Here I explain what you should never feed hens.
Because, in my family, we have just adopted 2 hens.
And the big question for my children is:what do chickens eat?
Good question that calls for another one. What not to feed them?
Yes, we wouldn't want to poison our little proteges anyway!
So, I asked my farmer friend for the list of toxic foods to avoid for our laying hens.
He gave me a very complete answer which I followed to the letter.
To facilitate reading, I have chosen to classify the prohibited foods by large family.
So here are 25 foods not to give your chickens to keep them healthy . Watch:
- Avocado skin and core. Avocado contains persin which can cause cardiac arrest in gallinaceans.
- Kiwi skin and kiwi. Rich in histamine, it can cause allergic reactions.
- Citrus peelings. Orange and blood orange, lemon, lime or lime, tangerine, grapefruit or pomelo, kumquat, bergamot and clementines. They would have a negative influence on egg production.
- Green tomatoes.
- Banana peel. They are too rich in pesticides and they don't like it.
- Peanuts. They are too fat to be assimilated by hens.
- Fruit pits and pips. They contain cyanide which is therefore fatal for hens if they eat them too often. Cyanide causes vomiting, respiratory problems and heart attacks.
- Raw potatoes and their peelings. It is also toxic to all animals. Do you know why ? It's because of the solamine. It is a substance that the plant produces to protect itself from parasites. Even a small dose can be fatal:5 mg / Kg. So imagine the effect for a hen!
- Dried beans. They contain phasin which causes diarrhea and vomiting in hens.
- Garlic, onion, shallot and chives. The entire allium family contains a sulfur-like substance that can cause red blood cell destruction.
- Leek and leek peelings
- Celery
- Stalks of cabbage
- Pepper
- Chilli
- Raw Eggplant
- Rhubarb. Here, it is the oxalate which is in question and which has a negative effect on the kidneys.
For most raw vegetables, solamine is the culprit.
What's worse is that solamine is also present in the leaves, stems and flowers of these vegetables.
It will therefore be absolutely necessary to avoid putting it in the henhouse.
- Chocolate. It is toxic to most animals, including chickens. It's a real poison for them.
- Coffee and coffee grounds . It is also a poison for chickens. Caffeine causes palpitations and tremors. Instead, save your coffee grounds to turn into fertilizer for your plants.
- Commercial cookies and cakes. Too rich in sugars and questionable additives, it is better to avoid them for hens.
- Raw, moldy or spoiled meat and fish .
- Dishes purchased already prepared . They are full of salt and additives harmful to chickens.
- Fast food leftovers . It's a food too fatty to be assimilated.
- Chips. Far too salty and greasy for the hens.
- Bread. Bread in general is not recommended in chicken feed due to yeast. In addition, it can swell in their stomach.
- Shrimp bones and head. There is a risk of suffocation for the hens.
- All moldy and rotten food.
As you can see, the answer is no, chickens don't eat everything!
There are plenty of foods that are bad for them that are best avoided.
Especially if we want our hens not to be sick and to continue to lay good fresh eggs.
- melon:yes.
- melon seeds:yes.
- zucchini and peelings:yes.
- mushrooms:yes, but by cooking them.
- cucumber:yes.
- carrot tops:yes.
- parsley:yes.
