You might be consuming flour or milk from almond trees, a global 80% of which are grown in California, one of the world’s largest suppliers of almonds, but have you wondered; can chickens eat almonds? (1)
Almonds can be fed to chickens in moderate amounts.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Almonds are nutritious snacks because of their protein content.
- They include Vitamin E, biotin, fiber content, and minerals in trace amounts.
- Almonds can be good for keeping the digestive tract of chickens healthy.
- It’s good to feed your backyard chicken almonds in moderation.
Read ahead to find important nutritional information about almonds, how much of it to feed your birds and more on healthy snacks for chickens!
2 Interesting Facts About Almonds
There’s always been a good reason why my mother would insist on soaking almonds overnight and feeding them to me almost every morning.
These were some of my favorite treats as a child, and it makes sense to question, can chickens eat almonds? They used to be some healthy treats meant for us children, especially during winter, but does this extend to birds?
Did you know that the nutritional content of these tasty treats is even referred to as far back as the Bible?
Let’s dive right into some intriguing nutritional facts about almonds and what makes them so great!
1. Almonds Have Good Protein Content
I used to think this was common information because of my childhood, but it turns out not a lot of people are aware of just how much substance everyday food materials contain!
Almonds are an excellent source of protein! Proteins are necessary for almost all functions within the body; they are metabolized into complex compounds, which are essential amino acids that are fundamental to the growth and repair of all our cells!
2. Almonds Are An Excellent Source Of Vitamins
These nutritious treats contain a ton of beneficial nutrients, and you’d be surprised at just how many important vitamins it has!
It contains Vitamin E, which is one of the most important antioxidants. Here’s how antioxidants work.
In layman’s terms, when electrons “loosen up,” they become something called free radicals. These free radicals damage your cells.
Vitamin E prevents these free radicals from doing this. (2) This is important because such damage can lead to fatal heart conditions, cancer, and loss of vision.
It could possibly prevent nighttime blindness in your chickens.
Almonds also contain Vitamin B7, otherwise known as biotin. Biotin is the vitamin that helps enzymes with the breakdown of proteins, carbs, and fats within your diet. (3)
Before you move on to the next section, here’s a video about which nuts to feed your chickens:
What Quantity of Almonds is Okay for Chickens?
There’s actually a pretty fun way to remember just how many almonds can be healthy treats for your feathered friends. Just count 1,2,3, and you’re done!
1 ounce of almonds is okay for one day, which is basically 23 almonds per day if you have trouble weighing them.
However, resorting to feeding them almonds in large quantities, or as a substitute for commercial chicken feed or bird feed is not a good choice.
The commercial feed contains all the health benefits that even nutritious snacks like almonds can’t compete with. So it’s better to stick to regular feed for the healthy growth of your chickens.
In fact, I’ve never recommended too much of any kind of supplemental treats for chicken, regardless of nutritious they are.
This is because chickens need a plethora of nutrients like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and lots of fiber that can’t be found in random human food.
This is because most human food only contributes trace amounts of essential nutrients within the quantities allowed each day.
Think about egg production and what a calcium deficiency would do to egg-laying chickens, especially if they’re used for commercial purposes.
You could try putting together your own mixture of feed using a variety of ingredients, but it’s time-consuming, expensive, and will probably fall short of the requirements anyways.
Curious if chickens can eat walnuts or have honey? Check out our informative articles on “Do chickens eat walnuts” and “Can chickens have honey” to learn more about what foods are safe for your feathered friends. Click on the links to find out!
Feeding Almonds The Right Way
Firstly, remember that there’s a difference between bitter almonds and sweet almonds.
Bitter almonds contain cyanide or hydrogen cyanide, also commonly found in apple seeds which comes from the breakdown of glucose amygdalin. It can easily become fatal to them.
Sweet almonds are, however, perfectly safe.
You can soak them overnight and chop them up and serve them. Or you can just chop them up and let them eat.
This can be a lovely way for chicken owners to bond with their flock too. Here’s how; chop up the almonds and let the chickens peck at them either from your hands, if you’re feeling brave, or scatter it where they regularly eat.
An almond meal can be wonderful if done right!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can chicken eat raw peanuts?
Although peanuts are healthy treats for chickens, it’s best not to feed them raw peanuts. This is because raw peanuts potentially contain trypsin and solanine, both of which are harmful to chickens.
Also, make sure the peanuts are not salted or too hot to prevent excess sodium intake and burns.
Don’t use butter or oil because that’s an excess of fatty foods.
2. Can chicken eat cooked beans?
You’re supposed to soak them overnight in cold water. Rinse them, and boil them in water without any salt. Only then are they safe for consumption.
3. Can chicken eat green potatoes?
Green potatoes are some of the foods your chickens can absolutely not ingest. Green potatoes contain the substance solanine, which could be fatal if eaten.
However, plain white potatoes or sweet potatoes are perfectly fine to consume.
4. Are cooked beans or uncooked beans better for chicken?
I recommend you always cook your beans and not serve raw or uncooked beans to your chickens.
Uncooked beans contain phytohaemagglutinin, which is poisonous if ingested and definitely doesn’t add to the nutrition of chickens.
Conclusion
I hope it’s easy for all of you chicken owners to understand the main question; can chickens eat almonds?
They can eat all sorts of stuff if you pay attention, but always in moderation. Like we learned in the karate kid, too much of something good is bad!
Happy feeding!
References
1. Boston 677 HA, Ma 02115 +1495‑1000. Almonds [Internet]. The Nutrition Source. 2018. Available from: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/almonds/#:~:text=One%20ounce%20provides%20about%20165
2. Harvard School of Public Health. Vitamin E [Internet]. The Nutrition Source. 2012. Available from: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-e/
3. Harvard School of Public Health. Biotin – Vitamin B7 [Internet]. The Nutrition Source. 2019. Available from: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/biotin-vitamin-b7/
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