Yes, chickens can eat eggplants as they are essential for their growth. Eggplant is a nutritionally dense fruit that is good for chickens and provides them with essential nutrients the hens need.
Antioxidants in eggplants are essential for boosting the immune system. Moreover, eggplants are rich in folic acid, which boosts egg production in chickens. More details regarding feeding eggplant to your poultry will be discussed throughout, so make sure you read till the end.
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Should chickens eat eggplant?
Yes, you can feed chickens aubergine.
Chickens are not fussy eaters, and they generally eat whatever you feed them. These omnivorous birds eat a variety of foods, and eggplant delicacies are one of them. Your backyard chickens would love to peck on this soft vegetable whenever you give them.
Eggplants are rich in vitamin K, vitamin KC, vitamin B6, fiber, potassium, folic acid. Eating them would give a rich boost of good nutrition to your flock. However, you’ve to take a few precautions before your chicken eats the eggplants.
Eggplants belong to the family of nightshade plants. The stem and leaves of such plants are considered poisonous as they contain a toxin called solanine. Hence, before you feed eggplants to chickens, make sure that you remove the leaves and stems.
Is raw eggplant safe for chickens?
Yes, raw eggplant is safe for chickens as it’s free from the toxin called solanine. When you feed chickens eggplant, make sure that you wash them well. Additionally, instead of giving the whole eggplant, you should slit it open and allow them to peck on it.
You can also cut the eggplants into small pieces and mix them with other foods. Then it will be a balanced meal which your poultry will enjoy. Just ensure that you get rid of all the green parts before giving raw eggplants to chickens.
Can chickens eat cooked eggplants?
Yes, chickens can eat cooked eggplants.
Chickens also love to eat the steamed soft eggplant flesh as they taste better than the raw ones. Raw eggplant may sometimes taste bitter, but when cooked, they don’t bear the bitter taste anymore.
But if you are giving your poultry the cooked variety, make sure they don’t have any seasoning like salt. Sometimes people give seasoned eggplant leftovers to chickens which are heavily salted and not good for the birds at all.
Another thing to remember is to refrain from giving fried eggplants to chickens. Frying removes the essential nutrients from the vegetable; hence giving fried variants won’t benefit the hens. Give eggplants to chickens in moderation or mix them with other chicken foods to maintain the moderation.
Can chickens have eggplant seeds?
Yes, chickens can have eggplant seeds. Eggplant seeds don’t contain any toxic substance, therefore, won’t harm the birds. But if you see the seed color getting a bit darker, they have been sitting for too long. These dark brownish eggplant seeds will lead to a bitter taste that chickens won’t enjoy.
Also, the dark seeds may be an indication that they are spoiled; hence, they must be discarded.
Can chickens eat eggplant peels and skin?
Absolutely yes. Both eggplant peels and skin are nutritious and have antioxidants. Eggplant skins have an antioxidant called nasunin, which improves blood flow, prevents neuroinflammation, and keeps the cell membrane protected.
So as you can see, eggplant peels and eggplant skin both are healthy snacks, so you can include them in the chicken’s treat menu. But like I have been all through, be careful and don’t include any green parts of the eggplant.
Which eggplant parts are poisonous for chickens?
As mentioned earlier as well, eggplants are a part of the nightshade family. Nightshade plants contain alkaloids called solanine. The green parts, mainly the leaves and stems, contain poisonous toxins; hence you should keep your flock away from these parts.
If eaten, solanine can lead to a burning or flaming reaction, vomiting, nausea, and irregular heartbeat. In worst cases, chickens can die if they consume too many leaves or the other green parts. Therefore it’s important that chickens do not consume the leafy eggplant parts.
