By nature, chickens are omnivorous creatures.
It means you can feed them anything and they’ll probably enjoy it.
But, since you love your flock just as we do in our Homestead Ninja family, it’s really important to avoid foods that are toxic or harmful.
So I made extensive research on the topic: can chickens eat tomatoes? And the answer is YES they can! But, only ripe ones.
In fact, they’ll love to relish the fleshy and juicy fruits dense with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins.
But, how frequently should we let our chickens eat tomatoes? Are tomato skins safe for chickens?
Well, let’s explore all these facts but first I’ll answer if chickens can eat tomato plants.
Can Chickens Eat Tomatoes Plants
We already know that chickens can eat tomatoes. But, the leaves and vines of the same plant are toxic and harmful to all animals and chickens are no exception. Tomato plants belong to the nightshade family, which contains a glycoalkaloid poison called solanine.
Solanine basically protects tomato and other nightshade family plants by discouraging animals from eating them. It has a typical bitter taste that most animals avoid naturally. This enzyme helps in boosting plant growth.
But, why is solanine so harmful to chickens?
That’s because it’s poisonous and can show many signs of illnesses that can be extremely severe if you ignore it. The common symptoms are discomfort, gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, vomiting, convulsions, weakness or lethargy, etc.
To save your flock from eating tomato plants, you should keep them totally away from them. And in case your chickens eat the leaves and vines of tomato plants, you should contact the nearest vet right away. Since the symptoms are severe, the treatment process can be time sensitive.
Can chickens eat tomatoes? They certainly can. Can they eat tomato plants? No, they can’t. Seems a little complex, no? Well, it won’t be as complex once you read the whole article.
As I’ll proceed, I’ll tell you about every part of the fruit plant, starting from the leaves to the flower, vines, skins, and seeds.
Let’s start with the seeds first. Can chickens eat tomatoes seeds? Let me quickly explain.
Can Chickens Eat Tomatoes Seeds?
Yes, just like the flesh, the seeds of tomatoes are absolutely safe and non-toxic for your flocks. Tomato seeds are rich in vitamin A, C, and dietary fiber.
Since chickens can eat tomato seeds, you don’t need to take them out before serving.
But, tomato seeds can be difficult to digest sometimes. That’s why you need to let your chickens eat tomatoes with seeds in moderation. Otherwise, there can be gastrointestinal upset or related issues due to overfeeding.
Can Chickens Eat Tomatoes Vines?
No, chickens can’t eat tomato vines because they are toxic and harmful.
Tomato vines are bitter as they contain solanine, which is basically a glycoalkaloid poison.
If you have tomato plants in your garden, make sure your flock doesn’t eat tomato vines.
Can Chickens Eat Tomato Skins?
Yes, chickens can eat the skins of ripe tomatoes. But, make sure the tomatoes are fully ripened. Otherwise, the toxin solanine can remain in the skin, causing harm to your flock.
If you see your chickens are having symptoms like stomach upset or vomiting after eating tomato skins, contact a vet at the earliest. Also, you need to remove the skin and only provide the flesh to your chickens in the future.
Let’s make a quick revision!
Can chickens eat tomatoes? Yes, they love to eat juicy flesh.
Can they eat tomato plants? No. Because the vines and the leaves are extremely harmful, rather toxic.
How about the skins and seeds? Well, these are a bit difficult to digest but your birds can digest them and these are safe first of all.
Can Chickens Eat Tomatoes Flowers?
Just like the leaves and vines, tomato flowers contain the toxin solanine. So, the answer is again a No.
So, finally, it means chickens cannot eat anything from the tomato plant apart from the ripe tomato fruits.
Now you must be wondering what health benefits can you expect from the treatment and how much or often should your birds enjoy the delicacy. I’m coming to that now!
7 Health Benefits Of Tomatoes For Chickens
There are plenty of health benefits of tomatoes for chickens. Here are some common benefits:
1. Highly Nutritious
Firstly, tomatoes are highly nutritious. They are the source of healthy vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
2. Boost Immunity
Consuming tomatoes can boost immunity in your chickens. That’s because of the healthy vitamins.
3. Antioxidants
Tomatoes contain lycopene, which is a type of antioxidant substance. It’s good for the overall well-being of your flock.
4. Reduce Inflammation
The essential antioxidants present in tomatoes can reduce inflammation in chickens and other animals.
5. Tissue Growth
Vitamin B9 or folate present in tomatoes can promote tissue growth in your flock, resulting in a healthy body.
6. Strong Bones
Your chickens will have strong bones when you treat them with tomatoes due to their Vitamin K1 content.
7. Provide Energy
Since tomatoes contain 4 percent of carbs, which can keep your chickens active and energetic during the day.
How To Feed Chickens Tomatoes
· Chopped Tomatoes With Or Without Skin
You can simply chop the ripe tomatoes into small pieces and treat your chickens. But, if you want to remove the skin, you can do that as well.
· Boil Tomatoes
Chickens love to be treated with tomatoes and they can eat them raw. You can also boil the tomatoes but that won’t contain the whole nutrients.
· Cooked Tomatoes
You can also feed your chickens cooked tomatoes. But, just like the boiled tomatoes, the cooked ones will also lose some of the vital nutrients.
What Age Can Chickens Eat Tomatoes?
Chickens can eat tomatoes after they are at least a couple of weeks old. The best time to include tomatoes in their daily diet is when they are one month old.
Chickens below two weeks of age shouldn’t eat tomatoes as they might not be able to digest the seeds.
What Happens If A Chicken Eats A Tomato?
If a chicken eats a tomato, it gets lots of healthy nutrients. The nutrients tomato contains are carbs, fiber, vitamin B9, vitamin C, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants.
Apart from lycopene, tomatoes contain two other antioxidants beta carotene and naringenin.
The growth of your chickens will be boosted for sure when you feed tomatoes. But, make sure you don’t overfeed them because that can make it worse.
If you see any digestion issues, you can stop feeding them tomatoes for a few weeks and then start feeding again.
Also, make sure you add a variety to the diet of your birds. Instead of feeding only tomatoes, you can include other fruits like bananas, strawberries, watermelons, blueberries, etc.
Veggies like broccoli, kale, carrots, beets, lettuce, and cucumbers are also good options.
The advantage of a balanced diet is whole nutrition, which will reflect the overall health of your chickens.
Tomatoes make excellent food options but they aren’t enough when it comes to providing all kinds of essential micro and macronutrients.
Can I Feed My Chickens Green Tomatoes?
If you mean green unripe tomatoes, it’s a NO.
Green tomatoes are unripe and they contain the toxic substance called solanine…
So, you should never allow your flock to eat green tomatoes.
Can Chickens Eat A Whole Tomato?
Yes, a whole tomato in a single day is perfect for a chicken.
If you have a larger flock, you can count one tomato for every bird. Feeding more than one tomato can have adverse health effects on your chickens.
Having said that, I’ll also mention that the above portion is suitable for grown chickens.
If you have newbies in your homestead, start by giving one-fourth tomato. You can gradually increase the portion as they grow.
Can Chickens Have Raw Tomato?
No, chickens can’t have raw or unripe tomatoes. That’s because of the harmful toxin solanine.
If you’ve got some fresh raw tomatoes and you’re thinking to feed your chicken, you should leave the idea now.
Instead, ripe tomatoes suit your birds the best.
Can Chickens Eat Tomato Leaves?
No, chickens can’t eat tomato leaves because the leaves contain solanine, a toxic substance.
I’ve mentioned above the adverse effects of eating tomato leaves. If you see such symptoms, make sure you get your chickens treated by a vet.
Can Chickens Eat Cherry Tomatoes?
Can Chickens Eat Tomatoes? Yes, but what about cherry tomatoes? Yes, they can.
Chickens can eat cherry tomatoes, which are smaller versions of regular tomatoes. But, you need to make sure that the cherry tomatoes are fresh and don’t have molds.
Eating moldy or rotten cherry tomatoes can be harmful to your flock.
Can Chickens Eat Tomato Sauce?
Yes, chickens can eat tomato sauce but it’s not healthy. So, I won’t suggest you treat your birds with tomato sauce.
You can make tomato puree and feed your chicken. That’s all right but the regular tomato sauce isn’t good because of the added salt and sugar.
Can Chickens Eat Canned Tomatoes?
Well, chickens can eat only those canned tomatoes that are low in sugar, salt, and preservatives. These three elements can make canned tomatoes harmful to your birds.
For these reasons, I prefer not to feed my flock canned tomatoes. After all, there can be no alternative to fresh veggies and fruits.
Conclusion
Can chickens eat tomatoes? YES!
Tomatoes are packed with some vital nutrients and they are one of the best foods for your chickens.
But, I’d suggest you feed them in moderation and maintain a balance in their diet.
I prefer adding a variety to the diet of my flock and would suggest you do the same to keep them healthy.
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Homestead Lifestyle Board!!
