Chickens are omnivorous animals that definitely enjoy gobbling foods. As a chicken owner, you bear the responsibility of making sure that your little birds are happy. After all, you want them to be well-fed and healthy. However, you may be puzzled and do not know where to start regarding their overall nutrition.
The most common question about chicken’s health is about peas. So, here’s the real deal. Can chickens gobble peas, and should you feed them with peas? We did extensive research for you to help you pass through your dilemma.
To learn more about peas, their health benefits, and how to feed your chicken peas properly, we gather some helpful tips just right for you. Stay tuned, and let us take a closer look at peas.
Can Chickens Eat Peas? Here’s the Truth
If you wonder if chickens can eat peas, the answer is a big yes! Chicken can eat any variety of peas, whether raw, cooked, or frozen peas.
Naturally, peas are a delightful bite for chickens since it is enjoyable to chase around and peck peas. Plus, peas are packed with valuable nutrients, rich minerals, and vitamins.
Nonetheless, owners should feed chickens peas in moderation like any other food and snacks. Peas can only be good for treats. It is never a proper substitute for standard and daily food for chickens.
What Are the Nutritional Benefits That Chickens Can Get from Peas?
Peas are an excellent source of nutritional and healthy benefits for chickens. It contains the right balance of carbohydrates and proteins. Peas have five to fifteen percent proteins, depending on their type and variety. So, these are one of the best feedstuffs for chickens and poultry.
As if it was not enough, peas also have valuable minerals components. It is filled with iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and selenium. Peas are also jump-packed with vitamins like vitamin A, B complex, C, and K.
We can see how powerful and good peas are for chickens. By consuming peas, chickens acquire calcium, the mineral much needed for the successful production of eggs.
Nonetheless, most people do not realize that peas are not veggies. Peas are nothing but legumes. But still, they are not sufficient. If peas are combined as a part of a standard diet, it will benefit chickens.
While peas are necessarily good feeds for chickens, still, it is not better to let them overindulge in peas. After all, their food diet should come from high-quality pellets.
Do Chickens Love to Eat Peas?
Indeed, a lot of chickens love eating peas. For them, these are like tiny balls that are thrilling to catch and chase. You can incorporate peas in your chicken’s playtime with that in mind. You will be surprised at why they enjoy and have fun eating peas.
We want to help you bond and have a great time with your chickens while they are grabbing peas. To do just that, we curate some of the best, fun-filled games that you can do with them.
Peas for Treats
You can always let peas be a quick but delightful treat for your chickens. The best way to go around this is to place the peas in the small holes on the ground.
After this, you can pick up your chicken and take it near the holes so they can have a glimpse of the peas. Then, let them run free and look at how they peck away the peas.
Or you could cover up the peas with hays and take the chickens near the enclosure. Then, voila! Let them pave their way and find the peas.
Racing
Let your chickens watch you roll peas on rough surfaces or the porches. After this, watch them run after the peas, which can be an amusing and exciting sight to see.
Chicken Jump
Another fun-filled activity for these birds is chicken jump. You may stand on a pebble while having your chicken in your arm. Slowly, scatter the peas in your hand in the air. Watch them catch and gobble the peas.
Rotting Log
Chickens love biting and nipping woods. So, you could take advantage and make use of lumber. You could fill the woods with many peas and observe how these birds prick the peas away.
Do you want some ideas? Click the link and watch these chickens grabbing peas.
Can You Feed Your Chicken Cooked Peas?
Chickens can eat cooked peas. Cooked peas have abundant nutrients from other ingredients used while cooking them. Plus, cooked peas are filled with carbohydrates.
If there are leftover peas in your kitchen, do not quickly get rid of them. Instead, give them to your chickens.
Can You Feed Your Chicken Raw or Uncooked Peas?
Raw or uncooked peas kept nutrients intact. While these are often overlooked, boiled peas have lost some essential nutrients. So, giving your raw chicken peas only means that you can grab more proteins in it. However, at times, chickens find the taste of cooked peas much more flavorful than raw peas.
Can You Feed Your Chicken Dry Peas?
Chicken can eat dry peas. Since it has less moisture, dry peas have higher concentrations of nutritional benefits. However, when your little chickens are gobbling dry peas, you need to make clean water accessible and available for them all the time.
Can You Feed Your Chicken Frozen Peas?
Frozen peas are fantastic snacks for chicken during the summer season. It can keep them cool while absorbing the nutrients they need for their overall health.
On top of that, frozen peas are ice cream that can keep your chicken hydrated while bathing in the summer heat.
Can You Feed Your Chicken Sweet Peas?
While sweet peas may be fragrant and delicate, these plants are not for chickens to consume. These plants are hazardous for chickens. The seeds and flowers of sweet peas are poisonous and toxic to other animals like horses and, dogs, even humans.
Once these little birds consume these sweet peas, it can significantly affect their nervous system. What’s worse is that it can cause chickens seizures, paralysis, or even death. So, as much as possible, chickens should stay away from these toxic plants.
Because of this, if you have growing sweet peas in your garden or backyard, make sure that your chickens will not get them.
Can You Feed Your Baby Chicks Peas?
Ideally, baby chicks can eat peas when they reach at least three to four weeks. So, it would be best to feed these little ones one or two at the onset. Then slowly increase it until they get used to having peas as snacks and bites.
What is the Best That You Can Feed Your Chicken?
Typically, your chicken can absorb all kinds of peas available in the market. However, if you wonder what the best type of pea for them is, then the answer is split peas.
Split peas are dried peas that are divided in half. Compared to fresh peas, dry peas have double the number of proteins. But the advantage of having split peas is that they are much smaller and much easier to absorb than dried peas.
As we all can discover, chickens are not that fussy about what they eat and consume. So, look at this care sheet to overview the dos and don’ts when feeding these little birds
| Chickens Care Sheet | |
| Peas | Split Peas, Cooked Peas, Raw Peas, Dry Peas, & Frozen Peas; |
| Type of Peas | Snow Peas, Avola Peas, Canoe Peas, Hurst Green Shaft Peas, Kelvedon Wonder Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, & English Peas; |
| Seeds | Sunflower Seeds, Watermelon Seeds, Grains, Papaya Seeds, & Pumpkin Seeds; |
| Safe Foods | Grubs, Insects, Grains, Veggies, Fruits, & Herbs; |
| Food to Avoid | Raw Beans, Chocolate, Green Tomatoes, Green Potatoes, Coffee, Teas, Avocado Skins & Pits, Sugar Treats, & Salty or Greasy Foods; |
How to Properly Feed Your Chickens Peas?
Now that we discover that chickens eat peas, we are left with one thing: How to feed them peas properly?
Remember that when it comes to letting these little birds on eating peas, it is okay for them to eat uncooked, cooked, dry, frozen, and fresh peas. The only thing that is not allowed for them to swallow is sweet peas.
The easiest way to feed your chicken peas is to remove the peas from the pods and let your birds eat them as they are.
Nevertheless, while your hens can grab dried peas, they are pretty hard to digest. It would be helpful to provide your chickens with cooked or fresh peas instead.
Also, as mentioned earlier, you can mix and match the feeding of peas with thrilling and exciting games. These can be excellent exercises for your chickens.
Otherwise, add and combine the peas to your chicken’s regular diet. That way, there will be a variety of foods for them. Plus, these can boost their overall mood and immune system.
Can Chicken Eat Beans?
Peas and beans are almost the same so chickens can eat beans. However, raw or uncooked beans are slow and difficult for hens to digest.
In addition, raw beans contain anti-nutrients that can prevent these little birds from absorbing all the nutrients they need from these seeds. Sometimes, raw beans are harmful and even fatal for chickens.
Pulling Together: Should You Feed Your Chicken Peas?
Peas are okay for chickens to grab and eat. These are legumes that have a lot of proteins in them than vegetables. So long as you do not substitute peas for their regular diet and give these only as treats and snack bites for your chicken, it will be fine.
Plus, peas can add colors to your chicken’s overall diet and make their life more thrilling with fun games and legumes.
Joseph Hudson has been raising chickens for over 15 years. In 2018, he completed the Agriculture & Natural Resources program at Mt. San Antonio College. He currently raises over 1400 chickens on his 7.5-hectare farm. He keeps sharing his experience on raising healthy and happy chickens on Chicken & Scratch.
