Can chickens eat almonds? You may have heard rumors or have seen commercials or ads that talk about can chickens eat almonds. Some of these may show a chicken and an almond tree as if they were from the same family. In this article you will find out if chickens can eat almonds.
Are Almonds Healthy for Chickens?
Almonds are a great source of protein and healthy fats. They also contain calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamin E. The nutty flavor is irresistible to chickens!
A single serving of almonds contains about 7 grams of protein. That’s a quarter of the amount of protein per ounce that your chicken needs each day.
Chickens love the taste of almonds and will eat them right out of your hand if you offer them to her. If you want to give your chickens some almonds, be sure to buy raw (unroasted) or blanched almonds so they don’t have any added salt or sugar added to them.
You can feed your chickens whole raw almonds if they like them that way; otherwise it’s best to crush them up a bit first so they don’t choke on any large chunks that didn’t get crushed up enough.
What are the benefits of feeding almonds to chickens？
Almonds are a natural source of protein and fat. They contain dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients such as calcium, iron and phosphorus that are essential for healthy bones, muscles, brain development and energy production in your chicken.
The following benefits of almond feed for chickens have been observed:
1. Improve the quality of eggs – Almond is rich in vitamin E which helps to improve egg quality by increasing the production of prostaglandins in the ovaries which helps to stimulate egg production and maintain normal hormone levels. It also helps to increase fertility in hens by stimulating the release of sex hormones such as progesterone during their reproductive cycle.
2. Mature eggshell – Almonds are particularly important for laying hens because they contain large quantities of calcium.
This allows the chickens to hatch with hard and mature eggshells, unlike some chickens that hatch out of softer eggshells.
How to Feed Almonds to Chickens？
If you want to feed your chickens almonds, the most important thing is to make sure they are fresh and not rancid. If you buy them in bulk, keep them refrigerated until you use them.
You can feed your chickens whole almonds or crushed almonds (which are easier for them to digest). If you choose whole almonds, make sure that they have not been shelled first! You can also crush them yourself if needed.
If your chickens are accustomed to eating nuts, they’ll probably like almonds too. However, if they are new to this type of food and it’s their first time trying it out, be careful how much you give them at first. You don’t want them to get sick from eating too many almonds all at once!
Do Almonds Help Chickens Lay More Eggs?
Chickens love to eat almonds, and the almond industry is happy to supply them. But do almonds really help chickens lay more eggs?
In a word: no.
It’s not that almonds don’t have any nutritional value for chickens. They do. Almonds provide protein, calcium and vitamin E, which is important for healthy eggshells. But they’re not going to make your hens lay more eggs than they would otherwise.
Chickens get most of their nutrition from the food they eat — corn, soybeans and wheat in most cases. That’s what they put in their bodies when they are laying eggs. The rest of their diet consists of grit (crushed stone that helps digest food), water and vitamins added by farmers for health reasons or to prevent diseases like coccidiosis or Marek’s disease.
How Much Almond Should I Feed My Chickens?
By the time you begin to feed your chickens almonds, they will be about 10-12 weeks old. The general rule is that you should only feed your chickens up to 1.5% of their bodyweight in almonds. This means that if your chicken weighs 3 pounds, you can give them no more than 0.45 ounces (or 11 grams) of almonds per day. If they weigh 5 pounds, you can give them no more than 0.75 ounces (or 21 grams) of almonds per day.
If it is easier for you to calculate how many almonds a chicken should eat in one sitting, rather than the total amount of almonds they should eat in one day, here are some suggestions:
1/2 cup: approx 200g or 7oz
1 cup: approx 300g or 10oz
