Can Chickens Eat Citrus Fruit?

Chickens can eat citrus fruit in limited amounts without any issues, but too much can cause problems.

I save most kitchen scraps for my chickens, but citrus rinds or leftover oranges, grapefruit or lemons go right into the compost pile.

Citrus is one thing that chickens don't need to be eating.

Can Chickens Eat Citrus Fruit?

Eating citrus isn't likely going to cause your chickens any serious issues if they eat just a bit, but too much is thought to interfere with calcium absorption. And that can be a pretty serious issue for a chicken.

If chickens don't get enough calcium in their diet, they will start to leach it out of their bones to use in their eggshells when they're laying eggs.

So a lack of calcium can contribute to thin- or soft-shelled eggs as well as thin or brittle bones in your chickens. It could also lead to a reduction in egg production.

So it's not a great idea to feed your chickens oranges or other citrus fruits regularly.

Although oranges and other citrus fruits are a good source of Vitamin C for humans, chickens are able to synthesize their own Vitamin C, so they don't need it in the foods they eat.

So there's really no good health reason to feed chicken citrus fruit. It doesn't offer them any nutritional benefits.

(Fun fact: An egg contains every nutrient needed for life EXCEPT Vitamin C!)

You will likely notice that your chickens won't go out of their way to eat citrus fruits if you do offer them - say for instance in a fruit salad - so I wouldn't worry too much.

They generally know what they should eat and what they shouldn't.