Chickens do not have selective food choices. They almost enjoy every fruit and vegetable. If you are wondering whether chickens love to eat bananas, the answer is yes. My chickens absolutely love this fruit and I never miss adding bananas to their diet.
Banana is a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Your chickens will gain numerous benefits by eating them.
In this article, I will be explaining everything you need to know about feeding bananas in detail. Keep reading.
Can Chickens Eat Bananas?
Yes, chickens can eat bananas, and it is one of the tastiest and safest fruits that you can provide them. One thing to remember is that the banana should be fed only in small amounts. Since banana is high in sugar, feeding them in larger amounts is not a good idea. It may cause adverse health effects.
Importantly, avoid giving bananas as their main diet. It should not be a replacement for their typical nutritious meal.
Can Chickens Eat Banana Peels?
Yes, chickens can eat banana peels. However, giving them a peel of a banana bought from a market is not that safe. If you wonder why many producers use harmful chemicals to ripe bananas before they are naturally ripe. Those chemicals remain on the peel even after a long time of harvesting.
However, you can follow these two steps to feed them the peel safely. These methods help you to get rid of the chemicals that remain in the peel.
Step 1: Wash the Banana
It is always good to wash any fruit or vegetable before consuming it. Therefore, as the first step, wash the banana to give the peel a good rinse.
Step 2: Boil the Banana
Boiling is the best method to kill the chemicals, bacteria and other harmful compounds on the peel. Since boiling makes the banana peels softer, it even helps your chickens to gobble it easily.
To do so, peel off the banana and keep the flesh aside. Put the peel into a pot and start boiling it for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Chop Into Small Pieces
You can chop it into small pieces before giving them to your chickens. On most occasions, the chickens cannot gobble banana peel without boiling it because its skin is hard a tough. So, boiling is the best method you can follow.
How Can You Feed Bananas to Chickens?
I usually peel off the banana and cut the flesh into small pieces. It helps them to gobble easily. If you prefer mixing bananas with other fruits and vegetables, slicing them into small pieces is a wise choice.
Other than that, you can give them the whole banana with or without peeling to consume. The best option is to hang the banana somewhere so that chickens can peck at it and eat it. If you want to keep your chickens busy for a longer time, of course, this is the best method.
However, if you are giving the whole banana with a peel, make sure you boil it before that because chickens find it hard to peck at an unboil peel.
How Many Bananas To Feed Chickens?
Chickens should be fed bananas in small quantities. This means for each chicken, you can give them a small piece of banana.
This fruit contains a high amount of sugar, which can harm the health of the chickens if given too much to them.
Bananas are not one of their staple food and should not be fed to them a lot.
How Often To Feed Bananas To Chickens?
Bananas should be fed to the chickens in moderation. While it’s packed with a lot of nutrition, bananas also contain a high level of sugar.
Avoid giving them bananas every day as it could harm their health. Bananas should only make up 10% of their entire diet. The rest should come from quality commercial feeds. These feeds are formulated with the right amount of nutrition to meet the chicken’s dietary requirements.
Therefore, feed bananas to your chickens, once or twice weekly.
Benefits Of Bananas For Chickens
It is no doubt that feeding banana to your chickens brings them numerous health benefits. Here are the main health benefits that they can gain from bananas.
Good Heart Health
Since bananas are rich in potassium, it helps to promote heart health and normal blood pressure. According to the researchers, daily consumption of 1.3 to 1.4g of potassium lower heart health problems.
Healthy Bowel Movement
The animals cannot express if they face any pain due to unhealthy bowel movements. You always have to examine their health properly. Feeding bananas is one of the best ways that you can make sure your chickens have a healthy bowel movement. Since banana contains prebiotic nutrients, it improves the health of the digestive system. Also, bananas beat issues such as constipation, stomach ulcers, and heartburn.
Healthy skin
The manganese in bananas helps the body make collagen. Collagen protects the body from getting damaged. Therefore, bananas improve the skin condition of your chickens.
Gives Energy
Bananas are a snack that gives you energy. It is the same for your chickens as well. As bananas contain three natural sugars, it increases the energy level in your body. Also, you may already know that banana is a quick snack for athletes, and sportsmen. So, it is indeed a good fruit for your chickens as well.
However, as banana is rich in sugar, make sure you always provide a small quantity to chickens.
Prevent Body Cell Damage
The vitamin C in bananas actively protects your body against cell and tissue damage. Like many other fruits, banana also helps your chickens to stay healthy and happy. Also, bananas help the chickens’ bodies to absorb iron better and support brain health by producing serotonin.
Other Fruits That Chickens Can Eat
Apricots
Apricots are packed with vitamins and minerals. This fruit is similar to peaches but is much smaller. Due to their high amount of sugar and water content, apricots should be fed to the chickens in moderation. Avoid feeding them the seed of the apricot as it contains the plant toxin amygdalin, which converts to cyanide when eaten. This toxin is harmful to the chickens, even death can occur.
Figs
Figs are a good source of calcium and fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals. This fruit can be fed to the chickens whole as the skin, flesh, and seeds are safe for them to consume. Figs have a soft texture which will be easy for the chickens to peck at and eat.
Kiwi Fruit
Kiwi fruit is small, but it’s packed with a lot of health benefits. The fruit is full of nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, folate, and potassium. It also has a lot of antioxidants and fiber. All of these nutrients are great for the health of the chickens. The skin, flesh, and seeds of the kiwi fruit can be fed to the chickens. However, it’s a good idea to remove the skin as it contains hair that could irritate the throat of the chicken when they eat it.
Final Thoughts
The bananas are loved by animals just as humans do. Though bananas contain a high amount of sugar, the other benefits are priceless. Undoubtedly, bananas help your chickens to gain essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for their growth and development. Therefore, feeding bananas to your chickens is not a bad idea.
However, avoid feeding bananas often as they contain sugar. Other than that, there is nothing for you to worry about feeding bananas.
