Let's be honest: half the fun of keeping backyard chickens is watching them sprint across the yard for a treat. Whether it's kitchen scraps or a handful of mealworms, spoiling our flocks is almost impossible to resist.
While treating your birds is perfectly fine in moderation, it’s important to remember that treats are dietary extras, not a substitute for the high-quality feed that should make up the bulk of their daily intake.
Perks of Backyard Chicken Treats
Tossing treats is one of the fastest ways to bond with your birds and get them to trust you.
Better flock control
When your flock understands that whenever you approach them, they have something good for themselves, they'll easily move with you wherever you take them. Just imagine a situation where there's a storm coming, requiring your chickens to return to the coop urgently; you won't have to chase them.
Foraging and mental stimulation
Chickens typically do not appreciate being hand-fed. They enjoy the thrill of hunting for snacks, and keepers can mimic this by scattering and hanging treats in their foraging spaces. This keeps them active and engaged with their surroundings.
Stress and boredom busters
Chickens may become frustrated if they aren't occupied, especially for an extended period. This can lead to unwanted behaviors, such as your little ones pecking at each other and at feathers, potentially causing injuries. A simple way to keep them occupied through enriching treats.
Are Treats Bad For Chickens?
Treats only become a problem when they’re offered in excess or when the wrong foods are given. Here are some benefits of giving treats to chickens:
Supports molting
Each year, most chickens molt, shed older feathers, and often take a break from laying eggs. High-protein treats like Grub Bugs provide the nutrients they need to support healthy feather regrowth without draining their energy reserves.
Vitamins and hydration
Fresh fruits like watermelon and leafy greens like dandelion greens and kale are great ways to increase your little ones' water intake. The added moisture can support healthy digestion, while the natural vitamins and nutrients found in fresh greens help support a strong immune system.
Warmth
Treats like Cluck & Crunch Fruit & Berry Blend won't heat up the coop, but they can be mixed with warm water to make a warming porridge during the winter months. They provide extra calories that your friends can convert to energy. This allows them to generate their own body heat as they digest their food overnight.
How Many Treats Can Chickens Have?
Regardless of how healthy and appealing treats might be, only about 10% of your chickens' daily diet should consist of them. The remaining percentage needs to be made up for by either Starter, Layer Feed, or Grower Feed, depending on their life stage. This way, your chickens will get the exact amount of nutrients they require.
Feeding too many snacks can cause chickens to gradually lose interest in regular feed, leading to a lack of nutrients and, ultimately, a decline in egg production.
Best Times to Give Chicken Treats
The timing of treats for your flock determines how well they digest them and how well they use those extra nutrients.
- Afternoon or evening: Offering treats later in the day helps ensure your chickens have already eaten their balanced feed first before consuming extras. In other words, it's best to start the day with commercial feeds.
- Before roosting: Carbohydrate-rich treats, such as scratch or grains, are often offered before bedtime during colder months. As chickens digest these foods overnight, the process may help them stay more comfortable on chilly nights. However, treats should never replace proper shelter and cold-weather care.
- During midday heatwaves: Some treats can provide extra hydration during hot weather. When temperatures rise, chickens may eat less and become less active. Offering water-rich treats like watermelon, cucumber, or frozen berry treats can encourage hydration and provide a refreshing snack. Just be sure fresh, cool water remains available at all times.
Types of Chicken Treats
From simple snacks to special indulgences, there are plenty of treats your chickens will enjoy.
Dried insects
Black soldier fly larvae, Chicken Grub Bugs, mealworms, and crickets are top favorites. Many chickens love the crunch. Plus, they’re packed with protein, providing a nutritious boost to support your chickens' overall health and well-being.
Grains, seeds, and nuts
Nuts, grains, and seeds encourage chickens' natural scratching instincts. At Small Pet Select Store, you’ll find Classic Scratch containing several grains for scratching, including flaxseed and Cluck 'N' Crunch Berry Blend.
Fresh garden produce
Hanging fresh fruits, peas, or veggies from the ceiling of the run can keep your chickens busy for hours, just like insects would. Cucumbers, berries, zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, beets, and kale are healthier choices.
Herbal blends
If you prefer a combo of fruits, seeds, and other natural ingredients, Small Pet Select Store offers Fruit & Berry Blends, Herbal Cookies, and Fresh Nest Blends. These options also help repel pests and rodents in the coop.
Treats to Avoid Giving Chickens
You need to be careful about what goes into your chicken bowl. Some treats can’t be fed at all as they can cause serious health issues.
- Chocolate: Chickens can't process theobromine, a toxin in chocolate. Even a tiny amount can irritate your chickens’ digestive tracts and heart, leading to severe conditions like diarrhea and seizures.
- Onions: Contains compounds that can destroy red blood cells in your chickens, potentially triggering anemia.
- White potatoes: Raw white potatoes often cause digestive upset and diarrhea. Boiling doesn't fully kill these toxins.
- Caffeine: A heavy stimulant that triggers cardiac arrest. To prevent your flock from accidentally eating it, keep tea bags and coffee grounds out of the coop.
- Overly salty or sugary foods: Excessive sugar intake upsets the stomach and can make your birds overweight. On the other hand, too much salt leads to kidney failure and severe dehydration.
- Rhubarb leaves: May induce stomach pain and lower egg quality.
- Undercooked beans: Raw or undercooked beans contain a natural toxin that can disrupt digestion.
- Avocado: The flesh and pits of avocado fruits can destroy a bird's heart muscles within a day or two of ingestion.
You should also stay away from wild mushrooms, citrus fruits, and any scraps treated with pesticides. If your birds are used to rummaging through your compost pile or trash bin, make sure these hazards are kept out of their reach.
Treats for Different Life Stages
At each life stage, the nutritional requirements for your flock change. The snacks you offer should change, too.
Seasonal Chicken Treat Ideas
Change in the weather doesn’t mean rewards have to stop. To help your chickens benefit from the extra nutrients treats provide, you need to offer options that match each season.
Summer
Your little ones need fresh water year-round to stay hydrated, and when temperatures rise, cool water is especially important. Chilled treats like berries, mango chunks, watermelon rind, and cantaloupe pieces can also provide a refreshing way to help them stay cool and comfortable.
Winter
Oats or cracked corn, along with warm porridge (try this Cluck & Crunch), can provide an extra source of energy during colder weather, helping your flock generate body heat. For best results, the slow digestion process can help keep birds warmer throughout the night.
Snowy and rainy days
Many chickens spend more time indoors when it's snowy or rainy, which can lead to restlessness and unnecessary fights in the coop. Spreading forage treats like Herbal Cookies throughout the run encourages natural foraging behaviors, keeping your flock active, engaged, and mentally stimulated.
Treats as Enrichment: How to Serve Them
Chickens don't mind having a little fun before they get to eat, and treats are no exception. Instead of just throwing snacks directly onto the bedding, they prefer to be coaxed to express natural behaviors like scratching and jumping during treat time.
There are many ways to go about it, depending on how creative you’d like to get.
- The hanging snacks/strings and swing treats: Suspending veggies like cabbage and broccoli heads just above eye level encourages your birds to stretch and hop. They'll happily spend time chasing the dangling treats. Just like the way you use the hanging toys, some keepers tie watermelon slices and cucumber cubes to low-hanging swings or strings so that their flock has to jump to grab a bite.
- Foraging piles: You can also hide treats under autumn leaves or a pile of straw to encourage foraging.
- Rolling puzzles: Drill small holes into a plastic bottle and fill it with scratch grains. As your chickens peck and roll the bottle across the run, the feeder slowly releases small pieces of food.
- Muffin tins: It’s also common among backyard keepers to drop a few sunflower seeds or pea flakes into several muffin cups, each slot covered with a golf or ping-pong ball. Your flock will try nudging the ball to uncover those rewards.
Can Treats Affect Egg Production?
Treats can affect egg production either positively or negatively. When chosen carefully and served in moderation, some treats can improve your flock’s output.
Here’s how treats support egg production:
Egg formation
High-protein snacks like crickets and mealworms provide the right balance of amino acids that your birds may be lacking in standard feeds. This is essential for proper egg formation.
Thicker eggshells
If you want stronger shells, flaxseeds, pea flakes, oats, or pumpkin, they all have all the vitamins and minerals your chickens need. Flaked Oyster Shells also provide extra calcium for strong eggs.
Enhanced yolk color
Your birds need treats rich in carotenoids to improve yolk pigmentation. Many chicken keepers report a deep, golden-orange color after feeding alfalfa, marigold petals, and pumpkins. These options also support fast digestion.
Natural antimicrobial benefits
When chickens are healthy, they can devote more energy to egg production and other normal body functions. Herbs such as oregano and parsley contain naturally occurring compounds that have been studied for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and many flock owners include them in a balanced diet to support overall wellness.
However, herbs should be viewed as a supplement to (not a replacement for) proper nutrition, biosecurity, and veterinary care. They are not proven to prevent or cure disease, so if you suspect an infection, it's important to consult a veterinarian for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.
How Treats Can Lead to a Decline in Egg Production
Offering too many treats can compromise a hen’s eggshell quality or reduce total output. Treats should make up no more than about 10% of a chicken’s diet, as filling up on low-nutrient snacks can reduce intake of the balanced feed needed for consistent laying and strong eggshells.
Can Chickens Get Overweight from Treats?
If you regularly overfeed high-carbohydrate treats such as sorghum or mixed grains, chickens can gain excess weight, especially when activity levels are low. Overweight hens are more prone to health issues and may experience reduced egg production, underscoring the importance of moderation in a balanced diet.
- Internal strain
When your chickens are overweight, excess fat may put extreme pressure on internal organs. This can weaken and expand the liver. In severe cases, buildup can lead to unexpected internal bleeding.
- Blockages in the oviduct
An obese chicken also stores surplus fat in the reproductive tract. In this case, fat buildup may block the oviduct, making it difficult or even impossible for your little ones to produce eggs.
How to know if your chickens are overweight
Most of the time, the most obvious sign is a robust appearance. You can also tell by looking for a heavy, sagging vent area or excess abdominal fat. Other common signs include:
- A sudden drop or halt in egg production
- Pale wattles
- Hanging around in one spot
If you notice any of these red flags, it's your cue to prioritize low-calorie treats and focus on age-appropriate feed.
Do Chickens Need Grit with Treats?
Chickens don't have teeth, so grit remains in the gizzard and acts as a grinder to help them break down tough food particles.
Provide grit of a size that matches your chickens’ life stage. For instance, the Chick Feeder Grit is finely ground for baby chicks from hatch up to 8 weeks, whereas the Chicken Grower/Grown-up Grit Bundle provides a balance between medium-sized granules for teenagers and much coarser granules for adult chickens.
Chickens naturally consume grit as needed to aid digestion, but birds without access to suitable natural sources should be offered free-choice grit, especially if they eat grains, forage, or other treats.
How to Introduce New Treats
If your birds scatter when you offer a new treat, don’t take it personally; they’re simply being cautious. Chickens are naturally wary of unfamiliar foods and may need a little time to decide a new snack is safe. Introduce treats gradually, and before long, even the pickiest flock members will likely join in.
Mix with Familiar Favorites
If your flock is hesitant to try a new treat, offer it in small pieces alongside foods they already enjoy. Introducing new foods gradually can help chickens become more comfortable with unfamiliar snacks.
Chickens often succumb to peer pressure
Sometimes, all it takes is one adventurous hen. Once she starts enjoying a new treat, the rest of the flock will often join in.
Scatter and step back
Chickens are naturally curious, and many will investigate unfamiliar foods once they feel comfortable approaching them on their own.
Introduce one new treat at a time
When offering a new snack, stick to one treat at a time. If your birds experience digestive upset or changes in droppings, it's much easier to identify the cause when only one new food has been introduced.
Remove untouched food before spoilage
If they don't touch a recently introduced treat, just be sure to clear it out before it spoils and try again in a few days.
Signs You May Be Giving Too Many Treats
When treats crowd out a balanced diet, chickens may develop physical and behavioral signs that indicate their nutritional needs aren't being met.
Leftover feed
Chickens will often choose treats over their balanced feed if given the opportunity. If you regularly find feed left in the feeder at the end of the day, treats may be filling them up and reducing their intake of essential nutrients.
Dirty bottoms or runny poop
Occasional changes in droppings are normal, but frequent loose stools can be a sign that treats are making up too much of the diet. Large amounts of water-rich foods, such as watermelon, can contribute to wetter droppings and may leave feathers around the vent soiled.
Squishy crop
The crop temporarily stores food before it moves through the digestive tract. Overeating any food, including treats, can leave the crop unusually full for longer than normal. If the crop remains swollen, soft, or has a sour odor, consult a veterinarian, as these can be signs of a digestive issue.
Reduced activity & foraging
Chickens that fill up on treats may spend less time scratching, pecking, and foraging, which are important natural behaviors that help keep them active and engaged.
Pale or dull combs
A healthy chicken typically has a bright, well-colored comb and wattles. While pale or dull combs can have many causes, including illness, parasites, stress, or molting, poor nutrition may also contribute.
Weak eggshells
High-quality layer feed provides the calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D needed for strong eggshells. When treats displace too much of the regular diet, hens may not consume enough of these nutrients, which can lead to thinner or more fragile shells over time.
How to Choose Store-Bought Chicken Treats
With so many treats available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. Instead of relying on flashy marketing, look for wholesome ingredients, transparent sourcing, and nutritional benefits that support your flock’s overall health.
Organic & thoughtful sourcing
A "natural" label doesn't always tell the full story. When evaluating treats, start by reviewing the ingredient list and looking for products made with simple, recognizable ingredients. Many flock owners also prefer treats made without artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, added sugars, or excessive salt.
Real customer reviews
Look for recent reviews from verified buyers that provide specific details rather than generic praise. Honest feedback about product quality, freshness, packaging, or how birds responded to the treat is often more valuable than a perfect five-star rating.
Fair return policy
With many treats available online and the convenience of direct delivery, a fair and transparent Return Policy can offer added peace of mind when making a purchase.
Conclusion: Treats Fed In Moderation Keeps Your Flock Happy and Active
It's easy to spoil chickens with treats; they love chasing, scratching, and even jumping for their favorite snacks. Treat time is a fun way to bond with your flock and encourage natural behaviors.
Treats should complement a balanced diet, not replace it. While many treats provide beneficial nutrients, they aren't formulated to meet all of a chicken's nutritional needs, as starter, grower, or layer feed is. By keeping treats in moderation and prioritizing quality feed, you can support your flock's health while still giving them something special to enjoy.
Backyard Chicken Treat FAQs
Can chickens eat bread?
Yes, chickens can eat whole-grain bread as an occasional treat, but it should be offered sparingly. To prevent digestive upset, avoid highly processed white bread and never feed moldy bread, as mold can contain toxins harmful to chickens.
Is it safe to feed birds kitchen scraps every day?
Kitchen scraps can be offered in moderation, but never as a replacement for a balanced feed. Treats, including scraps, should make up no more than 10% of a chicken’s diet. Focus on nutritious options and avoid foods that are high in salt, sugar, or fat.
Why is my flock ignoring a new treat?
Chickens are naturally cautious around unfamiliar foods. If your flock seems hesitant, try offering the new treat in small pieces alongside foods they already enjoy. It may take several exposures before they decide it's worth trying.
Can I give my chickens dairy products?
Chickens can safely consume small amounts of dairy products, such as plain yogurt or cheese, as an occasional treat. However, because chickens don't digest lactose as efficiently as mammals do, large amounts may cause digestive upset or loose droppings.
What if my feathered friends are fighting over treats?
To reduce competition, scatter treats over a wide area or use multiple treat stations throughout the run. This helps ensure more birds have access to the treats and prevents dominant chickens from monopolizing the food.
