Foods to keep out of the run
What can chickens not eat?
The useful answer is more specific than a blacklist: some whole foods are avoidable risks, while others become unsafe because of a seed, leaf, raw form, spoilage, or seasoning.
This guide groups the current source-reviewed records by the hazard that changes the decision. It is not a substitute for a complete feed label or veterinary help after a concerning exposure.
Whole foods with a documented reason to avoid them
- Avocados: keep the flesh, skin, pit, leaves, and stems away. Veterinary toxicology describes avocado exposure in susceptible birds, including chickens. MSD Veterinary Manual
- Chocolate and cocoa: do not feed chocolate, cocoa powder, cacao, or foods containing them. Concentration varies, so a household serving should not be treated as safe. UF/IFAS Extension
- Onions: do not make raw, cooked, powdered, or concentrated onion a treat or routine feed ingredient. A tiny accidental peck is a different situation from deliberate or repeated feeding. UF/IFAS Extension
Seeds, raw legumes, and nightshade plant parts
These records are conditional because a specific form changes the answer:
- Offer apple flesh only after removing the seeds and intact core. Crushed or chewed seeds can release cyanide-forming compounds.
- Never offer raw, dry, soaked-but-uncooked, or undercooked beans; the reviewed guidance identifies phytohemagglutinin as the concern. Plain, fully cooked beans are a separate, limited-treat case.
- Keep green or sprouting potatoes and potato greenery away. Plain, fully cooked, non-green potato is a different form.
- Do not offer tomato leaves, stems, or plant trimmings. A small amount of fully ripe, plain fruit is treated separately.
UF/IFAS chicken-specific cautions · UC ANR Feeding Your Flock
Mold, rot, salt, sauces, and concentrated products
Moldy or decomposing food is outside every safe conclusion in this library. Do not cut away visible mold and feed the remainder. Very salty, heavily seasoned, syrup-packed, fermented, or sauce-covered leftovers can introduce additional risks and make the amount of each ingredient unclear. University of Maryland Extension on moldy feed
Kitchen scraps can also be a legal question
Ingredient safety and feeding law are separate. In Great Britain, household kitchen waste and catering waste generally must not be fed to farm animals, including relevant poultry kept as pets. Current GOV.UK guidance
If a chicken already ate something questionable
Remove access, note the exact food or plant part, roughly how much was available, and when the exposure happened. Keep packaging or a plant sample if it can be handled safely. If the food may be harmful or a bird is unwell, contact an avian or poultry veterinarian promptly; do not improvise an antidote or induce vomiting.