Roses are one of the flowers that grow in the garden.
If you have roses in abundance within the surrounding area, you must be wondering if you can serve them to the chickens as a treat.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if it is safe to serve rose petals to the chickens as a treat or not.
Can chickens eat rose petals? Rose petals are safe for the chickens. You can serve rose petals to the chickens as a treat. Rose petals are a good source of antioxidants for the chickens.
There is nothing to worry about if it happens that you have rose petals in abundance and you are thinking of feeding your chickens with some of them.
Table of Contents
Are rose petals safe for chickens?
Before anything else, you need to first determine if the treat you want to introduce to the chickens is safe or not.
In this case, rose petals are safe for the chickens and they do not contain any toxic substance that can alter the wellness of the chickens.
Both fresh and dried rose petals are safe for the chickens provided the flower has not been sprayed with any chemical in the past.
To be more certain about feeding rose petals to the chickens, I did a series of research and asked people around about it.
A member of the backyard chicken forum said he has different roses in the garden, but the chicken will eat only rose petals as they have an attractive fragrance on them.
Another one said that his free-range chickens always eat rose petals from the ground and nothing happens to them as a result.
It is your duty to determine the level of toxicity in any treat you want to introduce to the chickens as a treat.
This is very important in order not to harm them with something that may likely cause food poisoning in their body systems.
Sometimes you may discover that some treats contain traces of toxic substances in them. You can still serve a treat like this to the chickens, but it has to be once in a while.
However, if it happens that the treats contain a high proportion of toxic substances, you need to avoid them even if other chook owners claim that their chickens eat them with no problem.
How do I introduce rose petals to my chickens?
Well there is nothing to worry about when it comes to introducing rose petals to the chickens.
If it happens that your chickens usually go on free range, they are going to eat the rose petals if they find it appealing. Chickens are going to eat the amount which is enough for them.
You can include rose petals in some of the vegetables you serve them if it happens that you want them to get familiarised with it.
You can only put a small portion of the rose petals into the chicken feeders together with the veggies for the chickens. Then you need to watch how they are going to react towards the treat you put in the feeders for them.
However, your chickens may reject the petals if you don’t find it interesting in eating them as a treat.
How often do I feed my chickens with rose petals?
Now you know that chickens can eat rose petals, that does not mean that you should go all out and start throwing every rose petals you have in the gardens to the chickens or put it on the runway for them.
Rose petals should be regarded as a treat, so you don’t feed them to the chickens always even if you have them in abundance at your disposal.
Can chicks eat rose petals?
It is not advisable to serve rose petals to the chicks especially when they are still less than 3 weeks old.
You should know that chicks need more protein at their early stage in order to grow faster.
They also need protein in order to maintain proper function of some of the vital organs in the body systems. Protein will help them to grow feathers which will further protect their body from the harsh atmosphere.
Can chickens survive on rose petals?
There is no way chickens will survive on rose petals alone. The reason is that rose petals do not contain all the essential nutrients needed for the well-being of the chickens and other birds you have in the yard.
It is bad practice to serve a certain treat for your chickens for a long period of time. You are depriving them of all the essential nutrients which are lacking in the treat which you are serving them.
Something like this can have a great effect on the overall health of the chickens you have in the yard. The chickens can experience stunted growth or have other health issues as a result.
Why are my chickens not eating rose petals?
Chickens are very selective in everything they eat. They are going to ignore the treat you serve them if they don’t find it palatable.
They are also going to reject the treat you serve them if it does not go down well with their body systems the first time you serve it to them.
While I was asking around about serving rose petals to the chickens, there were some chicken owners who said that their chickens do not eat rose petals in the surrounding areas.
Health benefits of rose petals to the chickens
Rose petals do not offer much health benefits to the chickens compared to other plants and vegetables.
However, rose petals provide the chickens antioxidants which help to strengthen their immune system. It can be very hard for the chickens to fall sick if they have a strong immune system in their bodies.
Other treats you can serve the chickens
In case your chickens reject respect as you serve them, these are some of the healthy treats you can serve them.
Peanuts
Peanut is one of the healthy treats you can serve the chickens. peanuts are a good source of protein and vitamins for the chickens.
Corn
Corn is one of the favourite treats you can serve the chickens. Corns provide the chickens with carbohydrates. Chickens can eat both dried and fresh corn.
Watermelon
Watermelon is also good for the chickens as a treat. Watermelon on fancy chickens various vitamins and minerals which enhance their body systems
Pumpkin
Chickens love pumpkin. Chickens can fly from far distances whenever they discover that we want to serve them pumpkin. You can help them to break the pumpkin into smaller pieces for easy consumption.
Treats that are poisonous to the chickens
It is also good to know some of the poisonous treats you should not serve the chickens. Here are some of them
Avocados
Avocados are one of the poisonous streets you should not serve the chickens. All parts of avocados are said to contain toxic substances that can affect the well-being of the chickens.
Moldy foods
Moldy foods should not be served to the chickens as table scrap or left over. Moldy foods often lead to gastrointestinal disorder in chickens.
Conclusion
Rose petals are safe for the chickens. You can serve rose petals to the chickens as a treat. Rose petals offer to chickens antioxidants to improve their immune system. You should know that the chicken can either accept or reject the rose petals.
Reference
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chickens-eating-rose-petals.1235577/
