Americans started mass-producing tortilla chips in the late 1940s. This triangular snack is loved by many. They come in a variety of flavors including salt and vinegar, guacamole, blue corn, sweet potato, and even kimchi.

This food is usually seen as a healthier snack option because it is made from corn, and because of this, you may be considering feeding this food to your chickens, but is this a good idea?

Are tortilla chips really a good snack option for chickens? Do chickens even eat tortilla chips? This article explores this topic 

Chickens can eat tortilla chips but these aren’t the healthiest food to give your bird. These chips can cause the bird to develop an electrolyte imbalance as well as develop heart failure and obesity. If you want to serve chickens tortilla chips only serve them this food as a treat 

Do chickens eat tortilla chips? Risks and feeding suggestions

The best foods to give your chickens are grains, fruits, and vegetables. This combination of foods ensures that the bird gets all the nutrients that they need to maintain optimum health.

Tortilla chips don’t fall into any of these categories. Any food that falls outside of these categories is not needed by the birds

Risks to feeding tortilla chips to chickens:

The fact that most tortilla chips are made with corn doesn’t necessarily make them healthy. This crunchy snack food can be fattening to humans if eaten too much, also, they’re high in salt.

The high levels of fats and salts in the chips can also negatively affect your bird’s health if the chips are regularly given in large amounts over time 

A chicken’s body is not able to process large amounts of salt, tortilla chips can contain large amounts of salt. If the bird eats too many tortilla chips, the salt levels in the bird’s body can become excessive.

If the sat levels in the bird’s body becomes exessive then the bird may develop health issues such as heart failure and an electrolyte imbalance 

If a bird eats too many tortilla chips it can become obese. An obese chicken is not a healthy chicken, fat chickens can develop a number of health issues like problems laying eggs.

Chickens that are obese can also lay eggs that are too large, you as a chicken owner may appreciate this, but this can lead to issues like egg yolk peritonitis and egg binding, this can be fatal to your bird. 

Moderation when feeding tortilla chips to chickens:

This is not to say that tortilla chips can never be given to chickens, this food can simply be given as a treat occasionally and in small quantities.

Chickens love tortilla chips, they are entertained by the crunch they feel when they eat them, they will love the taste of tortilla chips and they will plead for more but this food should not be given as a sole source of food to the bird, only as a treat 

Treats should only make up 5-10% of a chicken’s diet, anything over this is not recommended as it can negatively affect the bird’s health. If you do choose to feed your bird this treat, feed them in the evening after they’ve consumed the bulk of their nutritional needs 

Can baby chicks eat tortilla chips? 

Technically baby chickens can eat tortilla chips but this is not recommended. The downsides of tortilla chips are not only that they are high in salt and fats, they are also not very nutrient-dense.

Baby chickens need to eat foods that are nutrient-dense and tailored for their growing bodies. Also, baby chickens only eat 1-2 ounces of food a day.

Giving these small animals tortilla chips can cause them to fill up on the chips, not have enough room for their starter feed and eventually become malnourished if constantly fed tortilla chips 

Conclusion

In conclusion, chickens can have tortilla chips but it is important that this food only be given as a treat. Treats should only make up 5-10 % of the bird’s diet.

Too much of this food can result in an excess of salt in the bird’s body as well as obesity. The bulk of a chicken’s diet should consist of fruits, vegetables and grains. You should avoid giving baby chickens this food as well 

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:  Do chickens eat rabbit pellets?, Do chickens eat raw red potatoes? , Do chickens eat tortillas?, Do chickens eat radish greens?