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We’ve all heard the stories of wedding day disasters where birds eat uncooked rice and then they start dropping out of the air. Well, since chickens are birds too, can chickens eat rice?

Like I said, we’ve all heard those wedding day nightmare stories, but none of us have every actually been to one of those weddings. It’s because it isn’t true.

In fact, rice is not only safe for your chickens to eat, they actually really like it a lot.

Can Chickens Eat Rice?

Yes, chickens can eat rice. It is completely safe and healthy for them to do so, as well. Find out more as we continue.

Is Rice Safe For Chickens To Eat?

Yes, rice is safe for your chickens to eat. It will not poison them, cause them to explode, or any other negative outcome.

Is It healthy?

For the most part, it is. It’s definitely not a replacement for their normal diet. Rice is very carb heavy with very little protein. Chickens need a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, as well as other nutrients. The best way to guarantee a healthy and balanced diet is to give them a reputable layer feed.

Can Baby Chicks Eat Rice?

No. Chicks need a pretty precise diet when they are growing. It is best to keep them on a dedicated chick/starter feed until they are old enough to switch to adult feed.

Can Chickens Eat Uncooked Rice?

Yes, they can. Chickens won’t explode from rapidly expanding rice if they eat it prior to being cooked. We go a little more in detail to why that is later in this article.

Can Chickens Eat Rice Krispies/Puffed Rice Cereals?

Rice Krispies, and other rice based cereals are okay for your chickens to eat as a treat. You will want to keep the amount they eat low as they do contain added salts and sugars. Any excessive amount of either of those things can be detrimental to your chicken’s dietary health.

You will also want to avoid any flavored versions of Rice Krispie style cereals. That means no Cocoa Krispies or Strawberry Rice Krispies.

And Rice krispie Treats (or other cereal bars) are a big NO. The marshmallows that hold them together are not only a huge sugar dump, but the stickiness can also be harmful for your chicken.

Can Chickens Eat Rice Cakes?

Like Rice Krispies or other rice cereals, rice cakes are perfectly fine to feed to your chickens. Just avoid rice cakes that have extra salt or sugary toppings, like caramel.

Can Chickens Eat Flavored Rice Mixes?

It is best to leave these in the kitchen. Chickens should not exceed a sodium level of more than 1%. Often times these prepackaged rice dinners have a MUCH high salt content.

Can Chickens Eat Spicey Rice Mixes?

Just like flavored mixes, the sodium content is just way too high for your chickens.

How To Feed Your Chickens Rice

You’ve probably heard the old urban legend where birds eat uncooked rice thrown at a wedding, it expands in their stomach, then they explode and die (or some variation).

Fortunately that is a myth and entirely untrue. When a chicken eats their food is stored in their crop where it is broken down into smaller bits. Those broken down bits of food eventually make their way to the stomach to be fully digested.

So, rice in it’s uncooked form will never have the time (or boiling temperature, for that matter) to expand quickly enough to cause a chicken to explode.

That means you can give rice to your chickens whether it is cooked or not.

Quick Tips For Chicken Treats

Rice is just one of many different types of food you can give your chickens as a treat. Here are several categories of treats your chickens can eat and a few they should absolutely avoid!

Fruits

Fruits have a load of sugar in them. They are okay to give to your flock, but only in small quantities. You will really want to monitor your chickens when they get fruit to make sure that one or a few chickens do not bully their way into eating way too much.

Dried fruit, like raisins, can be even worse. Since they have been dried, the moisture is all gone and you have an extremely high concentration of sugar. This level of sugar can really upset your chicken’s balanced diet and can lead to illness or, in extreme cases, death.

– Apples (not the seeds)

– Bananas

– Cantaloupe

– Cherries

– Currants

– Peaches

– Pears

– Watermelon

Vegetables & Gourdes

Vegetables do not contain quite the same amount of sugar that fruit does but still needs to be given sparingly.

– Pumpkin

– Tomatoes (even though the are technically a fruit)

– Yellow Squash

– Zucchini

Berries

Chickens love berries. But, just like with fruit, they should only be given in moderation; a few berries at a time. The reason is they also have a lot of sugar in them and can upset your chicken’s nutritional balance.

– Blackberries

– Blueberries

– Mountain Ash Berries

– Mulberries

– Raspberries

– Rowan Berries

Berries To Avoid

Both gooseberries and elderberries can be toxic to your chickens. Eating them can make them very sick or even kill them. Both should be avoided.

Foods To Avoid Feeding Your Chickens

Here are a few things your chickens should not eat.

• Acorns: tannins, or more accurately, tannic acid is prevalent in acorns and oak leaves. Chickens consuming these, even in small amounts, can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and even death.
• Alcohol: this should be a no brainer
• Apple seeds: they contain cyanide which can be lethal for your chickens
• candy: refined sugar is bad for your chickens and can be deadly
• chocolate: chocolate can have the same effect as candy
• dry beans: they have the toxin phytohaemagglutinin. All beans MUST be cooked, not just soaked, to be safely consumed by your chickens.
• jam, jelly, or preserves: same as chocolate or candy; sugar content is too high
• pesticides: it’s literally poison
• raw/green potato peels or skins: green potato skins contain the toxin solanin. It can be deadly when consumed by your chicken.
• tea bags: similar to acorns, tea bags contain tannins and can be very dangerous to your flock

For more on chickens

Ever wondered, “can chickens eat bananas”? We all want our feathery friends to be happy and healthy. So why wouldn’t fresh fruit be okay for them to eat?

So, Can Chickens Eat Bananas?

This one is easy. Yes, chickens can eat bananas. There are a few caveats to this answer like how much is good for them, or the proper way to feed them. But, yes, bananas are safe for chickens to eat.

Are Bananas Safe For Chickens?

In a word, yes. However, like just about any fruit, they need to be fed in moderation. Fruits, in general, are high in sugar content and can throw off a chicken’s natural nutritional balance.

So, you can feed them bananas, you just want to make sure they are also getting plenty of time to free range or have access to a well balanced layer feed.

How To Feed Your Chickens Bananas

Now that we know it’s safe, how exactly should you feed bananas to your flock?

Size

Whenever we give our chickens banana, we like to peel it first and slice it into thin chips. Usually somewhere between 1/8″ and 1/4″ is thin enough for them to safely eat. You don’t want them to try and eat a large chunk and have it get stuck in their throat.

How Much Banana Can My Chicken Eat?

You may hear people talk about the dangers of excess potassium. That is not something I would worry about. It would take a HUGE amount of bananas for your chicken to experience potassium poisoning.

However, the real danger in bananas is in the amount of sugar they contain. Depending on the size of your flock it is best to give a small amount of banana. I would say split 1 or 2 bananas between a 10 chicken flock.

Giving more than that likely won’t hurt them if only done occasionally. The important thing here is you don’t want to throw off their blood sugar levels too much.

Are They Better Unripe Or Ripe?

Unripe is less soft and has less sugar.

What If They Are Over Ripe?

They are still safe but be frugal with the amounts you feed. Over ripe bananas are extremely soft and very, very sweet. Excessively soft and sweet bananas (or foods in general) can lead to sour crop.

What About The Peels?

The peels are a sticky area (pun completely intended).

The dangers of giving your chickens a banana peel to eat are:

• pesticides that remain on the peel
• thick, tough exterior can lead to choking
• minimal amount of nutrition compared to the risk

You can, however, prepare the peels to be a bit safer for your chickens.

Can Baby Chicks Eat Bananas?

They sure can! Just be sure to keep the size very small so they will not be in danger of choking.

How To Prepare The Peels

The best way to prepare the peels is to simply boil them first. Bring a pot of water to a boil, drop in your peels, and let them cook until they are soft enough to easily tear.

While boiling will not add any nutritional value, it will break the peel down enough that your chicken will not burn more calories trying to tear it apart than it will gain from the peel.

Also, boiling will clean the peel from any unwanted pesticides and poisons remaining.

Chicken Nutrition

So, what are the benefits of feeding your chickens bananas?

• Calories: A chicken that is on a regular laying schedule needs around 300kcal per day. A full banana is around 100 kcal, give or take a few depending on the size. (But remember, you don’t want to feed an entire banana to one chicken.)
• Vitamin B6: This will help your chicken maintain a healthy nervous system.
• Vitamin B12: Offers a variety of health benefits including eyes, skin, nervous system, among others.
• Potassium: Helps chickens maintain muscle strength and a healthy metabolism.
• Magnesium: Keeps their hearts healthy, as well as improves their energy level and their overall temperament.

Quick Tips For Chicken Treats

In addition to bananas, your chickens will actually like all sorts of different types of treats. Here are a few different categories of treats your chickens will love!

Fruits

With fruit you will always want to be careful with the amounts you feed to your chickens. Most fruit contains a high level of sucrose, or sugar.

Too much sugar can throw off a chicken’s natural balance and cause some mild to severe health issues if not managed properly.

– Apples (not the seeds)

– Bananas

– Cantaloupe

– Cherries

– Currants

– Peaches

– Pears

– Watermelon

Vegetables & Gourdes

Vegetables do not have near the same level of sugar as many fruits have. You can safely feed your chickens more vegetables because of this. However, you still want to make sure they are not getting too much.

– Pumpkin

– Tomatoes (even though the are technically a fruit)

– Yellow Squash

– Zucchini

Berries

Berries are very similar to fruit in that they usually have a very high sugar content. Chickens love, love, LOVE them though! Feel free to let them eat the berries listed below in moderation.

– Blackberries

– Blueberries

– Mountain Ash Berries

– Mulberries

– Raspberries

– Rowan Berries

Berries To Avoid

You want to avoid giving your chickens both elderberries and gooseberries. Gooseberries and elderberries are both highly toxic to chickens. DO NOT let them eat either of them.

Things To Avoid Feeding Your Chickens

Here are a few things you should keep away from your chickens.

• Acorns: acorns and oak leaves contain tannic acid (or tannins). Can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and even death.
• Alcohol: too many bad things to fully list; dehydration, sugar content, etc,
• Apple seeds: the cyanide can be lethal
• candy: too much refined sugar is not good for your chicken
• chocolate: same as candy
• dry beans: they contain a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin. They MUST be cooked to be safe for your chickens.
• jam, jelly, or preserves: too much sugar
• pesticides: this should be obvious but pesticides are poisons used to keep pests off of produce. Wash anything you’re going to eat yourself or feed to your chickens.
• raw/green potato peels or skins: green potato skins have a toxin called solaninwhich can be deadly for a chicken
• tea bags: contain tannins and are dangerous, similarly to acorns

For more on chickens

French Black Copper Marans are some of the most beautiful and unique birds you can add to your flock.

If you are looking to expand your flock with some interesting breeds of chickens then keep reading. The Black Copper Marans is special in just about every way.

You want impressive plumage? Check!

Feathered legs? Check!

Dark, chocolate colored eggs? Check, check, and check!

Everything About Black Copper Marans

Maybe you’ve heard of Black Copper Marans before. Maybe you haven’t. Either way, I bet you didn’t know about their rich history.

Origin And History

Before we dive into how to recognize and care for a Black Copper Marans, let’s learn a little about where they came from.

The Marans breed has been around since at least the early 1900’s. They are believed to have originated in the La Rochelle region of southwest France.

Back then, they were not the breed that we recognize today. But, they started to co-mingle and breed with some of the hens and gamecocks brought back from seaman from places like India and Indonesia.

It was at this point that the breed became more popular and widespread and started to be crossed with even more breeds of chicken. Breeds like:

• Croad Langshan
• Brahmas
• Coucou de Malines
• Coucou de Rennes
• Gatinaise

These sporadic breedings caused, as you can imagine, a whole cavalcade of different colors, feather types, patterns, etc. It was a chaotic mess and people lost interest in the breed to the extent that they almost went extinct.

However, thanks to the French Department of Agriculture, the breed was able to be saved just after World War II. They instituted a new breeding program with an emphasis on increasing egg production.

The program was such a success that by 1952, the average Marans was laying about 200 eggs a year. Once the program officially ended, the breed was popular enough that amateur breeding was able to continue the work and keep the breed thriving.

Appearance

Now that you know some of the history of the Black Copper Marans, let’s get into some of their more prominent traits.

Color & Feathering

Obviously, from their name, you can assume a bit about their coloring. They do have black and copper feathers. They also have some dark reds and, at the right angle, the black feathers can give off a translucent, green hue.

The hens are not quite as impressive as the roosters. They are mostly covered in black feathers with a hint of reddish copper.

Roosters have a cascading waterfall of red and copper hackle feathers that flow seamlessly into their equally bright red and copper saddle feathers. This is topped off with a vibrant tail boasting black and translucent green feathers.

Both hens and roosters have black feathering that goes all the way down their legs and onto their feet.

Size

Black Copper Marans are considered a medium to large size breed. Some of the larger roosters can grow over 8 lbs. For the most part they stay in the 7 to 8 lb range, though. The hens are a good bit smaller, tipping the scales at around 6 1/2 lbs.

Comb & Wattles

Marans, like many other chickens, have a bright red single comb. You can recognize a single comb by it’s distinct ridges, or spikes, that run from the tip of the beak all the way to the back of the head

Just beneath their beak, they also have bright red wattles. The wattles will run the length of the jawline and just under their ears.

The comb and wattles are a vital part of a chicken’s regulatory system. Blood will run through them, heating or cooling as needed and then circulate through the rest of their body.

APA Breed Standards

Marans were officially welcomed as a recognized breed by the Pultry Club of Great Britain back in 1935. It took the American Poultry Association (APA) all the way up until 2011 to finally accept them as a standard breed.

As such, they have to fit a specific breed profile to maintain their credentials. Some of these features include red plumage with no yellow or mahogany. They must have a black body and stern with no lacing of the feathers. Their eye color can only be a red/bay blend.

What Are They Like?

If you keep chickens in your backyard you, no doubt, want to know what their behavior will be like.

Temperament

Black Copper Marans are a great backyard breed. They are a pretty gentle and docile breed. Marans tend to enjoy free ranging and are good at foraging for themselves.

They are not particularly aggressive towards children or pets. They can get a bit aggressive towards other roosters if they feel like their territory/hen flock is being threatened.

Environment

They do well in both the heat and the cold. We have not noticed a significant drop in egg production even during the coldest months.

What Is Their Purpose?

Most likely if you own chickens you want one or a combination of three things; eggs, meat, or pets. Marans are capable of meeting all three of those needs (although we do not advocate eating your pets).

We’ll start with the easiest one first; pets.

Pets

As we’ve already mentioned above, Black Copper Marans are a pretty laid back, docile breed of chicken. They make a great backyard companion. If you want a pet, they make a good candidate.

They aren’t so friendly that you can pick them up and carry them around, but they will come greet you at the door (especially if you have food).

Meat

Since Marans grow so large (the roosters can hit 8+ lbs), they technically qualify as a dual purpose chicken. So, you can raise Black Copper Marans chickens as meat birds and have plenty to go around.

However, at the time of this writing, they are still pretty rare in the US and can cost quite a bit of money to add them to your flock. There are much cheaper routes you can go if you want strictly meat birds.

Eggs

Their eggs are likely the most famous trait that the Marans possess. We’ll address why in a moment. First, let’s go over their production levels.

Because of the French Department of Agriculture’s efforts way back in the 1930’s, the Marans breed became a pretty high producing egg layer.

Like most chickens, they will start laying between 18 to 24 months and have be most productive for the following 2 years. You can expect the get around 3 eggs a week from a healthy hen. That is around 150 to 200 eggs per year. Just a handful of these birds can easily feed your entire family.

Now, why are they famous for their eggs?

Chocolate Eggs

Obviously, they don’t lay actual chocolate eggs. They do, however, lay eggs that have a deep, dark, chocolate brown color. In the image below, you can see how they stand out from white and even other brown eggs.

What’s really interesting is, unlike most eggs that have a colored shell, the dark color is added after the shell has formed.

The dark coloring is actually a brown pigment that gets deposited into the shell (which is actually a white shell) when the hen lays the egg. It actually comes out wet. You could wipe some of the coloring off if you get a freshly laid egg.

The brown pigment starts off very dark and will get lighter as the hen goes further into her cycle. After molt, the pigment usually comes back darker again.

Common Questions

Here are some of the more common questions we came across while researching this topic.

Are Marans friendly?

While they are not exactly “pick up and carry around like a baby” friendly, they are pretty mild mannered and docile.

What age do Black Copper Marans start laying?

Most hens will start laying around 18 months of age. There are some signs you can look for to tell when your chicken is about to start laying eggs.

Can one chicken lay 2 eggs a day?

It is technically possible, but not common AT ALL. It takes more than a day, typically, for a hen to produce an egg, so it’s unlikely for them to lay two eggs in one 24 hour period. You are much more likely to see a double yolk in a single egg.

Are Black Copper Marans dual purpose?

They do technically qualify because they are medium to high production layers and the roosters get up to 8 lbs. However, at least in the US, Marans are still kind of rare and, thus, expensive. If you want to raise dual purpose chickens there are other better and cheaper candidates, like the Rhode Island Red.

What color eggs do Marans lay?

As we stated above, Black Copper Marans lay a deep chocolate brown egg.

Do Maran eggs taste different?

Unfortunately, the chocolate similarities stop at the color. Marans eggs taste just like any other chicken’s eggs.

What breed of chicken lays the darkest eggs?

The French Black Copper Marans lays the darkest eggs. However, some will claim the Penedesenca, which lays a dark reddish brown egg, is darker.

What chicken lays purple eggs?

There are some Araucanas that lay blue eggs with a slight lavender hue to them. But there are no chickens that lay specifically purple eggs. In addition to blue, white, and brown, there are also chickens that lay green eggs, if you want some color variety.

Do black eggs exist?

There are no known chickens that lay black eggs. There may be some out there but none that have been discovered yet.

Are There Other Types Of Marans Chickens?

Yes. There are 9 different varieties of Marans chickens recognized by the APA.

• Birchen Marans
• Black Marans
• (French) Black Copper Marans
• Black Tailed Buff Marans
• Columbian Marans
• Cuckoo Marans
• Golden Cuckoo Marans
• Wheaten Marans
• White Marans

Are Black Copper Marans Cold Hardy?

Yes. They do very well in both hot and cold climates. Take the typical precautions for whichever environment you live and they will do just fine.

Conclusion

French Black Copper Marans are definitely an eye catching addition to your flock. So, what do you think? Will you be including Marans the next time you get more chickens? Let us know in the comment section below.

For more on chickens

Have you ever heard of a Sapphire Gem Chicken before? They are a medium sized breed that is just perfect for anyone’s backyard!

The Sapphire Gen Chicken is as mysterious as it is beautiful. It is not an approved breed according to American Poultry Association standards and there is a lot of speculation around it’s breeding history.

But if you want a chicken that looks nice, is friendly, productive, and low maintenance, you may just want a few of these in your flock. Keep reading to learn a little more about them.

Everything About Sapphire Gem Chicken

Let’s get into everything there is to know about Sapphire Gem Chickens.

We’ll start first with a little bit about their history and pedigree.

What Exactly Are They?

A Sapphire Gem Chicken is not officially a recognized breed by the APA. They are a hybrid breed of chicken. That just means they are the result of two other breeds being crossed. However, there is MUCH speculation about exactly which two breeds are used.

One interesting fact about this style of breeding is that they do not breed true. If you’re not up on your chicken lingo, that just means that if you breed two Sapphire Gem Chickens together, they will not necessarily produce another Sapphire Gem Chicken.

We do know that they originated in the Czech Republic and eventually made their way to the US. We also know that one of the breeds with which they are crossed is the Blue Plymouth Rock.

The other breeds believed to have been crossed with the Blue Plymouth Rock are the Barred Plymouth Rock or the Disallowed Plymouth Rock.

You may have also heard of them referred to as Sapphire Treasures, Saphire Blue Plymouth Rock, or just Blue Plymouth Rock. If you hear any of those names, they are most likely all referring to the same breed. Although there can be confusion with the Blue Plymouth Rock.

Sex Linked

These chickens have been breed over time to be sex linked. That just means that you are able to sex the chickens pretty soon after hatch.

If the chick is a hen it will likely be solid blue.

If the chick is a rooster, it will also be solid blue with white dots on it’s head or wings.

What Do They Look Like?

Obviously, you will want to know what they look like.

Color

Hence the Sapphire part of their name, they are typically a blue color. You will also find some hints of lavender, as well.

The roosters of the breed are a little larger and are mostly blue with a white dot on their head.

The hens are also blue with a ring of gold or grey around their necks.

Size

Sapphire Gem Chickens are not a large breed. They would fall into the category of medium sized chickens. They will fit right in with your Easter Eggers, Ameraucanas, and Araucanas.

The hens generally get to be about 4 lbs while the roosters grow to around 5 lbs.

Comb

Sapphire Gem Chickens are single comb chickens. That just means their comb is a single strip that begins at the tip of their beak and runs to the top of their head. It will also sometimes have spikes or ridges that go along the full length.

What Are They Like?

Let’s talk a little bit about their diet, temperament, egg production, and care.

Diet

Sapphire Gem Chickens are great foragers and love to free range. This is part of what makes them a great backyard breed. You can also feed them a supplement of standard layer feed and they will do great.

Temperament

Their temperament is pretty calm and docile so they are safe to be around small children and pets.

The only times they really get worked up is when they sense a predator is near by. Then they will squawk, flap their wings, and alert the flock to the danger.

Other than the occasional predator alarm, they are very laid back. If you want to carry your chickens around like pets, this breed is perfect for that.

Eggs

For lacking in size, they put out a LOT of eggs. And not just small, Silkie sized eggs. Sapphire Gem Chickens lay about 4-5 LARGE, brown eggs a week. That is almost 300 eggs a year!

They’ll start laying around 18-24 weeks old and, like most chickens, will start slowing down after year 2. But a healthy chicken can continue to lay for several years after that.

Care

They do very, very well in warm climates. However, they are pretty cold hardy, as well. As with any chicken, you will want to monitor their physical appearance and behavior to make sure their environment is not negatively affecting their health.

That means, in the heat, make sure they have plenty of water, shelter, and air circulation. You can even give them a fan, frozen fruits and veggies, or a big block of ice to keep them cool.

In colder environments, make sure their coop has circulation but is mostly draft free. You will also need to make sure they have cover from rain, snow, or any other cold weather hazards.

Since they are a single comb breed, they are also susceptible to frost bite. Keep an eye on their combs and make sure they are not looking cracked or wind chilled. You can help them by adding a little non-moisturizing, wax based cream to prevent frostbite.

Common Questions

We ran across some common questions while researching this breed. Some of these we answered already, but we can do quick rapid fire answers again.

What color eggs do sapphire gem chickens lay?

They lay large brown eggs. If you want chickens that lay a variety of colors, you can read about blue egg layers or green egg layers.

Are sapphire gem chickens good layers?

They are very good layers. For a medium sized chicken, they heavy a pretty heavy production schedule that does not seem to be impacted by the heat or cold. A few of these chickens can easily feed a family.

How many eggs do sapphire gem chickens lay?

They can lay between 250-300 eggs a year. That’s about 4 or 5 a week.

Are sapphire gem chickens cold hardy?

They prefer the warm weather but are very cold hardy. They do very well in the cold and do not seem to slow down their egg laying.

Conclusion

Sapphire Gem Hens are a great, all-around breed. If you want something pretty, friendly, and a good egg producer, you can’t go wrong with a few of these in your flock!

For more on chickens