I have hardly seen my chickens say no to anything I feed them. These omnivorous birds will eat a variety of food, both plant-based and otherwise, including eggs.
Chickens can eat eggs in all varieties like- raw eggs, cooked eggs, and scrambled eggs. Feeding chickens their own eggs may sound a bit ironic, but these are a great delicacy for the birds.
Let me take you through this entire guide to feeding chickens eggs, its benefits, and other crucial information. To know everything in detail, keep reading this article till the end.
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Do Chickens Eat Scrambled Eggs?
Chickens eat scrambled eggs; in fact, they love munching on the soft, tender, cooked egg scrambles. Feeding chickens eggs has been a controversial topic for a long time solely due to the source from which they come.
But eggs are a great addition to chickens’ diet. These are good sources of protein and essential nutrients beneficial for chicken health. You can feed small quantities of scrambled eggs once or twice a week to your birds.
Eggs will give them a great boost of protein, energy, and vitamins. You can also include crushed eggshells to complete their calcium needs.
You can mix some fresh herbs like oregano, parsley, mint, sage, etc., in the scrambled eggs. To make it a more wholesome meal, add sunflower seeds, oats, and chopped leafy greens.
Cooked Eggs or Raw Eggs: Which One’s Better For Chickens?
Chickens eat both raw and cooked eggs. Both are beneficial for chickens’ health, but you are not supposed to feed chickens raw eggs. If chickens eat raw eggs regularly, they will develop a taste for them and will start eating their own eggs, and you should expect to get fewer eggs.
Therefore, it’s best to provide them with cooked eggs so that they don’t develop the habit of eating their own eggs. Cooked eggs too contain the same nutrients as raw eggs, so feeding them, either way is healthy and beneficial.
But don’t add butter, oil, and seasonings like salt and pepper to the cooked or scrambled eggs as you would normally do when cooking eggs for yourself. These seasonings are harmful to chickens and may make your chickens fall sick.
Benefits of Feeding Scrambled Eggs To Your Poultry
We already know that eggs are a great source of protein that helps in chickens’ growth and development. But apart from protein, eggs contain other essential nutrients as well. So let’s take a look at other health benefits of eggs-
Source of Essential Nutrients
The essential vitamins and minerals in eggs boost egg production, and the natural healing properties help keep away diseases. Some of the important vitamins and nutrients found in eggs are-
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin B2, B5, B12
- Beta carotene
- Calcium
- Zinc
- Potassium
- Magnesium
Aids In Molting
Molting is a period where chickens stop laying eggs and use all the energy in feather regrowth. The protein they otherwise would have used to create eggs is now used in regrowing healthy feathers.
Feeding chickens scrambled eggs during the molting period will help in forming strong, healthy feathers. It may also help in speeding up the molting process.
Prevents Vitamin B Deficiency
Vitamin B deficiency may show symptoms like curled toes, a weak nervous system, and problems related to joins. Such weaknesses may cause the tired chicken leading to weight loss and other derogatory health issues.
Eggs are rich in vitamins B2, B5, and B12, so these work as a great supplement to prevent any vitamin B deficiency.
Can Baby Chickens Eat Scrambled Eggs?
Yes, baby chicks can eat scrambled eggs as well. Scrambled eggs are required to promote the healthy growth of the chicks. Baby chickens need almost 20% protein in their regular diet for healthy growth, and the extra protein in eggs will definitely aid in their healthy growth.
Can Chickens Eat Eggshells?
Chickens can eat eggshells as well. However, you should only give them broken or crushed eggshells. Allowing them large chunks of eggshells will develop a taste for that, and chickens may start pecking on their eggshells, and you definitely don’t want that.
The best way to feed eggshells is by baking them first and then grinding them. You can also mix ground eggshells with other chicken treats. 90 to 95% of the eggshells are made of calcium which can promote healthy bone growth, strong feathers, etc.
Can Chickens Eat Boiled Eggs?
Yes, chickens can eat boiled eggs. Chickens can eat eggs in any form, be it boiled, scrambled, raw, etc. But when you give chickens hard boiled eggs, make sure to remove the eggshells. Eggshells should not be fed to chickens for the same reason we mentioned above.
You can give chickens boiled eggs as it is or mix them up with other food. It’s better to crush the eggs so that pecking becomes easier.
