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Poultry and Chicken Treats

If you keep chickens, you likely know fresh eggs from your backyard are much tastier than the store-bought variety. You may also know that the chicken food and supplies you choose can affect the taste of your eggs. How to feed balanced, high-quality chicken snacks and meals is a part of poultry parenting that every hobbyist should learn. For more information, check out our guide, Keeping Chickens 101.

FAQs About Poultry and Chicken Treats

You can start providing poultry treats when they’re around one to two weeks old, but you should do so only in moderation—or about once or twice a week. Because chicken treats aren’t a complete and balanced diet, they may not get all the nutrients they need if they fill up on snacks. Plus, you don’t want your chicks to get used to treats and refuse to eat their regular feed.

Chickens should never have high-fat or high-salt foods, as too much salt can cause eggshell deformities. Any form of chocolate is never a good chicken treat, and the pits and peels of avocados can be toxic due to a substance known as persin. Green potatoes can also be harmful because of a compound called solanine, although cooked potatoes are usually fine. Other foods to be careful with include uncooked rice, uncooked beans, citrus and onion.

You can use treats to help your birds cool down when the weather warms up. They’ll likely love chilled watermelon or cucumber slices and frozen vegetables and berries like carrots, peas, corn, blueberries and cranberries. Leafy greens and dandelions have a high water content—you can even mix some cool water with their regular feed. Many of the best chicken treats for the summertime are cool and hydrating, so get creative.

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