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Rhode Island Red Egg Production: What Each Source Says a Hen Lays
Ask around how many eggs a Rhode Island Red lays and you’ll get a different answer from every place you ask. I went and checked. The…
Backyard flock keeping
Is that safe to feed your chickens? Find out before you throw it in the run.
Straight answers on feeding, breeds, coops and the strange things chickens do, with the dangerous ones said plainly.
Quick answers
Can chickens eat…?
Type what is in your hand. Every food we have looked into, with the honest answer — safe, fine in moderation, or keep it well away from them.
- Oats for Horses? Yes, but Read the Tag Food
- Sweet Potato Skins? Yes, Cooked and Never Moldy Food
- Cheese? Better Not: The Salt and Fat Math Food
- Watermelon? Yes, but It's a Treat, Not Their Water Food
- Graham Crackers? Better Not — Here's Why Food
- Dried Peas and Lentils? Cook Them First Food
- Chocolate Cake? No, Not Even the Crumbs Food
- Hot Dogs? No — It's the Salt and the Fat Food
- Strawberries With Mold? No — Toss Them Food
- Oranges or Grapefruit? Better Not Food
- Onions & Tomatoes? Tomatoes Yes, Onions No Food
- Honey Roasted Peanuts Food
- Honey Locust Pods Food
- Coconut Food
- Seasoned Potatoes Food
- Locusts Food
- Their Own Egg Shells? A Shell-Shocking Truth Food
- Black-Eyed Peas Food
- Bitter Melon Food
- Black Rice Food
- Basil Leaves Food
- Beet Tops Food
- Artichoke Leaves Food
- Barley Grass? My Funny Story Finding Out Food
- Arrowroot Powder Food
- Acorn Squash Seeds Food
- Honey Mushrooms? A Forager's Guide Food
- Honey Nut Cheerios Food
- Honeydew Food
- Medjool Dates Food
- Honey Food
- Dried Dates Food
- Dried Alfalfa Food
- Date Seeds Food
- Alfalfa Cubes Food
- Horse Alfalfa Pellets Food
- Alfalfa Food
- Alfalfa Sprouts Food
- Dubia Roaches Food
- Buckwheat Food
- Coconut Rice Food
- Coconut Flour Food
- Coconut Milk Food
- Coconut Yogurt Food
- Rabbit Alfalfa Pellets Food
- Tofu Food
- Rabbit Food Food
- Crab Shells? My Funny Story Finding Out Food
- Crab Apples Food
- Minnows? My Hilarious Experience Finding Out Food
- Goldenrod? My Zany Experience Finding Out Food
- Pancakes Food
- Durian? This Tater Tot Has the Whole Story Food
- Loofah Seeds Food
- Purslane Food
- Comfrey Food
- Fresh Yarrow Food
- Goosefoot Food
- Lovage? The Surprising Truth! Food
- Frogs? The Truth About Chickens & Frog Diets Food
- Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms Food
- Chicken Salad? Feeding Chicken to Chickens Food
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Food
- Beetroot Leaves and Stalks Food
- Cantaloupe and Seeds Food
- Prawn Heads and Shells Food
- Hamster & Gerbil Food Food
- Oats and Honey Granola Food
- Bell Peppers and Their Seeds Food
- Apple Cores and Seeds Food
- Bananas and Banana Peels Food
- Spaghetti Squash Seeds Food
- Broccoli and Cauliflower Food
- Frozen Peas? Chickens on Ice Food
- Zucchini and Cucumbers Food
- Strawberries and Blueberries Food
- Canned Peas and Carrots Food
- Old Carrots? Garden Scraps to Chicken Treats Food
- The Cake Debate: Can Chickens Eat Carrot Cake Food
- Too Much Greens Food
- Honeysuckle? A Sweet Treat Your Flock Will Love Food
- Hummus? The Tasty Truth Food
- Flies? A Bug Bounty Your Hens Will Love Food
- Hamburger? The Juicy Truth Revealed Food
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Method
How we decide what to tell you
Feeding advice for chickens is full of confident nonsense copied from one blog to the next. This is the filter everything here goes through.
01
Is it actually dangerous?
Toxic, or just untidy? Those get very different answers, and most lists online muddle them.
02
How much, and how often?
Almost nothing is poison in a peck and safe in a bucket. The dose is the whole answer.
03
What does the vet literature say?
Where a real source exists we follow it, and where one does not we say so instead of inventing confidence.
04
Where did the answer come from?
Veterinary sources, extension services or what keepers report. Each answer says which, because it matters.
05
What goes wrong in practice?
The failure mode is usually the useful part — the mud, the rats, the hen who eats none of it.