Healthy treats for chickens give flock owners the chance to bond with their flock while adding essential nutrients to boost overall health. In the fall, offering seasonal favorites can support your flock’s immune system and overall well-being. Keep reading to learn which healthy fall treats for chickens your flock will love.

Key Takeaways: Healthy Treats for Chickens

• Healthy treats for chickens can provide extra nutrients while offering enrichment and variety.
• Fall favorites such as pumpkin, winter squash, apples, leafy greens, broccoli and fennel can be nutritious additions to a chicken’s diet.
• Cook hard winter squashes and cut them into small, manageable pieces before feeding them to chickens.
• Remove apple seeds, stems, cores and leaves before offering apples to your flock.
• Treats should complement a balanced chicken feed rather than replace it.
• Seasonal treats can be used as an opportunity to encourage natural behaviors such as pecking, scratching and foraging.

Pumpkins: A Fall Favorite Healthy Treat for Chickens

Pumpkins are a classic fall vegetable and one of the most healthy treats for chickens, packed with nutrients that support immune health and digestion.

Pumpkins for chickens are a great source of beta-carotene. Once ingested, beta-carotene can be converted to vitamin A, which plays an important role in supporting normal immune function and maintaining respiratory health in chickens.

Pumpkin seeds also contain vitamin E, an antioxidant that supports immune function and helps protect cells from oxidative damage. While pumpkin seeds are sometimes promoted as a natural way to control internal parasites, they should not be relied on to treat or prevent a parasite infestation. If your flock has internal parasites, consult a veterinarian about appropriate treatment.

Winter Squashes: Nutritious Fall Treats for Your Flock

Winter squashes, including butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash, are seasonal favorites that make excellent healthy fall treats for chickens. The winter squash family includes butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and acorn squash. These delightful squashes may not be as popular a choice in a good treats for chickens list, but they are equally as healthy for your flock.

Spaghetti Squash: A Safe and Healthy Fall Treat

Spaghetti squash is an excellent source of vitamin C and provides fiber. While it can be fed to chickens raw, cooking it until tender and cutting it into small, manageable pieces makes it easier for chickens to eat and helps reduce the risk of choking.

Spaghetti squash is an excellent source of vitamin C needed to support a healthy immune system and is a good source of fiber.

Butternut Squash: Vitamin-Rich Treats for Chickens

Butternut squash is high in vitamins A and C and provides essential minerals, making it one of the best healthy treats for chickens this season. This beneficial squash is high in vitamins A and C and is also a good source of potassium. Potassium helps a chicken’s body function correctly, helping to ensure the heart, organs, and muscular system are running smoothly.

Feed cooked butternut squash in small pieces to prevent choking.

Acorn Squash: Hydrating Fall Treats for Your Flock

With its high water content, acorn squash helps keep chickens hydrated while providing a seasonal, healthy treat for chickens in the fall. The high water contents help chickens stay hydrated, especially in warmer climates where fall temperatures are still quite warm. While staying hydrated is important at any age, it is especially critical to ensure laying hens stay well-hydrated to ensure good egg production.

As with all squashes, cook acorn squash before feeding to your flock.

Fennel: An Enriching and Healthy Fall Treat for Chickens

Fennel bulbs and fronds offer nutritional variety and enrichment, making this aromatic plant an interesting, healthy treat for chickens during fall. All parts of the plant are edible, including the bulb. In the fall, if you’ve been growing fennel, dig up the bulb and watch your flock go to work pecking at it.

Fennel contains fiber and a variety of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds. Its crunchy texture and strong aroma can also provide sensory enrichment for chickens. Fennel can be offered as part of a varied diet, including to hens going through a molt.

Apples: Sweet and Healthy Fall Treats

Apples are a favorite fall fruit for both people and poultry. They provide fiber, prebiotics and other plant compounds that can contribute to a healthy gut. Apples can be a nutritious occasional treat for molting hens, especially when combined with a small amount of unsalted, sugar-free peanut butter.

When you’re harvesting apples, hang some in the run for chickens to peck at or cut them into small pieces and sprinkle them on the ground. Or you can mix cut apples with peanut butter and feed them in treat block hangers. Remove the stems, cores, seeds and leaves before feeding apples to chickens.

French Marigolds: Edible Flowers That Boost Health

French marigold blossoms are edible and contain antioxidants, making them a colorful addition to the variety of treats offered to chickens. The blossoms may also contribute natural pigments to the diet, which can result in more deeply colored egg yolks.

Marigolds can also add variety and enrichment to the chicken run or garden. If you feed marigolds to your flock, make sure they have been grown without pesticides or other chemicals that could be harmful to chickens.

Feed only the blossoms of French marigolds to your flock.

Fresh Greens: Nutrient-Packed Treats for Fall

Fall greens are packed with nutrients, including calcium, folate, potassium, vitamins A, C and K, and zinc. These nutrients contribute to overall health and help support normal immune function. Arugula, kale, dandelion greens, herbs, and leaf lettuce are all packed with nutrients and essential vitamins and minerals to help your flock thrive.

In warmer climates where fall temperatures are still warm, these greens offer an excellent way to help chickens stay hydrated. Fall greens are packed full of calcium, folate, potassium, vitamins A, C, and K, and zinc, supporting a healthy immune system.

Broccoli: Superfood Treats for Healthy Chickens

Broccoli is a nutrient-dense vegetable that provides a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, making it a beneficial healthy treat for chickens in the fall.

This vegetable contains vitamins A and C as well as magnesium, potassium, selenium and zinc. Adding broccoli to a flock’s diet can provide nutritional variety and encourage natural pecking and foraging behaviors.

FAQs About Healthy Treats for Chickens

What are the healthiest treats for chickens?

Some healthy treats for chickens include pumpkin, winter squash, leafy greens, broccoli, fennel and small amounts of fruit such as apples. These foods can add variety and nutrients to a chicken’s diet while also providing enrichment.

Can chickens eat pumpkin?

Yes, chickens can eat pumpkin, including the flesh and seeds. Pumpkin can provide nutrients such as beta-carotene and vitamin E. However, pumpkin seeds should not be considered a substitute for veterinary treatment if chickens have internal parasites.

Can chickens eat squash?

Yes. Chickens can eat varieties of winter squash, including butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash. Cook hard squash until tender and cut it into small pieces before feeding it to your flock.

Can chickens eat apples?

Yes, chickens can eat apples, but remove the seeds, stems, cores and leaves first. Cut the fruit into small pieces so chickens can easily eat it. Apples should be offered as an occasional treat rather than a replacement for balanced chicken feed.

How often should chickens get treats?

Treats should make up only a small portion of a chicken’s overall diet. A complete, balanced chicken feed should remain the primary source of nutrition, with treats offered in moderation.

What vegetables can chickens eat in the fall?

Chickens can enjoy a variety of fall vegetables and greens, including pumpkin, winter squash, broccoli, kale, arugula and dandelion greens. Offering different vegetables can provide variety and encourage natural foraging behavior.

While this list highlights some of the best healthy treats for chickens this fall, there are many seasonal and year-round options to keep your flock thriving. Feeding your chickens nutritious treats not only supports their health and immune system but also provides fun enrichment for your flock.

This article about treats for chickens in the fall was written for Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines. Click here to subscribe.