Can Chickens Eat Broccoli – What Do You Think?

Broccoli, some love it, some hate it.

It all depends on your tastes.

But whether we like it or not it is high in so many good things for our bodies.

So comes the question of where your backyard chickens are concerned…

Can chickens eat Broccoli?

Let find out, shall we?

Is Broccoli Good For Chickens

You bet it is!

Broccoli, although it might not the tastiest of vegetables that we would want to eat, it is most probably one of the best.

It is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, not to mention other good nutritional aspects…

So…

Your backyard chickens.

We have established that it is good for your chickens.

It is a low-calorie treat and packed with nutritional benefits for us and also for our chickens.

It has a high fibre and also with protein while also staying low in carbohydrates and fat.

It’s also high in calcium, vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin K.

Oh…

And did I mention it also has high amounts of calcium as well…

Now calcium, as we know is important for bones, it is the building block for bone.
And chickens will also benefit, and because they eat eggs.

The chicken eggshells also have calcium as the main structure.

So it is perfect for the bones of your chickens and strengthening the eggs.

We all know if hens do not get enough calcium, their eggs are fairly brittle and can be broken easily.

Brittle enough that if you put too much pressure on them when in your hands.
You could end up with egg all over them if they break.

Yes, that fragile.

If you have even had this problem with your hen’s eggs before.

You now know the problem and what they need.

Some sources even claim that it helps strengthen chickens’ bones and make them less prone to diseases.

Another reason why chickens should eat broccoli is to get a proper amount of iron.

Iron you should know is an essential nutrient that helps prevent bone diseases.

How Do You Feed Broccoli To Chickens?

Just throw it into the chicken run…

Realy!

There are a few ways you can feed broccoli to your chickens.

As you know that broccoli usually ends up on the side of our leftover meals.
And that means that it is cooked.

So get the cooked broccoli and feed it to your chickens.

Raw broccoli is ok as well if you have been cutting it up for your meal and have leftover pieces.

Remember that your chickens will want it first.

No taking it down to the compost heap.

If these pieces are raw, cut them up more before feeding them to your backyard chickens.

As broccoli as you know is fairly tough and a little coarse.

So as your chickens have beaks.

It is going to be hard for them to really get their beaks into it.

The tops of the broccoli are fine and much easier for your chickens to peck at.
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Don’t forget, chickens do not have teeth.

Because your chickens do not have them to grind it up before it makes its way to their stomach.

Nature has taken care of this.

Their gizzards grind up the foods with the help of grit that they consume while they are foraging.

Making it digestible.

So their stomachs are a grinding machine, no need for that when you have a stomach like that.

How Much Broccoli Can A Chicken Eat?

Keep to your chicken’s staple diet mainly of chicken pellets and chicken grain.

You can broccoli to your chickens 2-3 times a week if you like.

It all depends on you and how much broccoli you eat per week.

I do not really know if you are going to have that much to feed them.

Unless you grow broccoli in your vegetable patch if you have one.

But I know that broccoli is not always on the shop shelves.

And can add up in price a bit.

So whenever you get broccoli for yourself to eat and have some leftovers.
Feed it to your chickens.

That’s mot probably the best way.

Is Cooked Broccoli Good For Chickens?

As with most cooked vegetables…

Some of the nutrients are cooked out of them.
But…

On the positive side, it is much softer.

And this way you can literally throw in the whole bush of broccoli and your chickens are able to peck away at it with their relatively sharp beaks and break it up.

The end result…

Brocolli in your chicken’s stomaches.

Can Chickens Eat Broccoli Leaves

These little leaves that are there on your broccoli are not really something that we eat as much.

There are some people who choose to cut these off before cooking them for themselves.

There again…

There are people who just throw the whole thing into the pot and eat it.

Whether the broccoli leaves are cooked or raw, your chickens will eat them.

So there is no problem with that.

The big or small broccoli leaves are no problem for your chickens.

So if you do have raw leaves leftover from preparing your meal, or you have eaten your share of broccoli leaves and all.

Yet have some leftovers.

They can all go your chickens.

Can Chickens Eat Broccoli Stems

Those broccoli stems are not soft, are they?

We all know it but do not go biting into it to find out.

Usually, we know this by cutting it up.

And it takes a little work compared to the rest of the broccoli.
However, studies in laying hens that eat broccoli stems and leaves.

Can, in fact, enhance the nutrients in eggs and even deepen the colour of egg yolks.

Can Chickens Eat Broccoli Flowers

These little flowers usually show up when the broccoli starts to age and flower.

It does not matter if the broccoli starts to mature.

Your chickens will love to peck away at the broccoli flowers.

See also Can Chickens Eat Oranges - What Do You Think?

So, if you are growing broccoli in your backyard and have left some to age.
You can just let your backyard chickens out and have a go at them.

This way they are not wasted if you did not bring them in to eat quickly enough.

Or you just had grown too many to get through at the time.

Can Chickens Eat Broccoli Raw

Raw broccoli as I have mentioned can be on the hard side.

And your chickens will probably give the stalks of the broccoli a miss because of this fact.

But the raw parts of the broccoli being the bush itself.

They will have no trouble in getting their beaks around.

You will see them pecking feverishly at the little pieces that look like a big green dense flower.

And because it is raw, all the nutrients will have not been taken out through the cooking process.

So it is a win-win for your chickens.

Can Chickens Eat Broccoli Seeds

Brocolli seeds…

If you do have any to give them.

I know that you can buy them in little herb packets but you would have to buy a lot to give them any amount.

And this can add up money-wise.

But if you have broccoli growing in your back garden and your chickens happen to find any seeds.

They are fine for them to consume.

They will also go to the sprouted broccoli seeds as well.

Or part of the broccoli apart from the harder stems are safe from your chickens.

So if you do not want your garden-grown broccoli looking as though it is half-eaten.

Then you are going to have to fence it off when you let your chicken out for a run in your back yard every now and again
.

Can Baby Chickens Eat Broccoli

These little chicks are small and vulnerable.

Brocolli is in fact fine for them to eat, but hard.

So I would give it a miss till they are a little older.

Even then, it might just be a good idea to let the broccoli age just a little so it is softer for them to peck at.

Not too old now.

Or give them some of the cooked tops of the broccoli.

Can Chickens Eat Steamed Broccoli

Well, that is one way of softening broccoli.

Knowing that it is not going to be as soft if you threw it in the pot full of boiling water to cook.

But steaming broccoli has its advantage.

Because some of the nutrients are being drawn out by the cooking process of the boiling water many of the nutrients and good stuff remans.

So to give them steamed broccoli not only gives them a softer vegetable to eat.
It is fairly intact as far as goodness is concerned as well.

So now that you know the question can chickens eat broccoli?

You can rest assured if any gets into your chicken run with your leftovers.

That they are going to be alright.