Pomegranate is a nutritious and healthy fruit to eat. If you own backyard chickens, you may wonder if you can feed pomegranate to your chickens.
So, can chickens eat pomegranate? Yes, chickens can eat pomegranates, which include the white and red varieties. All parts of the fruit are safe for them to eat, which includes the seeds, rinds, and pith. Pomegranates are loaded with nutrition, which the chickens can benefit from.
Is It Safe For Chickens To Eat Pomegranate?
Pomegranate doesn’t contain any toxins that can harm your chickens. For that reason, pomegranate is safe for them to eat.
However, the fruit is only safe for them to eat if it’s fed to them in moderation. Like most fruits, pomegranate is high in sugar. A lot of sugar in their diet could lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and heart problems.
To avoid any health issues arising, feed pomegranate to your chickens a small amount, once or twice per week.
Is It Healthy For Chickens To Eat Pomegranate?
Pomegranate is a good source of several minerals and vitamins. This includes vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and fiver. All of these nutrients are essential to keeping the chickens healthy and strong.
Here are some of the potential benefits of feeding pomegranates to your chickens:
Antioxidants
Pomegranate seeds get their red coloring from polyphenols. These chemicals are powerful antioxidants that your chickens can benefit from.
Antioxidants are compounds that prevent free radicals from damaging the cells in the body.
Chickens that get plenty of antioxidants will have a lesser chance of getting cancer and other diseases.
Improve Digestion
Pomegranate has a good amount of fiber, which helps reduce inflammation in the gut and improve digestion. This will help move the food that the chickens eat go through the digestive tract smoothly.
Also, it will help prevent constipation.
Prevent Illness
Pomegranate is packed with vitamin C. This vitamin is essential to the health of the chickens.
Chickens that get plenty of vitamin C in their system will be less likely to become ill. If they do become sick, giving them vitamin C like those in pomegranate will help them recover quickly.
Can Baby Chickens Eat Pomegranate?
Baby chickens can eat pomegranates, but you should wait until they are about weeks first. Under the age of 3 weeks, their digestive system has not developed enough to properly digest the fruit.
Instead, baby chickens should be fed a diet of starter feed. The feed has the proper amount of nutrition to support the health of the chicks.
Once baby chickens are 3 weeks old, you can start to feed them pomegranate. The seeds should be crushed into small pieces to prevent them from choking on them.
Can Chickens Eat Pomegranate Rind?
Pomegranate rinds are safe for chickens to eat. However, due to the toughness and bitterness of the rind, most chickens won’t eat them. They may get curious and just peck at the rind, but may not eat it.
Therefore, you can toss the entire fruit to them. The chickens will peck at the seeds and leave the rind alone.
How Do You Feed Pomegranate To Chickens
When it comes to feeding pomegranate to your chickens, you can feed them the whole fruit or feed them just the seeds.
For the whole fruit, break the fruit in halves or into several pieces. Then toss them to the chickens. They will start to peck at the fruit and eat the seeds. Some chickens will eat the pith as well since it’s soft and edible.
The other option is to feed just the seeds to the chickens. You feed them the seeds as is or mix them in with other foods. Either way, the chickens will enjoy eating them.
How Many Pomegranates Should You Feed Chickens?
While pomegranate is packed with nutrition, you should feed the fruit to them in small amounts. This fruit isn’t one of their staple food, so you shouldn’t give them too much of it.
Also, pomegranate has a lot of sugar, so it’s can be dangerous to their health. Too much sugar in their diet could lead to obesity and heart problems.
Therefore, for each adult chicken, you can give them half of the pomegranate fruit. For baby chickens, just a few pomegranate seeds will be enough for them to eat.
How Often Should You Feed Pomegranate To Chickens?
Chickens should be fed pomegranate in moderation. This fruit doesn’t have all the nutrition that the chickens need to stay healthy.
Pomegranate should only be fed to them as a treat, which means the fruit should only make up 10% of their entire diet. The rest should come in the form of quality commercial feeds. These feeds have been formulated with the right amount of nutrition to meet the chicken’s daily dietary needs.
Therefore, you can feed pomegranate to your chickens, once or twice per week.
Other Fruits That Chickens Can Eat
Apples
Apples make a nutritious and healthy treat for chickens. It’s packed with many essential nutrients that the chickens need to stay healthy. When feeding apples, avoid the seeds. Apple seeds contain cyanide, which is a toxin that can harm chickens.
Bananas
Bananas are loaded with nutrition. All part of the fruit is edible and safe for them to eat. Most people will just toss the entire banana to the chickens. Due to their high amount of sugar, avoid feeding them too much of it.
Pears
Pears is another nutritious fruit that you can feed your chickens. It contains a lot of water, which makes them great for keeping the chickens hydrated, especially during the summer.
Conclusion
Pomegranate is safe for chickens to eat. The fruit is packed with nutrition that’s healthy for them. However, due to the high sugar content in the fruit, they should be fed to the chickens in moderation.
