness in birds. Whether boiled or raw, green potatoes and tomatoes are harmful to your chickens.
Avocados
Avocado is one of the most preferred fruits in homes, yet it’s an enemy of the chickens. Avocadoes contain persin that is likely to cause heart failure in chickens, eventually killing them. You can only feed them in a small quantity. When feeding them on the small amount, ensure they do not feed on the seed since it has a high concentration of persin.
Moldy foodstuff
Molds are prone to some foods like flour, bread, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. Once mold grows on food, it is unsuitable for consumption not only to human beings but also to chickens. Did you know that molds contain penicillin? Penicillin and aflatoxins are harmful to chickens. These two toxins exist in mold, therefore feeding your chick on moldy foods could lead to their death.Other foods that your chicken should not consume include
- Junk foods
- Dry beans
- Apples
- Citrus fruits
How to feed your chicken
A balanced diet is not only meant for human beings, but animals too. Vitamins, proteins, fats, and carbs all have a unique role in your chicken’s life.A balanced diet for chickens sounds ridiculous. Chicken feeds should be predominantly protein, and other nutrients such as vitamins should be supplements.So on a typical day, your chicken should feed on some oats, dried worms, grapes or raisins, salt-free peanut butter, and some starch. If you have trouble balancing all these, buy a chicken meal since it has all these included in a balanced ration. After feeding, allow your chickens to graze freely in the backyard to eat some grass and sand. Sand and grass are essential for hardening the eggshell.
Things to note when feeding your chickens on raisins, berries, and grapes
Chickens can sometimes have difficulties in digesting these foods, mostly when their crop is not well developed to break down these foods. They should only feed on little amounts of these foods in order to control their sugar levels. Grapes and raisins make chickens get full faster than regular foods. Faster satisfactions on grapes and raisins alone will impact the amounts of proteins chickens consume, remember that proteins should be the critical meal for chickens. The reasons for minimizing these foods are to ensure your chicken feeds entirely on a balanced diet and not have any complications due to their feeding habits.
Benefits and risks of grapes, berries, and raisins for chickens
These foods have one significant benefit to your chickens. They are a crucial source of essential vitamins that are needed by your chicken. Other benefits include
- Improved bone health
- Weight gain
- Diabetes and cancer prevention
- They enrich chickens on iron, fiber, and potassium.
They have the following risks to your chicken.
- Too much consumption leads to excess weight.
- They reduce protein amounts consumed by chickens.
- Pesticides used to preserve these foods can be harmful to chickens.
Conclusion
Feeding your chickens is not a hectic duty, never be worried about what people say on the appropriate fruits for your chicken. Rumors aside, grapes are suitable for consumption by chickens. Including grapes in your chickens’ meals will ensure that the meal is balanced. Having learned the essential roles of fruits in the diet of your chicken, all the best in feeding your chicken.
