There are many kinds of mushroom that have different nutritional profiles. They contain protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and we can can buy them fresh, canned, or dried. Mushroom have various health benefits for people but ever wondered can chickens eat mushrooms?
Well, don’t fret! We are going to give you all the information you need to know right here.
Can Chickens Eat Mushrooms?
Yes, chickens can eat mushrooms. They absolutely can. In fact, some studies suggest that mushrooms may actually help to improve the overall health of the chicken.
The question here isn’t so much ‘can chickens eat mushrooms?’, it is more ‘do chickens want to eat mushrooms?‘ and, truth be told, the answer is going to be no in the vast majority of cases.
If you have owned backyard chickens for a while, then you will be more than aware that they love to peck at things. Before they eat something, they will peck at it.
The problem is that mushrooms are rather bland in taste for a chicken, and the rubbery texture isn’t great for them. This means that, as healthy as mushrooms are, you may find that your chickens don’t even bother to touch them.
If you can get mushrooms into your chicken’s diet, then great! They are low in calories but high in other forms of nutrients, but you may be facing an uphill battle with them.
What Mushrooms Can Chickens Have?
Unless you are a ‘mushroom expert’, then we suggest that you do not give them any mushrooms that are picked in the wild. They aren’t safe. If you absolutely must pick mushrooms from the wild, then white mushrooms and small brown mushrooms are almost certainly a non-starter.
They are going to poison your chickens. Granted, most chickens know what is safe to eat and not so will avoid them, but do you really want to take that risk?
If you are planning on giving your chicken mushrooms, then you will probably want to stick to store-bought ones. Chickens absolutely love button mushrooms!
Honestly, while chicks can eat mushrooms, you probably don’t want to be giving them too much of them. Most chickens are probably not going to be eating them anyway.
See also: Can Chickens Eat Potato?
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How Can You Serve Mushrooms to Your Chickens?
As we stated before; the vast majority of chickens are not going to be fans of mushrooms. We have read countless stories of people trying several times to get their chickens to eat the mushrooms and nothing seems to be happening on that front.
If you must serve mushrooms to your chickens, then we suggest that you cook them first. You can then cut them up into chunks. The vast majority of chickens may be a bit more accepting of them like this. In addition to that, you should be mixing the mushrooms up into other food (other fruits and vegetables), because they stand a far, far greater chance of eating them like this.
If your chickens do not eat the mushrooms, then don’t fret. Most chickens do not like the rubbery texture of the mushrooms. It isn’t easy to peck at. Yes. This rubbery texture will disappear a little when you cook the mushrooms up, but even this is often not going to be enough for most chickens out there.
