Can Chickens Eat Turkey Meat? A Complete Guide for Chicken Owners

Most of us end up with leftovers after our Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter feast – thats part of the fun of the holidays. I am asked all the time what is okay for chickens to have and whats not.

Of course, any of these foods should be treated as “treats” and fed only in limited amounts, but go ahead and share some of the healthier portions leftover from your holiday feast with your feathered friends.

Remember to also set aside any trimmings and odds and ends as youre cooking your holiday dinner as well. Your chickens will eat all kinds of vegetable greens, skins, etc. as well as meat trimmings.

Which Holiday Leftovers are Safe for my Chickens?

Here are some popular holiday food items and my recommendations on sharing. Lets start with some leftovers that are okay to share with your chickens:

If you think chickens are vegetarians, youve never seen them go at a turkey leg! Leftover cooked turkey (or chicken) meat, skin and even the carcass is all fine to give to your chickens and a great source of protein for them. Since turkey and chicken bones splinter and we cant give them to our dogs, the chickens always get all those leftovers. They will pick the bones clean in no time. They can also have lamb, steak or pork bones as well.

Ham

Ham, as you know, is pretty salty, so I would only give the chickens ham leftovers in extreme moderation, but a bit is fine.

Turkey or Chicken Carcass

Yup, believe it or not, as I mentioned above, your chickens will LOVE cleaning the carcass. And unlike with dogs, theres no worry about them choking on the bones or them splintering if they eat them because your chickens will be happy just plucking all the meat from the bones.

Shrimp/Fish/Lobster

Our chickens love cooked seafood of all kinds, including the shells. So if you are serving shrimp cocktail, toss them the shells and any leftovers. our chickens love cleaning the lobster shells once were done.

If theres any of your sweet potato casserole left over when dinner is over, scrape off the sugar-laden marshmallow topping and let your chickens enjoy the rest. Same goes for yams.

Salad

Of course salad, dressing and all, is fine for your chickens. They will love the lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and other veggies.

Crudite platters are also a no-brainer to give to the chickens. You know those fruit and veggie platters that always turn up at office parties? Bring them home!

Bring home the platters of rolled meat and cheese too. As a special treat for your flock its all fine and they always have lots of leafy green garnishes too.

Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole always seems to make an appearance on holiday tables. Feel free to share any vegetable dish leftovers with your chickens.

Spinach is a nutrition powerhouse and our chickens love it. The oxalic acid in spinach can interfere with calcium absorption if fed in large amounts, but as a holiday treat its one of the more nutritious choices.

Cranberry Relish

Chickens love cranberries, so leftover cranberry sauce will be a big hit. Sure, its got sugar in it, but a little bit wont hurt them.

Deviled Eggs

Made too many deviled eggs? Share with the chickens by all means. Eggs are one of the most nutritious treats you can feed your flock, and no, feeding them eggs wont lead to unauthorized egg eating.

Rolls

Leftover rolls or bread are fine as an occasional treat. Not terribly nutritious, but certainly okay on a special occasion – like Christmas…or Thanksgiving…or Easter.

While I wouldnt make it a habit of feeding my chickens pie of any kind, a bit of leftover pumpkin pie actually has some nutritional value, so go ahead and share.

Same with apple pie, I wouldnt recommend making it a regular part of my chickens diet, but since pie isnt part of our own regular menu, when I do bake pie (any berry or fruit pie) and there are leftovers, I share with the chickens.

Now for a few leftovers I would pass on:

Skip the white potatoes. Cooked or raw, skins and flesh, they contain the toxin solanine which while not immediately fatal to chickens, can cause diarrhea, destroy red blood cells and eventually lead to heart failure.

Small amounts arent anything to worry about necessarily, but best to stay away from feeding the chickens white potatoes.

Creamed Pearl Onions

Skip the onions also. Onions contain the toxin thiosulphate which also destroys red blood cells and can cause jaundice, anemia or even death in your hens in large enough amounts.

Asparagus

Asparagus can taint the taste of your chickens eggs, so toss those leftover asparagus spears in the composts pile, not the chicken run.

Toss that leftover congealed gravy or other creamy sauce in the trash. Its mostly grease, butter, flour and salt, so not much nutritional value there.

If you make a pan scraping-based gravy or sauce thats mostly meat fats, liquid and not too salty, go ahead and share. The little bit of extra fat is good for them for some winter energy.

Our chickens dont generally eat citrus fruit. They dont seem to like it. Citrus is thought to interfere with calcium absorption and contribute to thin-shelled and fewer eggs, so I would toss any citrus fruits, but any other fruit salad is fine. Cookies

Unlike pies that contain fruits or pumpkin, cookies have little to no nutritional value so I would skip feeding left over cookies to your flock. And who ever has leftover cookies anyway!

No chocolate, no coffee grounds, and no tea bags. And no alcohol. Thats kind of common sense.

Also, nothing too salty, sweet or fried. If its not good for you, its probably not good for your chickens either. But in the spirit of the holiday, go ahead and share some of the goodies – within reason – theyll enjoy them and it wont hurt them.

This time of year they arent laying eggs anyway, so they arent expending a ton of nutrients and energy and can afford to eat a few extra treats! For a more complete list of healthy treats, click

Can chickens eat a cooked turkey carcass?