Can Chickens Eat Mango?
If you've ever wondered whether chickens can have mango, you're not alone. Catch my tips and tricks for feeding mango to my flock!
Chickens make great pets, and they require very little maintenance - especially if you're doing the deep litter method in the coop.
They're also an incredibly eco-friendly food source: they can provide fertilizer for your garden while reducing your household's environmental footprint and providing beautiful fresh eggs. Plus, they're endlessly entertaining - watching them run around is like having hours of free entertainment every day!
Of course, having backyard chickens isn't always easy. It requires some planning and caretaking to ensure your flock stays healthy and happy. Double-checking to see if the treats you're giving your chooks are safe for them to eat is one great way to do that.
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So, Can Chickens Have Mango?
The short answer is yes, they are non-toxic and your chickens will gladly eat mangoes!
The long answer is more complicated.
Chickens can eat both the fruit and the skin of a mango, which are both easily digestible and irresistible to your birds and actually offers them some nutritional benefits. However, it's important to keep in mind that mangos are high in sugar content and should only be offered as an occasional treat for your flock.
Chicken feed is specifically designed to meet the nutritional needs of your birds, so feeding them regular treats will inevitably lead to nutritional imbalances. Therefore, it's best to limit the number of mangoes and other treats you give your chickens.
To keep a balanced diet, aim to feed chickens no more than 10% of their daily intake as non-feed treats.
Mangoes Are Healthy For Chickens Too!
Mangoes are a delicious tropical fruit with health benefits for both humans and our feathered friends. They are high in vitamin A which has been shown to improve their immune system, specifically the protection of chickens against pathogenic infections, including E. coli. Vitamin C in mango helps chickens to cope with stressful conditions and increases their resistance to diseases. The antioxidant vitamin E is essential in maintaining fertility and hatchability, which is especially important if you're wanting to hatch your own eggs!
BUT. Mangoes, like most fruits, are high in sugar which might explain why chickens love them so much! Chickens only taste sweetness when sugars are present in high quantities.
Can They Eat The Peels?
Chickens are omnivores, though it may be more apt to say that they are whatevervores. If I had a dollar for every time I saw a post in a chicken-keeping group saying that their chickens ate styrofoam, insulation, a snake, and potting soil, I'd have more chickens!
The answer to whether chickens can eat mango skin or not is yes. Will they like them? Probably not.
The skin is thick and tough, and although it will have some mango flavor, it's definitely more bitter. Your birds may pick through the bits of bitter skin to find the tender sweet flesh.
Mango skins, like the flesh, are loaded with vitamins and minerals, but they can also be loaded with pesticides. If an organic flock is important to you, consider skipping the mango skins, unless you scrub the mango well or have grown it yourself.
Many people worry about feeding mango skins because they have urushiol. Urushiol is actually the same compound found in poison ivy! It can cause a skin rash in humans, but birds are unaffected by urushiol according to The Smithsonian so I wouldn't worry too much about an allergic reaction.
How To Feed Mango To Your Chickens
Here are some quick tips on feeding chickens mango:
- Before feeding your birds any table scraps, garden greens, or any food really, it's important to check the food, and ensure that there isn't any mold or fungal contamination. Skip foods that have obvious signs of bug pests or filth.
- Chickens don't have teeth to grab and rip at foods, so if you're feeding them under-ripe or firm mangoes, consider cutting them into manageable, small pieces. If you're feeding them soft ripe mango, the mango cheeks can be cut away from the pit and left whole for the birds to peck at.
- Don't forget to provide grit whenever treating your flock. Grit is a necessary dietary supplement for chickens, helping to break down food in the gizzard.
- Chickens eating mangoes should always have access to fresh, clean water to wash down the food and give them hydration.
- Avoid overfeeding, as high sugar content foods like mango can cause nutritional imbalances in chickens.
- Skip offering the mango pit to your birds, they'll be unable to eat it and it's something you'll have to pick up later on.
- Freeze small chunks of mango and offer it to your birds as a treat on particularly hot days - they will be so grateful!
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TL;DR
Mangoes make an interesting, delicious, and healthy treat for your backyard chickens. Small treats really help to add some excitement and enrichment to their lives. With proper care and caution, you can give your flock a little bit of tropical paradise in their diet. Due to the high sugar content, it is still important to encourage moderation when feeding mangoes to chickens.
Take care to avoid moldy or pesticide-laden fruits, they can safely eat both the flesh and skin of mangoes - although they may not be too fond of the skin. Adding mangoes to your chickens' diets can bring a lot of variety and enrichment.
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