Runner beans are widely adored because of their beautiful blooms, but many don’t know that this plant can be eaten as well, the seed pods that develop following the flowers are beans that can be consumed.

If you’re consuming these beans, you may be considering feeding them to your poultry pet. So, can chickens eat runner beans? This article looks into it. 

Chickens can definitely eat runner beans, these beans can be eaten by not only humans, but by a number of animals as well. Runner beans contain a variety of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, fiber, and protein. If you decide to give your chicken runner beans it is important to cook them before serving. 

Can chickens eat runner beans?

The recommended diet that chickens should have includes fruits, vegetables, and grains, anything other than this is not necessary for chickens.

Runner beans fall into the vegetable category and they are quite delicious for both humans and chickens

Benefits of chickens eating runner beans:

Runner beans benefit chickens in a variety of ways:

Fiber:

This vegetable is naturally high in fiber. Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate, it’s helpful in regulating and improving the bird’s digestive system.

Protein:

Runner beans also have a high protein content, protein is essential for egg production. Protein will also help the bird grow strong features after molting which helps with flight and keeps them insulated from the cold.

Vitamin c:

Runner beans contain high levels of vitamin C, this vitamin is helpful as it boosts the bird’s immune system.

In addition, because this vegetable is low in calories, it serves as a good food choice that does not cause the bird to gain weight easily. 

Toxins in raw runner beans:

Although this food can be given to chickens it should never be given to your birds raw. Beans contain a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin.

Phytohaemagglutinin is fatal to chickens if consumed, if your bird has as little as three or four beans it can become ill, the illness can quickly progress without you realizing and it can kill the bird in a matter of hours.

These beans must be cooked before being served to chickens 

How to prepare runner beans for chickens 

Chickens can enjoy runner beans, the beans simply need to be prepared well enough, here is how to prepare this food for your chickens: 

• Start off by soaking the beans, this is the first step and the most time consuming. Soak the beans in cold water for a minimum of 5 hours or more. Discard the water after this step and rinse the beans 
• After rinsing you can cook the beans. The beans need to be thoroughly cooked before they can be served to the birds. To do this, cook them in rapidly boiling water for a minimum of 30 minutes
• After the above you can serve the beans to your birds 

Note: Cooking beans in a slow cooker or a crockpot will not get rid of the toxins in the beans. These two machines don’t reach high enough temperatures to deactivate the toxins. 

How to serve runner beans to chickens 

Birds can sometimes be picky eaters, if you give them food that they’ve never seen or smelt, (like runner beans) then the bird may not eat the food. If this is the case, you may need to serve this food to your bird repeatedly to get them used to it.

If they still aren’t budging you can try hanging it from their perches or eating it in front of them, making a fuss about how good it tastes. 

When they finally come around, you can make the beans exciting to eat by hiding them in tubes or boxes, this gives them the opportunity to have fun and search for the beans as though they are foraging in the wild.

This mental stimulation and challenge will keep the bird from getting bored and developing bad habits to counteract the boredom. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, yes chickens can eat runner beans, these beans offer chickens a variety of nutrients such as vitamin C, fiber, and protein. It is important to prepare and cook the beans very well before serving them to your birds or eating them yourself

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other chicken related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Can chickens eat turkey feed?, Can chickens eat turkey?, Can chickens eat rockmelon?, Can chickens eat tiger lilies?