Vegetables That Chickens Eat

Vegetables are a nutritious and welcome addition to a diet of chicken feed. Chickens like most vegetables raw, but will readily dine on softened cooked veggies, like broccoli, potatoes and carrots. Don't feed your chickens spoiled or moldy food. If you plan to feed them cooked vegetables, steam them lightly and allow to cool. Don't feed foods that have added salt, fat or seasonings to your chickens.

  1. Leafy Greens

    • Greens are great for chickens.

      Lettuce, spinach, chard and kale are favorites. Give the chickens richly colored greens like oak leaf lettuce, romaine, arugula and green leaf lettuces. Iceberg lettuce is fine, but contains little nutritional value. Watercress is high in calcium, which is necessary to form egg shells for laying hens. Bok choy contains calcium, vitamin C and vitamin A. Chickens also may enjoy stronger tasting herbs, such as basil, cilantro, parsley and mint. Food can also be fun -- a small head of cabbage can provide hours of entertainment as they peck it and roll it around.

    Garden Vegetables

    • Chickens love fresh corn on the cob.

      Grate root vegetables like carrots, beets and turnips, and save the greens for your flock. Potatoes don't have much nutritional value, but a warm baked potato on a chilly day will be a treat. Corn is a staple in chicken feed; chickens love it fresh or canned, too. They'll eat every kernel off a cob of fresh corn. You can give your chickens asparagus, green beans, cucumbers, eggplant, peas, pumpkin flesh and seeds, sprouts, tomatoes and bell peppers. Let them peck on the whole vegetable, or cut it into small pieces.

    Be Resourceful

    • Ask your local grocer to save vegetable trimmings for your chickens.

      Consider planting garden vegetables that your chickens will enjoy. The chickens will even help you till the soil, fertilize, thin the sprouts and eat the weeds. Many grocers remove outer lettuce leaves and trim the tops off carrots and root vegetables before selling, so ask to have them set aside for you. This creates less waste for the grocer. Also ask for waste trimmings from vendors at farmer's markets. Vendors may give you a discount on their produce late in the day if you tell them that it's for your chickens.

    Vegetables to Avoid

    • Fibrous plants like lemongrass or corn husks can collect and cause a blockage in the crop, the pouch at the base of the neck that holds food before it moves to the stomach. Plants that are poisonous to chickens include onions, garlic, dried beans, clover, daffodils, jasmine and hemlock. The green parts of potatoes, potato sprouts and the peels contain solanine, a toxic alkaloid that can cause paralysis and death. Some vegetables and herbs can affect the flavor of eggs, such as mint, sage and thyme. If you suspect your chicken has ingested a poisonous plant, contact your veterinarian.