Can Chickens Eat Grapes – What Do You Think?

Can Chickens Eat Grapes?

Can chickens eat grapes?

That’s an interesting one.

And to think that your chickens are getting a new and varied diet you only need to look back at when they were wild and think what they ate then.

Let’s talk about this, shall we?

Can Chickens Eat Grapes And Their Wild Instincts

If you think back…

Yes.

They did have a life before man ever came along and domesticated them as pets…
Wild undomesticated chickens roamed the undergrowth looking for food.

And one thing that they would have picked up from the forest floor was a form of seed and the fruit that held them.

Trees have evolved to grow fleshy edible fruit around their seeds just for this purpose.

For an animal such as a bird to eat it.

And when they walk near and far they poop and that seed that is indigestible in their stomachs once the fruity outside has been digested by the stomach itself.

These seeds are spread around on the ground with the chicken’s fertiliser intact for a seed to have its best chance to grow.

So yes chickens can eat grapes, as they do have a form of little fruit like grapes that trees and bushes shed to the ground for just that reason in the wild.

But not only on the ground…

These nifty wild chickens will also peck the fruit from the bushes themselves, anything they can get to that is edible, but they will also eat off the bush.

Now chickens have learnt as with all animals what is not poison to eat, they work this out from the smell or colour.

Which they have evolved with experience and instinct in what they can eat from the wild.

Can Chickens Choke On Grapes?

I never really thought twice about throwing a hand full of grapes into my chickens.

See also The Characteristics of Black Star Chickens

And as far as a chicken choking on a grape seed…

I have never had to go in and give one of my chickens the have-ho to get the seed out of their throat.

Or needed to give them a pat on the back for this, well that would look funny...

Chickens do have beaks if you have not noticed, so they can not chew their food.

But they do peck at it, tossing it into little pieces if they cannot do that.

They will throw down the food whole into their throats.

Their digestion is different from ours where we chew our food, thickens digestions are made to break down food in their stomachs.

Theoretically, you could say that a chicken can choke on grapes which would lead to their demise if you are not there to help them.

But nature is harder than that, and if this was so common.

The good old chicken would be in all sorts of a mess.

But if you are a worrier and your chicken is little, you can always cut up the grapes to help them out.

But it is not the grape flesh that is the trouble.

And there is always the option of getting seedless grapes if you are really worried about them swallowing grape seeds.

Grapes as with many other things – have you ever seen a chicken swallow something too big.

But it goes down anyway!

Yes, chickens can eat grapes.

They can eat old grapes, but not too old.

I would not give my chickens any fruit or vegetables that are starting to show signs of mould on it.

If you can cut off the mould and the rest of the fruit or vegetable is ok – then yes.

And also if you wanted to know, it is quite fine to let your chickens also eat grape leaves as well.

See also This Is Why The Olive Egger Chicken Is So Strange

Are Grapes Toxic To Chickens?

No, there is also nothing about grapes that is toxic or harmful to them, so you don’t have to worry about that.

Grapes are another good source of vitamins A and C, as well as the vitamin B, complex, and while also containing important trace elements such as copper and calcium.

Can Chickens Eat Grapes With Seeds?

Yes they can, they usually peck away the fleshy part of the grape first, and if they decide to eat the seed.

It is really no bigger than some of the grain that you buy for them from the stock feed places.

Can Chickens Eat Raisins?

Yes, raisins are part of the grape group, so eating raisins is safe for chickens as well.

However…

There is one thing…

Everything in moderation.

Grapes are also extremely high in sugar so make sure that you don’t go overdoing it when it comes to giving them too many times a week.

I would look at it as a treat.

Like ourselves, apart from the sugar aspect.

If you eat too much fruit you will get a bit on the runny side.

So give them fruit such as grapes every so often. and keep mainly to the grains as their staple diet.

And of course, you can always throw in grass and weeds.

Or if you let them out of their pens to have a run around your yard, this is always the other alternative to changing up their diet.

And this will also come out in your eggs, the better colour to your yolk and flavour.

So, I hope that I have answered your question about can chickens eat grapes?

It might not be what they get in the wilderness, but there has always been something close to that in the wilderness when they were wild.