Can Chickens Eat Dried Cranberries?

Can Chickens Eat Dried Cranberries?

Chickens are not picky regarding food, and fruits are on the menu. Most chicken owners will feed chickens fruits such as dragon fruit, bananas, and dates. 

However, can chickens eat dried cranberries? Yes! Dried cranberries are safe for them, but there are a few things you need to remember before feeding cranberries to chickens.

How beneficial are dried Cranberries for Chickens?

Now that we have answered this question: Can chickens eat dried cranberries? Let us discuss the fruit’s benefits for chickens. When you have made a winter hen scratch or have a few cranberries left from dinner, the fruit can reduce food waste and benefit chickens.

Dried cranberries have a high vitamin C content, which chickens cannot readily produce in their bodies. 

Vitamin C can decrease the risk of a Urinary tract infection (UTC), leading to fewer E. Coli bacteria in chickens. Cranberries can also boost the immune systems of chickens and offer the chickens a good source of fiber. The best thing about dried cranberries is that they are easy to store. 

Things to consider before feeding Chickens Dry Cranberries?

Although you can give your chickens dried cranberries, the ones you buy from the store usually have sugar and chemicals added to them, which can be harmful to your chickens.

If you intend to feed the chickens a large number of dried cranberries, ensure you buy healthy varieties of fruit. Try to buy dry cranberries that are either frozen or preservative-free.

How many dried Cranberries can Chickens Consume?

cranberries

You should offer chickens dried cranberries in moderation, as a treat or a snack, and you should only offer your chickens dried cranberries once a week. Three to five cranberries (25 grams) are the perfect chicken serving size.

While cranberries are nutritious, they are not a complete food and cannot provide chickens with everything they need, such as healthy fats and protein. 

If chickens consume a large number of dried cranberries at a time, it can lead to diarrhea and upset their digestive system. 

Dried cranberries are different from fresh cranberries because they have had all the water taken out of them. While dried cranberries are rich in nutrients, they don’t have as strong a nutrition profile as fresh cranberries. 

How to feed Chickens Dried Cranberries?

There are many ways you can feed dried cranberries to chickens; here are some of them:

Salad

A chicken salad is the fastest feeding option, and you can mix dried cranberries with vegetables and greens. You can also mix other ingredients in the salad, such as oats, cucumbers, bread, carrots, oregano, and parsley.

Block

You can also give the chickens a dried cranberry pecking block, and it is quick and straightforward to make the pecking block. 

This is the best way to provide chickens with a high quantity of minerals and vitamins. The pecking blocks will also kill boredom by keeping the chickens busy.

Treat String

This method will also keep the chickens busy for a long period. You can take a piece of string and put a few dried cranberries on it. Then, you can place the string in the chicken coop. This method is also a boredom killer, as the chickens will play with the string.

You can also add other fruits to the string, such as bananas. However, once your birds eat, you must remove the string from the chicken coop.

Conclusion

This article focused on this: Can chickens eat dried cranberries? Dried cranberries are delicious, and chickens love to eat them, and the fruit also offers chickens several benefits. We also listed several methods you can use to feed chickens dried cranberries.

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