Can Chickens Eat Strawberries Or Strawberry Tops (Leaves and Stems)

Strawberries are widely recognized for their characteristic aroma, bright red color, juicy texture, and sweetness. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese and also contain decent amounts of vitamin B9 and potassium. Wondering whether chickens can eat strawberries or strawberry tops, leaves or stems? Well, don’t worry.

i am going to provide you all of the information that you need… plus a little bit more, right here on this page!

Can Chickens Eat Strawberries?

Absolutely yes, chickens can eat strawberries, and they love their strawberries, and if you put a few in front of them, there is absolutely no doubt that they are going to gobble them up quite rapidly.

There are quite a few nutrients packed into strawberries which are going to be beneficial to your animals too.

However, you must remember that strawberries are high in sugar. You do not want to give too many of them to your chickens, because there is a chance that they are going to overindulge on them.

Preparing the Strawberries for the Chickens to Eat

You do not have to do much to prepare the strawberries for your chickens to eat. Most chickens should be able to eat them if they are whole.

Obviously, they won’t eat them whole, but they will peck away at the strawberry until they have a nice bite-sized chunk that they can swallow.

Of course, I don’t recommend that you feed your chickens only with strawberries. This isn’t because they are in danger of choking on the strawberry or anything like that.

It is, simply, because you will probably want to try and get a mixture of fruits in there. The chickens will enjoy this a whole lot more. You should mix the strawberries with grapes, bananas, apples, blackberries…

It also ensures that they get a good mix of different nutrients and vitamins in their system. Just a little bit of an extra boost on top of what they are getting from their normal chicken feed.

Can Chickens Eat Strawberry Leaves or Stem?

Chickens should not eat strawberry tops (leaves or stem). You should ONLY be feeding the actual strawberry to your chicken.

You should not be feeding them the leaves or the stem of the plant. These can be poisonous. Not to the point to kill your chicken, but it may place excess stress to their digestive system.

In fact, strawberries can do the same to humans too.

Obviously, chickens will avoid eating them in most cases. However, you probably don’t want to be running the risk of them getting sick.

Remember; fruits like this should never form more than 10% of the chicken’s diet. It is going to be unhealthy for them. If they overindulge on the sugar, they are also a whole lot less likely to feast on the food that they actually need to eat.

This means that your egg production is going to go right down. If you are raising the chickens for meat, they are probably not going to taste all that good either.

Can Chickens Eat Strawberries – Conclusion

So, there you have it, the answer to the question ‘can chickens eat strawberries?’ is they can. However, as with most fruits, if you want your chickens to be eating strawberries, they should be eating them in moderation.

Strawberries 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. If they eat too many, then they will stop becoming productive. This is going to cause major issues for you going forward.

Strawberries offer valuable vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that contribute to the overall health of chickens. Packed with essential nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin K, potassium, and dietary fiber, these fruits support their immune system, bone health, and digestive function.

While strawberries can be a healthy and enjoyable treat for chickens, it is crucial to remember that their primary diet should consist of a balanced and complete chicken feed. A quality chicken feed provides the necessary nutrients, including protein, calcium, and other essential vitamins and minerals required for optimal egg production.

Remember to give your chickens the best ingredients that you can and that includes strawberries. It may be tempting to give your chickens moldy or old strawberries, but save those for your compost bin.

DIY Experiment

Since not only can chickens eat strawberries, they also love them! Maybe you can turn this into an experiment of sorts by giving one group of hens regular feed with no additional nutrition while feeding another group of hens the same amount of regular feed plus a couple of strawberries every day. The results (eggs) should tell you which type of diet gives better results 🙂

See also:
– Can Chickens Eat Apples
– Can Chickens Eat Pineapple
– Can Chickens Eat Blueberries