Feeding

What Can Chickens Eat? Treats, Scraps and Foods to Avoid

Field guide · Updated October 16, 2026 · about 7 min read

Hens will eat almost anything, which is exactly why the sources keep the rules short: a complete layer feed comes first, treats and scraps stay a small slice of the day, and a handful of foods stay out of the run altogether. This page lines up what extension services and veterinary references say, including where they disagree.

The 10% treat rule: where it comes from

The "10% rule" appears in several sources, worded a little differently each time. Others use a time limit instead of a percentage, and Penn State discourages scraps.

The reason is much the same everywhere: Oregon State says extras fed alongside a prepared feed "dilute nutrient levels in carefully formulated diets." Alabama warns that birds given too much "fill up on these incomplete feeds" and lay fewer eggs; UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension add that scraps are not balanced and can cause nutritional disorders if they displace too much of the diet.

What 10% looks like for one hen

Alabama Extension puts a laying hen's intake at 100 to 150 grams of feed a day, or roughly 0.25 pounds. Applying the 10% limit:

• Per hen: 100–150 g × 10% = 10–15 g of treats a day, about half an ounce.
• Six hens: 6 × 10–15 g = 60–90 g a day for the whole flock.

That is a small handful, not a bowl. Oregon State's upper figure of 15 percent would allow up to about 22 g per hen. In practice, the 20-minute rule from Oregon State and NC State is the easier check: if food is still lying around after 20 minutes, the flock got too much.

Treats the sources name

Penn State's listeriosis article adds a caution: bagged mixed greens, raw sprouts, deli meats, smoked fish, raw milk products, celery and melons are commonly contaminated with Listeria, which it gives as "one reason why it is typically not recommended to feed certain treats or human food scraps to backyard flocks."

Foods to keep away from chickens

UF/IFAS's rule of thumb: "if the food is spoiled, heavily processed, or questionable, do not feed it to your flock."

Why salt and water go together

The Merck Veterinary Manual says chickens can tolerate up to 0.25% salt in drinking water but become susceptible to salt toxicosis when water intake is restricted. Signs in poultry include increased thirst, labored breathing, fluid from the beak, weakness, diarrhea and leg paralysis. Salty scraps are a bigger risk when waterers are empty or frozen, so check water first. If a bird shows these signs, or you think it ate anything in the table above, call a veterinarian.

Where the sources disagree

• Scratch and cracked corn. Penn State (Clauer): they "should not be fed to chickens." Oregon State: not necessary on a complete diet, so feed sparingly. NC State allows up to ¼ pound of grain per five hens per day.
• Kitchen scraps. NC State says hens "may be fed table scraps and garden products"; Oregon State says "some supplementation is fine." Penn State advises against high levels of human food and, in its listeriosis article, against certain scraps altogether.
• Avocado flesh. UF/IFAS calls the flesh less dangerous but says to avoid it entirely; Merck notes chickens seem more resistant than caged birds but still lists them as susceptible. Both point the same way: leave it out.

How to give treats safely

1. Keep complete layer feed available as the main diet (UF/IFAS, Alabama). Daily amounts are on the feeding laying hens page.
2. Budget about 10%: roughly 10–15 g per hen a day.
3. Feed only what the flock clears in about 20 minutes, so nothing spoils or draws rodents (NC State, Oregon State).
4. Use fresh food only; UC Davis says scraps must still be good quality. Throw out anything moldy.
5. Prepare it: remove seeds and pits, cook beans, skip green potato peels (UF/IFAS).
6. Don't mix scratch into the feed (Alabama), and offer insoluble grit when feeding grains (Oregon State).
7. Cut back if laying drops or birds get heavy; Penn State links extra scraps and grain to lower production, fat birds and prolapse.

Treat checklist

• Layer feed first; treats no more than about 10% (10–15 g per hen).
• Gone in 20 minutes? If not, give less next time.
• Nothing moldy, salty, fatty or heavily processed.
• No avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, raw beans, green potatoes, nightshade leaves, or seeds and pits.
• Water full and unfrozen, especially after salty scraps.
• Grit available if grains or scratch are on the menu.

In hot weather, frozen fruit doubles as a cooling treat; see heat stress in backyard chickens. For handwashing and hygiene around the flock, see salmonella and backyard poultry.