Blueberries are low in calories and high in fiber, vitamin C and vitamin K. They are incredibly good for humans to eat, but can chickens eat blueberries? A question you have no doubt asked yourself.
After all, chickens can eat the vast majority of things that humans eat. The question is….should they be eating them?
That is what we are going to take a little look at on this page!
Can Chickens Eat Blueberries?
They can! A few blueberries may also be good for them on occasion too. After all, blueberries are also going to be high in some nutrients. Chickens absolutely love eating blueberries too. This is because they do not need to do much. Most chickens will be able to swallow the blueberries whole.
Your main issue isn’t whether you should be giving chickens blueberries, it should be how many you should be giving them. Obviously, the various nutrients packed into blueberries are good.
However, blueberries are also going to be incredibly high in sugar. Chickens can get addicted to sugar just as much as we can get addicted. Therefore, you want to be keeping it to the absolute minimum.
Your chickens should have no more than 10% of their diet being formed of fruits.
Prepare Blueberries for Chickens to Eat
You do not need to do much here. Just give them the blueberries. We suggest that you put them in a separate bowl from other food. This way it is easier to clean up the mess.
If you have several chickens, then you may want to spread the blueberries across multiple bowls. This way everybody is going to be able to feast.
We do suggest that you mix up the blueberries with other fruits. It is going to be a bit more exciting for your chickens like that. It will also provide them with a greater spread of vitamins.
Beside blueberries, there are other fruits you can feed your backyard chickens like:
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Are Blueberries Bad for Chickens
If you are giving blueberries to your chickens for the first time, we do suggest that you keep an eye on their consumption. Obviously, you want to be looking at whether they are eating them or not.
Although, to be honest, most chickens are going to love blueberries. Your biggest concern will be if your chickens change their bowel habits. If their poop is a little bit more liquid than normal (or they seem to have slowed down or changed their egg production), then you may want to reconsider giving them a lot of fruit. You need to cut back.
In addition to this, you will want to clean out your chicken coop regularly if you are giving your chickens a lot of fruit. Little bits of fruit can get lost. These will rot and one of two things could happen:
The rotting fruit will attract pests. Your chickens will eat it, and they will get sick.
Conclusion
So, the answer to the question ‘can chickens eat blueberries?’ is a yes.
They are going to love them. However, due to the high sugar content and low protein content, you are going to want to severely limit the number of blueberries that your chickens have access to. If you give them too many, then there is a chance they will stop becoming productive. This is going to cause major issues for you going forward.
At the end, just like with other fruits, chickens can eat blueberries, but they should never form more than 10% of your chicken’s diet. In fact, no fruit should form than this quantity of your chicken’s diet.
