Can Chickens Eat Celery?

You might not know when looking at celery that it’s related to carrots or parsnips. These vegetables form part of the family Apiaceae, known as the parsley family, and celery was used in ancient medicine by the Chinese and for flavor by ancient Greeks. Today, we use it in various dishes. Can chickens eat celery?

Chickens can eat celery. Celery is a source of many antioxidants, which plays an essential part in stopping free radicals causing damage to cells. Celery contains a healthy mix of essential minerals and vitamins, which will increase the health of your chicken flock when fed as an occasional treat.

Celery has many uses; you will find it in salads, casseroles, stocks, and soups. Many health-conscious individuals eat it raw with accompanying dips and spreads. Celery is believed to contain many nutritional elements and is known to help with the consumer’s cardiovascular and digestive systems.

Chickens can eat celery. Not all chickens will eat celery, though, due to some being fussy eaters when it comes to food that reminds them of the nightshade family, but most will give it a go when chopped into edible chunks mixed in with their normal feed.

If you find that your chickens go crazy for celery, remember not to overfeed it to them as they might stop eating their regular feed, which includes crumbles and pellets. Monitor the response to celery and feed it occasionally rather than daily.

Celery comprises fiber, water, and a host of micronutrients, which add nutritional value when part of a balanced diet for chickens and humans.

Is Celery Healthy for Chickens?

As a snack or part of a salad or soup, celery is a healthy add-on to any balanced diet. When you add celery to the diet of your chickens, you are essentially exposing them to the following nutritional elements:

Antioxidants – Celery contains plant compounds such as luteolin, selinene, limonene, apigenin, and kaempferol. These elements band together, prevent free radicals (unstable molecules) from damaging cells, and play an important part in the body’s natural processes.
Vitamin A and C– The combination of vitamins is known to help with eyesight by lowering the risk of cataracts and keeping skin and tissues healthy. Vitamin C is known to help reduce the risk of various cancers and helps produce collagen, which is the connective tissue that binds together wounds and blood vessel walls, as well as helping to make serotonin.
Vitamin K – Helps with the activation of calcium and proteins vital to blood clotting.
Riboflavin – Riboflavin helps turn food into energy and does wonders to promote healthy hair, blood, skin, and brain.
Calcium – Good for chicken bones and helps with muscle relaxation and nerve impulse transmission. Calcium plays a vital role in the activation of enzymes and assists with healthy blood pressure levels. Celery is good for laying hens requiring a little extra calcium in their diets.
Vitamin B6 – Helps in the production process of red blood cells and converts tryptophan (essential amino acid) into serotonin (neurotransmitter), which assists with moods, appetite, and sleep.
Pantothenic Acid – Assists with energy release and blood cell production while also supporting normal brain function through support of the structure of brain cells. Pantothenic acid is good for the skin and reduces the risk of infections.
Magnesium – Works closely with calcium to build strong bones and teeth and helps in the regulation of blood pressure. Magnesium is required to help with various chemical reactions in the body.
Folate – Essential role-player in the creation of new cells. Folate helps reduce the risk of heart disease and can help lower homocysteine levels in the body. High levels of homocysteine increase the chance of stroke, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
Potassium – Helps to balance bodily fluids and to send nerve impulses. Potassium lowers blood pressure and assists in maintaining a regular heartbeat.
Manganese – Helps with the metabolization of carbohydrates, amino acids, and cholesterol.
Sodium – Celery offers the consumer natural sodium, which helps to balance fluid in the body and assists in the sending of nerve impulses and muscle contractions. Celery does not contain a massive amount of sodium, which is known to impact blood pressure in high amounts.

Celery is low in calories and carbohydrates and mostly consists of fiber and small amounts of the above elements.

On its own, celery will not offer your chickens the nutritional values they require. A chicken diet should consist of 90% commercial chicken feed and 10% treats (fruit, vegetables, and other non-poultry food sources).

Adding celery to your chickens’ diet by feeding it as a treat now and again will enhance the flock’s overall health. Sharing it in moderate portions should not negatively affect your feathery friends.

What Parts of Celery Can Chickens Eat?

When feeding chickens treats in addition to commercial chicken feed, you should always feed them foods you consume yourself regarding freshness.

It’s been confirmed over the centuries that all parts of celery can be eaten, which includes the following:

Aromatic seeds
Bulbous roots
Green leaves (contain the most potassium, vitamin C, and calcium)
Crisp stalks

You can feed the whole plant to your chickens in edible portions, of course; look out for wilted and blemished parts and remove them from the feeding tray.

When feeding celery to your chickens, be mindful of the following:

Freshness of the celery: Feed fresh celery to your chickens. Moldy or wilted celery can contain toxins that will negatively affect the flock.
Chopped celery is best: Toothless chickens will struggle to eat stringy celery if not cut into small edible chunks. Long celery strands can be problematic when they eat and digest the vegetable. Diced and chopped celery, mixed with grit, will pose no problems to a chicken.

Conclusion

Celery is good for chickens when fed in moderation and as a snack on top of their main diet, which should consist of mostly commercial chicken feed formulated to be the healthiest food source for a chicken flock.

Celery contains water, fiber, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins and is a delicious healthy snack loved worldwide. The nutritional benefits will only enhance the health of the chicken flock, but be sure to present celery in diced or chopped form so that the chickens can consume it easily.

References

Can Chickens Eat Celery? All You Need To Know | BackYard Chickens – Learn How to Raise Chickens

Celery Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits (verywellfit.com)