Feeding chickens a healthy diet can make all the difference between happy chickens and egg production success. So, when it comes to veggies, you may want to know which are safe to feed your hens.
Chicken keepers often have veggie gardens and grow an abundance each year as it is an annual, and you need to buy fresh each year. So, here you can ask, can chickens eat green beans?
The answer is two-fold. Chickens can eat green beans, so long as they are offered fresh and without any additional seasoning. Other names you may see are French beans, string beans, and snap beans, and all are much the same thing.
It is also suggested they are well-cooked rather than served raw. When eaten in excess, lectins, an antinutrient found in raw green beans, can cause digestive issues in your birds.
Chickens typically avoid plants that are toxic, although, with beans, they may not know the effects they can have. In our guide, you can find out more about the question of whether can chickens eat raw green beans and the full effects they may have.
By the end, you’ll see how to feed beans to your chickens, raw green beans included, although in moderation, to avoid exposure to any potentially toxic compound. (Read Can Chickens Eat Rice Krispies)
Benefits of Feeding Green Beans To Chickens?
Backyard chickens can eat green beans and love these as they do any other foods. You may ask, compared to other veggies, are green beans healthy?
Beans offer plenty of nutrition, which makes up some of the reasons for feeding chickens green beans.
Protein
Green beans are one of the few vegetables with comparatively high protein content. These will be devoured by your laying hens, who will then give protein-rich eggs for you. Additionally, it’s a fantastic technique to provide the protein intake of your chickens throughout the lean winter months.
Fiber
It goes without saying that green beans are a great source of fiber. This fills your chickens up and improves small intestinal nutrition absorption. Additionally, it keeps them consistent. With these beans, constipation won’t be a concern for you.
Calcium
When most people think of beans, they don’t typically consider the nutrient calcium. But there is 37 mg of calcium in every cup of green beans. Green beans are perfect if you want strong eggs and healthy bone development.
Phosphorus
Calcium requires a binding substance, such as phosphorus, to exist. To make the bones strong, this mineral aids in binding calcium to them. So your chickens won’t just get the calcium they require. To enhance it, they also obtain the other minerals. (Read Do Cats Eat Chickens)
Potassium
Most of us associate potassium with relieving muscle cramps. Additionally, more potassium may make it easier to deposit eggs. In the heat, it is also essential for maintaining hydration and controlling body temperature. Therefore, a green bean treat is perfect for preserving the coolness and energy of your chickens.
Magnesium
Magnesium is an additional essential component that chickens require. They require this to support their metabolism and nervous system. And a green bean treat is the perfect way to receive an additional magnesium boost. If your chickens are a little chunky, it may also aid with weight loss.
Folic Acid
Your chickens’ eggs are formed more beautifully, thanks to folates. Green beans have a high folate content. Additionally, breeding your hens results in fertilized eggs hatching more frequently. Folic acid is also necessary for all hens to avoid anemia. By providing your hens with this food, you are promoting the formation of red blood cells.
Vitamin C
This strong component of nourishment propels everything and keeps chickens healthy, and maintains a strong immune system of our chickens. The C Vitamin is something you can’t get enough of.
Vitamin E
Everything from the skin and feathers to chickens that lay eggs uses this vitamin. Your egg production won’t meet your quality standards if there isn’t enough of it. They will give the boost they require from a few beans each week to continue laying.
Vitamin K
It Aids blood clotting and improves bone health.
Can You Feed Raw Green Beans To Chickens?
While many new chicken owners ask if you can feed green beans to chickens, the question of feeding fresh green beans compared to whether they should eat cooked green beans is often be overlooked.
Most vegetables are safe for chickens to eat raw, green beans need to be cooked. So, is it safe for chickens to eat uncooked green beans? Yes, they are safe in moderation, although feeding fresh green beans to chickens isn’t recommended too often.
Uncooked green beans carry Lectins, a toxic substance that is present in raw beans. This can cause stomach upset and diarrhea in small doses. However, feeding in excess can lead to nerve damage or death in extreme cases.
Raw green beans contain hemagglutinin, which causes red blood cells to clump. Chickens suffering from this condition could experience an upset stomach when eating too many green beans.
Do chickens like green beans? Most often, you can find chickens avoid bean plants in a veggie garden as they can be tough and hard for them to consume before they even face the effects of lectins. However, after picking them, cooking green beans by boiling makes the beans safe and tender, and your hens can reap the health benefits once the lectins are cooked out. (Read Can Chickens Eat Seafood)
Can Hens Eat Canned Green Beans?
Green beans might be tasty and easy to prepare, yet if you feed chickens these, like other vegetables in cans, there are large quantities of sodium in them.
The liquid is loaded with enough sodium during the canning process that it can harm your birds’ kidneys. Even draining and rinsing green beans in a can isn’t sufficient to get rid of the sodium.
Are Frozen Green Beans Good For Chickens?
Today, most frozen green beans are picked, blanched, and then frozen. The green beans’ shape, color, and nutritional value are all preserved, and they are not suitable to feed directly to your chickens as they are only partially cooked and still tough.
However, additional sodium or spices are rarely used in frozen vegetables and are easy to cook before feeding as a treat. Likewise, you can cook and freeze beans from your veggie patch and toss a few in plain water during the summer.
How Often Can Chickens Eat Green Beans?
For a small flock, chickens eat around a handful of cooked green beans and other treats a couple of times per week. Beans of any kind are to be fed as treats regardless of how healthy they are.
Your chickens should eat mostly chicken feed, but you can supplement 10% to 20% of their calorie intake with cooked green beans.
Rotten Green Beans
With cooked beans, you may have some table scraps or leftovers that have started to go moldy. Raw beans are not the best for your birds, yet moldy beans should never be fed to them. Always ensure you are sourcing fresh beans if you want to give your chickens green beans.
Any vegetables or foods that have mold should be avoided at all costs. Many chicken keepers give snacks that are stale and no longer fresh, which is fine, yet if they have mold, throw them in the trash.
Can Young Chicks Eat Green Beans?
You can find baby chickens eat what adults can as long as you take precautions. Green beans need the same precautions, especially when feeding baby chickens green beans, as chicks are far smaller. Consider chick size, as beans can be a choking hazard.
If you give your birds green beans, cook them correctly, and chop or crush them to prevent choking. Like adults, always ensure chicks have access to fresh water.
What You Don’t Feed Chickens?
Besides uncooked green beans not being too healthy, there are many other things you shouldn’t feed to chickens.
- Apple seeds (contain cyanide)
- Avocado pits and skin (contain persin)
- Moldy food
- Salt
- Green potatoes and tomatoes, or Nightshade family veggies leaves and stalks
- Coffee or chocolate
- Citrus fruits (inhibit calcium absorption, and affect egg production)
- Junk and processed foods
- Raw eggs (can lead to salmonella)
- Spinach (ok in small amounts as it contains oxalic acid that inhibits calcium absorption)
Can Chickens Eat Cooked Green Beans?
Yes, serve them this way. Your chickens will appreciate these no matter how you cook green beans. Chickens can eat green beans boiled, steamed, sautéed, or roasted. If you cook them long, you’ll deactivate the hemagglutinin and make them safe for your chickens. (Read Can Guinea Pigs Eat Limes)
Conclusion
Beans contain many benefits for chickens, although, like with many other foods and vegetables, they are best fed in moderation.
Too much of a good thing is never good, and green beans are no exception for your backyard chickens.
