Chicken treats are the favorite leisure of many chicken lovers out there. Chickens love treats, and what could be a better treat than grapes?
While chickens love all treats, but not all treats are essentially the same.
Grapes are nature’s candy, and everyone loves them, but can chickens eat grapes?
In short, “Chickens absolutely love to eat juicy grapes just like they love to eat bananas and strawberries. Grapes are sweet and filled with nutrition. They can provide your chickens with all the nutrients they need to stay healthy and active.”
Your chickens will love you for it since they’re safe, tasty, and nutritious. However, that’s not all. There are many unanswered questions that you need to know.
Grapes As A Treat For Chickens – 4 Best Vitamins Your Chickens Will Receive
Fun fact, grapes are sweet, juicy, and tender, so they are easy to eat and digest. Even when your grapes turn into raisins, your chickens will still love them.
But be cautious, make sure you have enough grapes or, you might get your chickens to fight for it.
When it comes to feeding grapes to your chickens, there are specific rules that you need to follow.
If you’ve fresh grapes on your hands and you’re sure they’re clean, you can proceed to feed them to your chickens.
However, if they’re not clean, you might be in trouble. But wait, the fact that you’re reading this article shows how dedicated you are towards your chicken’s safety.
Make sure to thoroughly clean your chicken’s next favorite treat, grapes.
They love them and will absolutely stop at no dust or dirt on the grapes to eat the juicy and tender grapes.
Grapes that come directly from vineyards are usually clean, but they might have pesticides. Here’s how you can wash your grapes before feeding them to your lively chickens.
6 Must-Know Basics Of Feeding Grapes To Chickens
Feeding your flock grapes may simply sound like just throwing them some grapes and letting them have a go at it. But, that is not the case and there are certain basics that you need to cover. These include:
1) Is It Safe For Chickens To Eat Grapevines And Leaves?
Do you own a vineyard? Or, are you growing grapes on your own farm?
This might lead to a question, “Is it safe for chickens to eat grapevines and leaves?”
In short, it is okay for your chickens to eat the vines. Your lively chickens are preying on tender bugs, and they might find them on the grapevines.
It is not something you should be worrying about. As long as your plants are not sprayed with pesticides.
2) Should Chickens Even Eat Grapes?
Grapes are rich in nutrients, and feeding your chickens with grapes all the time is never a good idea.
Can chickens eat grapes? Sure. They can.
But, remember that your chickens have no teeth.
If your chickens end up swallowing a grape whole, they might choke. Always feed your chickens with an adequate amount of grapes so they don’t end up going on a pecking competition.
3) The Correct Way To Prepare Grapes To Feed Your Chickens:
Your chickens will have no trouble eating grapes and grape seeds. If you’re lucky enough and have both of them in your backyard, you can prepare them for your chicken.
Preparing grapes to feed your chickens is no different than what you would do for yourself. All you need to do is rinse grapes under running water to ensure there are no pesticides on your grapes.
Once they’re clean and dry, they can be fed to your chickens.
Besides, there’s no need to pull off grapes from the stems. Your chickens are always up for pecking, and they will eat grapes all around the stems.
Even if they do get a taste of the stems, it is entirely safe for them. The stem is non-toxic and will not harm your chickens in any way whatsoever.
4) The Size of The Grapes To Fit The Chickens:
Chickens are greedy. There’s no denying that. I always love to sit back and watch my chickens work their way through large fruits like bananas. Can chickens eat bananas? Yes, they can.
Throwing an entire bunch to your chickens will do no good to them. Just like they struggle to eat a banana, they will struggle to eat a whole bunch.
Cut the grapes into small pieces, or better, crush them before feeding.
A bird worried about her grapes being stolen by another chicken my try to swallow it whole. It is always a good idea to cut grapes into small pieces.
This will also prevent any risk of your chickens choking on grapes. We do not want that, right?
Most people are confused and they don’t know the difference between chicken and hen, so first, you need to know the difference between them.
5) How Many Grapes Can You Give To A Chicken?
Whenever you give a chicken a treat like grapes or raisins, notice how it affects their diet. Chickens need a diet that is rich in protein. But if you treat them with grapes or raisins every single day, their protein intake will decrease.
While your chicken will love to eat grapes every day, but she will be suffering when it comes to her protein intake. This is why you need to keep your chicken’s diet variable and only introduce grapes as a treat.
The goal here is to provide your chickens with a balanced diet.
While at the same time introducing chicken-safe treats such as grapes and raisins.
6) Do Chickens Like To Eat Raisins?
Raisins are essentially dried grapes. So, is it safe for chickens to eat raisins?
Chickens can eat raisins, but it is not recommended to feed them with raisins. Dried grapes, i.e., raisins, have less water and an excess amount of sugar.
Too much sugar is never a good idea and can lead to severe health complications for your chickens.
If your chicken is not eating grapes then you can try some other treats like popcorns.
How To Wash Grapes – What You Must Do To Make Them Safe!
Grapes are often regarded as a family of the dirty dozen—the types of produce with the highest strength of pesticides.
Even after you wash them, pesticides might still be present on the grapes.
Feeding your chickens with untreated grapes is never a good idea. This is why you need to know the right way to wash grapes.
The right way to wash your grapes is, “By soaking grapes in water and vinegar. When washing grapes with water, make sure you gently rub them. This will allow you to eliminate up to 85% of bacteria from your grapes.”
Alternatively, you can wash your grapes by soaking them in water or a water and vinegar solution.
Place grapes in a bowl and make sure they’re entirely covered. Let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
We would suggest you soak grapes in a water and vinegar solution for ideal results. It can effectively remove up to 98% of bacteria and ensure the treat you’re giving to your chickens is safe.
- The store-bought grapes also need to be prepared before feeding.
Warning:
Never feed a large flock at once. I repeat, never. Grapes are nature’s candy, and chickens know their worth.
If you fail to have enough grapes for all of your chickens, you might be sponsoring a pecking competition.
If you do have a large flock, make sure you chop up grapes into smaller pieces. While grapes are tender, chickens can’t eat berries.
Chopping them into smaller pieces makes it easier for chickens to eat the luscious morsel.
Benefits Of Grapes For Chickens – 4 Proven Gains!
Grapes are rich in vitamins A, B, C, and K. They are suitable for growth, breeding and will increase the immunity of your chickens.
In addition, grapes also contain trace elements of copper and calcium. So, little cluckers will be very happy to get a feast of juicy morsels.
Here are some of the nutritional advantages that your chicken can receive from grapes:
Vitamin K – Helps slow down blood loss through freezing. Chickens have a lot of blood flowing through their comb and wattles. Significant bleeding can occur if any of these are damaged.
Vitamin B-6 – Proven to help with serotonin production; a Hormone that affects mood. (If you want to prove it on a scientific level, eat a few cold sweet grapes and tell me if it doesn’t brighten your day.)
Vitamin A – helps with vision. If your chickens are going to clean your backyard from the annoying bugs, they should have good eyesight!
Vitamin C – Helps repair and rejuvenate the body. In the unfortunate event that your bird is sick or injured, Vitamin C can help pave the way for its recovery.
Grapes are also a good source to overcome dehydration. So, if the birds in your flock seem a little dull after a long hot summer day, a few grapes may be in order. These juicy treats can be a great end to a hard day.
For other nutrient-rich foods, you can feed your flock treats like celery and watermelon.
Nutritional Facts of Grapes:
Grapes are full of nutrients, such as Vitamins C and K.
151 grams or one cup of red or green grapes consist of the following nutrients,
| Nutrients | Nutrients | Nutrients | Nutrients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories: 104 | Carbs: 27.3 grams | Protein: 1.1 grams | Fat: 0.2 grams |
| Fiber: 1.4 grams | Vitamin C: 27% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) | Vitamin K: 28% of the RDI | Thiamine: 7% of the RDI |
| Riboflavin: 6% of the RDI | Vitamin B6: 6% of the RDI | Potassium: 8% of the RDI | Copper: 10% of the RDI |
| Manganese: 5% of the RDI |
One cup of grapes can provide more than a quarter of the RTI for vitamin K. It plays a significant role in blood clotting and a fat-soluble vitamin for strong bones.
Grapes are also a good source of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant for connective tissue health. It should be a part of your chicken’s diet.
Risks Of Overfeeding Grapes To Chickens- Beware! They Will Become Obese
Now that you’ve got your answer to the question, “can chickens eat grapes?” there are certain risks and advantages that you need to consider.
There are many benefits of grapes and raisins. They are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and provide your chickens with energy as well.
But as with any diet, there is the possibility of overeating.
If a chicken eats a lot of grapes, it can quickly put on a lot of weight. As a result, your chickens will likely become inactive and would find it hard to move around.
This is why you need to introduce grapes as a treat only and not make it a part of your chicken’s daily diet.
Conclusion:
Your chickens will eat anything and everything that will come their way. This includes a variety of treats such as grapes, apples, and watermelons.
In the case of grapes, make sure they do not eat seeds and pit. These components contain harmful toxins. Hence, grapes are a fantastic treat that your chickens will enjoy more than anything you can think of.
Grapes and raisins are safe for chickens, but it is crucial to keep a balance in mind. Since your chickens need to eat as healthy as humans, you should treat their diet moderately.
This is especially true of grape-like treats with high sugar content. A balanced diet will help your chickens produce less fat meat and better eggs.