Can chickens eat sunflower seeds?
Yes, but only a little: chickens can eat sunflower seeds. Colorado State University Extension suggests growing sunflowers for your flock: leave the seeds whole and remove them from the head. Like all grains, they count toward the 10 percent limit for treats (Oklahoma State).
How to serve it: a few seeds, unsalted
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
- Colorado State University Extension – Raising Poultry the Organic Way: Disease Control and Feeding
- RSPCA Australia – How can I use environmental enrichment for my chickens?
- Oklahoma State University Extension – Backyard Flock Production (AFS-8202)
- UF/IFAS Extension – AN239: Raising Backyard Chickens for Eggs
- 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