You’ve just had a pond built and you want to give your chickens the best food possible. Good for you! We all want the best for our chickens. Consequently, you’re asking yourself if your chickens can eat algae.
It is certainly conceivable to feed your chickens with algae. Chances are you are already feeding them with the chicken feed that is specifically made to accommodate for chickens’ dietary needs.
Algae can be a great food source for many fowl. Chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese are all candidates for an algae meal plan.
What is Algae?
Algae is a form of organism that thrives in water and doesn’t need sunlight to live. It’s actually a very important part of the food chain because it provides energy for animals like krill and plankton.
Algae can be found in oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, and even on land in places like gardens or farms. There are thousands of different types of algae! Algae come in many different colors too—everything from bright green to deep purple to brown or black. Some kinds of algae are even translucent so you can see through them!
Some people use algae as food—for example, seaweed is a type of algae that people eat in Japan! But lots of other types are considered harmful because they produce toxins when they break down under certain conditions (like when there’s too much pollution).
Is algae damaging to chickens?
Algae is a natural substance found in almost all bodies of water as a result of photosynthesis or other processes in which simple compounds are converted into cellular respiration.
Algae are not harmful to chickens. In fact, algae are actually good for chickens.
According to The Poultry Department of the University of Maryland in their study of dried Chlorella pyrenoidosa, it was found to be a rich nutrient source that could be substituted into the diet of chickens.
Many people who have chickens in their backyard avoid letting them eat algae because they think it will make their chickens sick.
However, this preconceived notion is not true and there are numerous ways in which algae can benefit your chickens.
Conclusion
All in all, chickens are really good at eating things we do not want in our environment. The best thing about them is the recycling of their waste, since the chickens will eat anything, and some of what they leave behind can be used as other fertilizers for other plants.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algophagy
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/can-chickens-eat-algae.1518849/page-2
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Shannon Stansberry has been engaged in the business of raising chickens for more than 12 years. In 2016, she accomplished the Agriculture & Natural Resources program at Mt. San Antonio College. At present, she tends to more than 80 chickens on her 4-hectare farm. Shannon regularly shares her insights and experience on how to raise healthy and contented chickens on the platform Typesofchickens.com
