Can chickens eat cheese?

Why

Chickens lack the enzymes to efficiently break down lactose (Mozdziak et al., Journal of Nutrition, 2003). Fresh Eggs Daily says dairy is fine only in strict moderation because milk sugars can cause diarrhea; Homestead and Chill names hard cheese as an exception to its no-dairy rule. UC ANR vets advise avoiding fatty foods.

How to serve cheese

• A little shredded or crumbled cheese
• Remove problems: stop if droppings get loose

Be careful with

• Can cause diarrhea (Grubbly Farms)
• High fat and often salty

The treat rules for every food

1. 1Scraps are not nutritionally balanced. Letting them displace complete feed can cause nutritional disorders and lower egg production; hens that fill up on treats can run short of calcium and draw it from their bones, weakening shells.
2. 2Never feed moldy, rotten or spoiled food. Molds can produce mycotoxins (e.g., aflatoxin on corn, peanuts, nuts, rice) that harm poultry, and University of Kentucky notes mycotoxins remain even if visible mold is removed. Rotting food can also be a source of Clostridium botulinum (botulism, 'limberneck'). Stale or wilted (not moldy) produce and bread are generally considered fine.
3. 3Avoid very salty, sugary, fatty, fried or heavily processed human food (chips, fast food, candy, heavily salted leftovers). Merck notes salt above about 2% of the diet is usually considered dangerous for poultry, that birds under 21 days old are more susceptible, and that restricted water access makes salt problems worse.
4. 4Provide insoluble grit (granite grit or small stones) whenever chickens eat whole grains, scratch, seeds or forage; birds that can reach the ground usually find their own. Oyster shell is a calcium source, not grit (it is too soft). Birds eating only a complete pelleted feed do not need grit.

All 10 rules · How much feed they need