Can chickens eat cheese?

Better not: chickens shouldn’t eat cheese. UF/IFAS Extension says to avoid fatty and salty foods. In the UK, waste even from vegetarian kitchens that may handle dairy is banned as farm animal feed (DEFRA). Colorado State University Extension, on the other hand, lists dairy among kitchen scraps chickens will eat, and extension.org says sour milk can be fed, so we err on the side of caution.

Kitchen scraps: The rules depend on where you live. US extension services allow small amounts of table scraps, no more than 10 percent of the daily diet (Oklahoma State). In the UK, it’s illegal to feed kitchen scraps to chickens, even pet hens (RSPCA, APHA). In the EU, Germany’s agriculture ministry (BMLEH) says kitchen and food waste must not be fed to laying hens.