Can Chickens Eat Grapes? - A-Z Animals

If you live on a farm or cater to a chicken coop, knowing which foods chickens can and cannot consume is crucial. When a chicken chows down on something toxic, it can potentially end their life prematurely. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, more than 33 billion chickens are alive around the globe today. Some chickens are prioritized for their ability to lay eggs while others are being bred to be made into poultry. Other chickens are seen as pets who provide companionship to their owners. Regardless of how you view the chickens in your life, here’s what you should know about a specific detail of their diet. This particular detail touches on whether or not they can safely eat grapes.

Can Chickens Safely Eat Grapes?

We have great news for anyone wondering if it’s okay for a chicken to eat a grape at dinnertime. They can eat grapes without causing any harm or damage to their insides. The Homesteading RD notes that chickens will be just fine if they’re fed grapes, and they might even start loving you more if you provide them. Grapes are naturally sweet, which means they’re full of delicious flavor. Any chicken would feel lucky to gain access to yummy grapes on any given day. Grapes comes in a wide range of colors including green, purple, red, yellow, black, and pink. If you ever see “white” grapes, they’re usually just green grapes in a paler shade. Chickens can eat grapes in every color!

Grapes are nutritious as well since they’re full of copper, vitamin K, B6, thiamine, and riboflavin. When it comes to how many grapes a chicken should be fed in one sitting, you might not want to overdo it. Moderation is key when feeding grapes to a chicken. If a chicken consumes way too many grapes at one time, they’ll potentially end up with diarrhea. Filling up on grapes could also mean that other important parts of a chicken’s diet are being neglected. Without a balanced diet, chicken will face deficiencies that will ultimately be detrimental to their health. Chicken must be balanced and healthy with a well-rounded diet under them if they want to lay an ample number of eggs that will successfully hatch. Since the diet of a chicken can be slightly temperamental, just be sure to serve grapes in moderation.

Giving grapes to chickens as an occasional treat won’t be an issue. Offering a small handful of grapes at a time is the simplest way to keep your chickens happy and healthy. Feeding grapes to your chicken is as easy as tossing a few of them into the coop. If you notice that the grapes you have on hand are large in size, it’s up to you to chop them up before tossing them in. Chickens are fully capable of breaking grapes apart with their beaks, though. Their beaks are powerful enough to chew through rougher materials and they’ll even leave a mark if they bite human flesh. Grapes are soft in texture, which means they don’t pose as a challenge for hungry chickens on a mission to taste something sweet.

Other Fruits Chickens Can Eat

Along with grapes, there are several other fruits chickens can eat without risking their health. For starters, bananas are just fine. Chickens can even eat the peel of a banana! Blueberries, cantaloupe, cucumbers, honeydew, kiwi, mango, papaya, and peaches all get the green light. Other fruits for chickens include pears, pineapple, pomegranate, plum, pumpkin, and strawberries. Lastly, you can’t go wrong by serving up some watermelon chunks to the chickens in your life. These naturally sweet fruits won’t harm your chickens when they’re served in moderation.

Foods That Are Off-Limits to Chickens

Although there are plenty of sweet fruits that chickens can eat without concern, there are also plenty of other foods that are off-limits. Fruits tend to be some of the healthiest food options out there since they grow from the earth and provide loads of nutrients. Processed foods and other non-fruits don’t always bring about those benefits. Since apple seeds contain cyanide, chickens cannot eat them. Avocado isn;t acceptable either because contains persin, which is potentially fatal. Butter is a kitchen ingredient that doesn’t belong in a chicken’s diet because it’s much too fatty. Just like dogs, chickens can’t eat chocolate, either. Since chocolate has both theobromine and caffeine, your chicken will start vomiting, exhibiting diarrhea, and dealing with an increased heart rate. Coffee grounds, eggplant leaves, French fries, wild mushrooms, and onions are off-limits as well.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Briyan Saputra/iStock via Getty Images