Chickens can eat cucumbers and enjoy the taste as one of their best summer snacks. They have a high water content, are low in calories, offer a crisp texture, and chickens can’t get enough of them!
There’s nothing quite like a cold cucumber salad on a hot summer day, and your backyard chickens would definitely agree!
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Why Should You Feed Chickens Cucumbers?
Aside from the fact that chickens love cucumbers, they offer many health benefits.
Cucumbers naturally contain antioxidants and amino acids that are beneficial to your chicken’s immune system.
Cucumbers are also high in vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, manganese and dietary fiber, all of which improve the overall health of your flock.
Cucumbers are naturally low in calories and are good supplemental food, especially if you have chickens struggling with obesity.
As cucumbers have a high water content, they can also aid birds who may become dehydrated in hot climates or during the summer months by supplementing their water intake.
How Much Cucumber is Safe for Chickens to Eat?
Cucumber is a healthy snack and one of the best veggies you can give your chickens.
Cucumbers are a safe food that your chickens will enjoy eating but should not make up more than 10% of your chicken’s total diet.
In general, supplemental treats like cucumber shouldn’t be fed daily and chickens should be provided with an assortment of options to vary the types of nutrients they are getting.
If provided in excess, even healthy foods can affect egg production, and cause problems like protein deficiency. Chickens need to eat a good amount of their regular feed to keep their nutrients balanced properly.
Additionally, you should never feed old or moldy food to chickens. The easiest way to tell that a cucumber has gone bad is that it will be soft to the touch and may be moldy. Mold is toxic to chickens, so it’s important that you only provide fresh food to them, lest they get sick.
What is the Best Way to Prepare Cucumber for Chickens?
Now that you know that cucumbers can and should be included in a chicken’s diet, what is the best way to prepare them for consumption?
If you are feeding raw cucumbers in a pile of table scraps your chickens will undoubtedly go for them, but you can also give cucumbers by themselves because chickens love them.
You can provide them whole, and have them dangling from a string to encourage your chickens to provide a stimulating experience and to make chickens work for it.
Another option is to cut them into spears or in half and place them with the flesh facing upwards. Chickens will enjoy pecking at them! You can also cut them into bite-sized pieces for your chickens.
As a watery food, cucumbers are easy to digest. You do not have to cook cucumbers for your chickens as long as you wash them to free them of any trace pesticides that may be on the cucumber peel.
Can Chickens Eat Cucumber Peels?
Cucumber peels are the hardest part of the cucumber, although chicken’s beaks should be able to handle them without problems. Chickens can eat cucumber peels as long as they are washed beforehand.
Can Chickens Eat Cucumber Vines and Flowers?
Chickens can eat cucumber vines and even cucumber flowers in small amounts but they usually won’t want to and will definitely prefer the cucumber itself.
While the greens of the cucumber plant contain cucurbitine which is an amino acid that can be harmful in large amounts, chickens won’t eat enough of it for any harm to come to them.
Can Chickens Eat Cucumber Seeds?
Yes, chickens can eat cucumber seeds without harm. Cucumber seeds are soft and are easily gobbled up along with the flesh of the cucumber