Can chickens eat kale?
Yes, chickens can eat kale in small amounts. The RSPCA suggests kale as a healthy treat for chickens, and RSPCA Australia lists it among leafy greens you can hang up for them to peck at.
How to serve it: hung up, as whole leaves
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.
Sources
- RSPCA NextGen – How to look after chickens
- RSPCA Australia – How can I use environmental enrichment for my chickens?
- Oklahoma State University Extension – Backyard Flock Production (AFS-8202)
- RSPCA – Keeping chickens as pets: how to care for backyard hens
- APHA (GOV.UK) – APHA warns not to feed kitchen scraps to farm animals because of disease risk (2017)
- BMLEH (German Federal Ministry of Agriculture) – Animal feed: frequently asked questions (kitchen and food waste, in German)
Last checked: November 2026