What not to feed chickens is an important topic. Experienced chicken keepers know that chickens can eat a lot, but a balanced diet is important for chicken health and egg production.

Feeding chickens kitchen scraps makes a lot of economic sense but they can’t eat everything. This list of 21 foods you should never feed your chickens is an important way to keep them healthy and happy! 

Wondering What CAN’T Chickens Eat? Here you go!

I think it’s strange every time I go into the grocery store and see an egg carton that proudly proclaims the chickens were fed a vegetarian diet. If you have free-range chickens, you probably know that backyard chickens love to eat just about everything. Here’s the scoop on how to incorporate food scraps into your chicken feed as well as what not to feed chickens.

A while back, I shared a post with some of our favorite chicken treats, but it’s safe to feed them so much more than what’s included on that list. 

There really is reason to toss leftover food or food scraps into the garbage if you have laying hens. Not only can you reduce landfill waste by feeding your chickens food scraps, but you can also save money on feed costs too! Food scraps also provide vitamins and minerals your chickens will thank you for!

What can chickens eat?

Let’s start with what chickens can eat. Contrary to what big box stores and egg cartons would have us believe, chickens are not vegetarians. They eat meat, both alive (like mice) and from table scraps, and tons of other food too. 

I have witnessed my chickens kill and eat mice! They also eat a lot of bugs which is one of the reasons they are fabulous in your garden (after your plants are big enough to handle being pecked).

We feed our chickens grubs, tomato hornworms, Japanese beetles, mealworms, and all sorts of nasty bugs that I wish didn’t even live! And I also send out meat scraps in my compost bucket. I think the dogs beat the chickens to the meat, but I don’t know that for sure.

That said, there is a general consensus on what not to feed backyard chickens. Here are a few things most people agree can be poisonous to chickens.

That said, there is a general consensus on what not to feed backyard chickens. Here are a few things most people agree can be poisonous to chickens.

25 Food Items You Should Never Feed Backyard Chickens

1. Chocolate (why would you ever give away your chocolate anyway? It’s not for chickens or dogs.)
2. Green potatoes and green potato peels (contain a toxin called solanine which is bad for birds). Cooked potatoes are fine, but raw potatoes probably should not be fed to chickens.
3. Green tomatoes
4. Tomato plants and eggplant plants (nightshade family plants, their leaves, and unripe fruit can be toxic to chickens)
5. Rhubarb leaves 
6. Salty snacks and human junk food (Too much salt is bad for chickens and they can’t digest large amounts of salt)
7. Raw eggs (eating raw eggs can encourage chickens to break and eat their own eggs)
8. Coffee grounds (contain oxalic acid which is harmful to chickens)
9. Tea bags (caffeine and tannins are bad for birds)
10. Uncooked rice 
11. Uncooked beans (cooked beans and cooked rice are just fine, but uncooked rice and dried raw beans are not good for your chickens)
12. Moldy food (some mold is toxic to chickens)
13. Apple seeds, banana peels, pineapple rinds 
14. Dairy products (chickens have trouble digesting lactose)
15. High-fat foods (As in humans, high-fat foods can also lead to obesity and health issues in chickens)
16. Raw meat (Risk of bacterial contamination)
17. Citrus peels (Although some people do say citrus fruits are okay)
18. Avocado pits and peel (Contain the toxin persin that is bad for birds.)
19. Meat, raw or cooked (This is debatable, but I do put small amounts of meat scraps in my compost bucket)
20. Apple cores and seeds (Cyanide is bad for birds)
21. Garlic or onions (Even small amounts can affect egg taste)
22. Very Spicy Foods (Can upset their stomachs)
23. Lawn clippings or yard waste (May contain pesticides)
24. Alcohol (Hopefully you wouldn’t want to feed alcohol to your chickens. It’s toxic to them)
25. Medications without vet approval

The Thing About Feeding Chickens

Here’s what I’ve found. The things the chickens shouldn’t eat, they don’t eat. We eat lot of citrus in the winter when it’s in season, and I almost always put citrus peels in the compost. The chickens ignore it. They also ignore the avocado, which we eat a lot of too. I also include apple cores in my compost.

My chickens ignore banana peels and pineapple rinds – all things they could eat if they wanted. You may want to follow the no-list a little closer than I do, but as far as I know, I’ve never lost a chicken because of feeding them compost.

How to Incorporate Scraps into you Chicken’s Diet  – Multi-Bucket Compost System

I have found it is helpful to have a two-bucket compost system for feeding my chickens food scraps. One bucket gets all the food scraps the chickens like and actually eat, and the other bucket gets coffee grounds and other items that they really shouldn’t have or don’t like.

I toss the Yes Bucket in the chicken yard (not the chicken coop because I try to keep food out of there) and the chickens promptly eat the scraps. We put the the No Bucket on a different compost pile, but my chickens (and dogs and cats) almost always scratch through it anyway. I’m usually sad because very little is actually left at the end of the day for me to turn into actual compost.

Feeding food scraps to our chickens makes good sense to me, but it is necessary to know what you shouldn’t feed them. Do you feed your chickens food scraps? What are your thoughts on the topic?

Did you like this post on what not to feed your chickens? You might like these too:

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