Wild mushrooms have been enjoyed by humans all throughout history. Not only is this food delicious, nutritious and safe to consume but finding them can be a very pleasurable and exciting experience. That is, if said mushroom is edible and not poisonous.
If you enjoy mushrooms you may be inclined to want to share this delicious food with your pet chicken, but is this a good idea? This article explores the question of ‘do chickens eat wild mushrooms’
Chickens can eat wild mushrooms, the wild mushrooms that chickens can eat are the same wild mushrooms that humans can eat, these being: hen of the woods, chicken of the woods and oyster mushrooms. You can cook the mushrooms before serving or serve them to chickens raw
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Do chickens eat wild mushrooms?
It is very important that you go wild mushroom hunting with someone who has a high level of experience when it comes to identifying poisonous and edible mushrooms, your life can literally depend on it.
Similarly, if a chicken depends on you for life, it is important that you feed it the right foods to maintain its health and well-being.
Chickens and wild mushrooms:
Certain wild mushrooms can be eaten by chickens but these animals will likely avoid them if other food sources are available. Mushrooms aren’t the easiest for chickens to eat.
Chickens are used to eating foods such as feed, fruits, vegetables and seeds. Because mushrooms have a rubbery texture, chickens will likely not eat them if they don’t have to.
Yet, if wild mushrooms are served to chickens, these animals may eat them. Below are wild mushrooms that chickens can eat:
Wild mushrooms that chickens can eat:
Hen of the woods:
This is a well-loved mushroom that both humans and chickens can eat. This grey-brown mushroom grows in China, Japan, and the northeastern United States.
If eaten by chickens these mushrooms will deliver riboflavin, niacin, complex carbohydrates, folate, and B vitamins into the bird’s body.
Chicken of the woods:
This bright wild mushroom can be enjoyed by both chickens and humans. Chickens will love the meaty flavor that this bright orange/yellow mushroom offers.
Chicken of the woods can be fed to chickens as it is low in calories but delivers fibre, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus to the chicken’s body.
Oyster mushrooms:
The shape of this mushroom resembles that of an oyster. Oyster mushrooms are well-loved by mushroom hunters and can be enjoyed by chickens too.
The flesh of this mushroom is mild tasting, thick and white and is packed with a variety of vitamins and minerals such as zinc, iron, copper, B vitamins, riboflavin, and potassium. These types are ready during spring and fall in the United States.
How to serve wild mushrooms to chickens
The easiest way to serve mushrooms to chickens is to cut them up and serve them in the chicken’s food bowl. Because wild mushrooms can be hard for these birds to digest, you can choose to cook them before serving.
You can also mix in the cooked mushrooms with the chicken’s regular feed. The chickens will eat the feed and eat the mushrooms as well
Although mushrooms are a good source of nutrients for chickens, feeding them too many mushrooms is not recommended. Chickens need to eat a combination of fruits, vegetables, and grains.
The recommended amount of vegetables for chickens is ½ a cup of fresh produce a day, wild mushrooms would be included in this ½ a cup
What to avoid when serving wild mushrooms to chickens
Avoid giving your chickens poisonous mushrooms. These types of mushrooms can poison and or kill humans and animals, chickens included.
Mushrooms that you should keep away from your chickens include death cap mushrooms, Conocybe filaris, death angels, false morels and skull caps.
If your bird eats these mushrooms, it will start to show signs of being poisoned and can die
Conclusion
In conclusion, chickens can eat wild mushrooms, in fact, wild mushrooms can be very nutritious and delicious to your birds. Wild mushrooms like hen of the woods, chicken of the woods, and oyster mushrooms can be fed to these birds.
You can serve mushrooms raw to your bird but these can be harder to digest and not enjoyable to eat, if this is the case with your bird, you can cook them before you serve them.
Mushrooms that you should avoid include death cap mushrooms, Conocybe filaris, death angels, false morels and skull caps
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 wheat?, Do chickens eat wild strawberries?, Do chickens eat eucalyptus leaves?