Can Chickens Eat Papaya (Ripe, Unripe, Skin, Seeds, Leaves)?
When it comes to colorful bursts of tropical flavors, it is hard to beat the delightful deep orange color and creamy goodness of ripe papayas. Juicy, delicious, and packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, the fleshy fruits are readily available and an excellent addition to your chicken’s menu.
Papaya is a chicken superfruit that can be offered a few times a week in addition to their staple poultry feed. They are packed with beneficial nutrients. Ripe papaya can be offered whole, sliced, or in pieces. Every part of the fruit is safe for chickens to consume, including the seeds and skin.
There is plenty of unfounded, conflicting information online about the safety of various parts of papaya fruit for chickens. Some sources claim that papaya needs to be served 5-star style to poultry, while other chicken owners simply roll an entire fruit into their coops. Let’s uncover the truth.
Can Chickens Eat Papaya?
Ripe papaya is one of the healthiest and most delicious fruits for humans and chickens. The rich, tender flesh of half a papaya contains considerably more Vitamin C than an orange, so it is highly beneficial to chickens, particularly in stressful conditions or during heatwaves.
Chickens can safely consume every part of papaya, even the leaves. Like all fruit, it must never replace their staple balanced chicken food, but it will be a welcome addition to their fresh selection.
Whole, ripe papayas are also a great way to entertain your chickens. Letting them peck their way through the thin outer flesh and work their way in can become a fun activity.
Chickens have a limited ability to taste sweetness compared to humans, so their taste experience of papaya may differ. The soft, ripe fruit’s vibrant color and juicy texture are highly appealing to them, but offering unripe papaya is not advisable.
Papayas are relatively large fruits, so the amount offered per serving should depend on the size of your flock. For example, giving only three birds an entire ripe fruit would be a recipe for gastrointestinal discomfort and some very runny chicken poop, but if more birds are sharing, it would be an ideal snack.
Since chickens aren’t fussy about the outward appearance of the fresh produce on offer, look out for papayas that have been marked down while shopping. The soft tropical fruit often becomes bruised and less appealing to human consumers, but it will still be a hit with your chickens.
If feeding ripe papaya to chicks, chop it into smaller pieces and strictly limit their intake. Also, remove the skin and seeds until they are older and more accustomed to a varied diet.
Is There A Difference Between Pawpaw and Papaya?
The terms pawpaw and papaya are often used interchangeably. Although the fruits are similar, they are not the same. Fortunately, both are perfectly safe for chickens, so whether you have a pawpaw or a papaya, you can confidently serve it to your feathered flock.
When choosing fruit, take note of the following differences to identify pawpaw and papayas correctly:
| Pawpaw | Papaya | |
| Shape | Round shape | Oval shape, more elongated-looking than round pawpaws. |
| Size | Much larger than papaya. | Medium-sized fruit. Smaller than pawpaws. |
| Color of the flesh | Yellow or light orange | Intense orange to reddish |
| Taste | Mellow taste, closer to bananas. | Much sweeter, tropical taste. |
| Climate of origin | Temperate climates | Wet, tropical regions |
Your chickens will not be able to tell pawpaw and papaya apart. Both are packed with loads of beneficial nutrients, so go ahead and choose whichever is available.
Is Papaya Good for Chickens?
Papaya is highly nutritious for both chickens and humans. However, it can never replace chicken food and must only be given occasionally in small amounts in addition to a balanced staple feed.
Besides adding variety and interest to your chickens’ diet, the most significant benefit of papaya is that it is loaded with Vitamin C. This nutrient has been found to be highly beneficial in helping chickens cope with stress, including heat stress. A chilled papaya is an ideal snack for your flock during heatwaves.
In addition to Vitamin C, ripe papaya also contains an array of other valuable vitamins that can be beneficial to chickens. Antioxidants in the fruit boost their immune system to help fight off illness and disease.
Although papaya has a naturally sweet taste and contains moderate amounts of sugar, it also contains plenty of fiber, which is not particularly useful for chickens. The high fiber content is also a good reason only to offer papayas occasionally and in moderation.
Things To Consider When Feeding Chickens With Papaya
Papaya is a super healthy fruit with plenty of benefits when offered occasionally as a treat. Although it is an excellent option to add to your chicken’s diet, there are a few things to consider:
- Check for pesticides – Unless you grow your own supply of papayas and know that it is pesticide-free, always wash the outside of the fruit before offering it to your birds.
- The fruit should also be ripe, as unripe fruit is hard and contains a chemical called salicylates, which helps to protect the green fruit against insects and disease. Although salicylates are not toxic, they can have a blood thinning effect and may cause swelling of some organs.
- When feeding small chicks, peel the fruit and remove the seeds. They can eat the seeds and skin safely when they are older, but it is best to get them used to the soft flesh first. They should also be able to swallow similar-sized grains of chicken feed before being given the fruit, complete with the seeds.
- Papaya is a juicy fruit that is loaded with fiber. It should only be given occasionally and in moderation, as too much can quickly result in diarrhea.
- Feeding whole papayas can be messy. When offering this tropical treat to a flock of chickens, it is better to cut it into pieces so that it can be more evenly distributed, and all the birds will get a share.
- Papaya should only be provided as a treat. Even though it is extremely healthy, it cannot replace a balanced chicken food, which should be the birds’ s staple.
Can Chickens Eat Papaya Seeds?
There is a lot of conflicting information online about giving your chickens papaya seeds. Some sources say you should remove the seeds before feeding this creamy tropical fruit to your chickens. This is absolutely unnecessary, and eating the seeds in moderation is exceptionally healthy for chickens.
Papaya is a fruit experience of textures and tastes that your birds will appreciate. Unless your chickens are tiny, it is entirely safe to offer them papaya fruit that includes skin, flesh, and seeds.
Papaya seeds are tiny, hard, dark-colored balls that are tiny compared to many other types of seeds that chickens eat regularly. Therefore, they are highly unlikely to be a choking hazard unless little chicks ingest them.
Chickens, like all birds, are descendants of theropod dinosaurs. Since poultry pulverizes even the hardest foods with grit in their powerful gizzards, papaya seeds are no problem for adult birds.
Papaya is a tropical fruit that is consumed by many types of birds in the wild. They eat the entire thing, seeds and all, and one does not find deceased parrots on forest floors due to eating papaya seeds. In fact, cockatiel owners know that papaya seeds are more nutritious for their birds than the fruit’s flesh.
It is, however, best to always err on the side of caution with your chickens. If you would prefer to scoop the seeds out before offering fruit to your birds, they will be none the wiser and still get the nutritional benefits from the fruit.
Can Chickens Eat Papaya Skin?
Chickens will make short work of papaya skin if it is offered as part of an entire fruit. There is no need to peel ripe papayas before feeding them to your flock. They may peck out the ripe flesh and leave the skin, but they will likely eat the entire fruit.
Papaya skin is a rich source of nutrients and contains potassium and protein. The thin skin is exceptionally high in fiber which can cause runny poop, but it is okay if fed in moderation.
Can Chickens Eat Unripe Papaya?
Unripe papaya is not toxic but less beneficial to chickens than ripe, deep orange fleshy fruit. Unripe papaya contains an anti-inflammatory, blood-thinning chemical called salicylates. Fortunately, ripening papayas is simple, and your hens will only need to wait a few days to enjoy juicy, safe, buttery papaya.
Although there is some controversy about the effect of salicylates from chickens getting passed through to the meat or eggs, the impact has been shown to be negligible. So, while unripe papaya is not ideal for your chickens, it won’t kill them.
How To Ripen Papaya?
If you have unripe papayas you want to offer your chickens. It is easy to transform them from hard and green to ripe and ready. All you need is a paper bag and a few days.
To ripen papayas, place the hard fruit in a paper bag and close it at the top. It will take a few days to soften and become orange, so check it after two to three days and leave it longer if it isn’t quite ready yet. Add a banana to the bag to speed things up.
Can Chicken Eat Papaya Leaves?
Papaya leaves aren’t usually a regular item on most chickens’ menus. If you have your papaya trees, you may be surprised to learn that young leaves fed in moderation are surprisingly healthy. Several studies have reported positive results from birds that regularly eat papaya leaves in addition to their staple diet.
It is perfectly safe to offer papaya leaves to your flock, and you can even hang them overhead for the birds to peck at. A swinging bunch of fresh green leaves makes a great homemade toy for rainy days.
Conclusion
There is no need to keep all the delicious tropical papayas to yourself, as every part of the fruit is safe to share with your chickens. Like all fruit, it should only be offered occasionally and in moderation. Our feathered friends can become a bit overenthusiastic, and consuming too much of the fiber-rich, watery fruit can upset the intestinal flora of chickens.
References
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/can-i-give-papaya-seeds-to-my-chickens.248006/
https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=4523
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1056617119306038#