Can Chickens Eat Rice? Is it Safe?

Ask any given person if it is safe to feed rice to a chicken (or any bird), and you’ll probably get some wildly varying answers in very short order.

Many, no doubt, will claim that rice is deadly to birds because it will swell up in their stomach and rupture their intestines, killing them horribly. It sounds dreadful, but is that really the case? Is rice safe for chickens?

Yes, rice is actually safe for chickens. Raw or cooked, rice is nutritious, but it’s prone to making chickens gain weight if they eat too much of it. Fed sparingly, it is a good supplement or treat for chickens.

The good news is that the old urban legend about rice making chickens, or other birds, explode if they eat it is just not true.

That’s a relief! That being said, you can’t feed it to your chickens all the time because it can cause other health problems, and definitely make them gain weight.

But this isn’t a big deal if you use a little restraint when giving it to them, and rice contains many important vitamins and minerals that chickens need.

I’ll tell you more about responsibly feeding rice to your chickens below…

What Benefits Does Rice Have for Chickens?

Rice has several genuine health benefits for chickens, aside from being a calorie-dense supplement or treat.

The vitamins and minerals in rice are used in all sorts of bodily processes, from the maintenance of cellular processes and overall organ health to the regulation of metabolism, bone growth, red blood cell production and circulatory health… and a lot more.

Truly, so long as it is fed sparingly, rice is a great nutritional supplement that will help your birds stay strong and healthy.

But more than this, rice is a great source of energy. This is mostly because it is dense in carbohydrates, and this can help your birds cope with injury or stress and also help them keep warm when the mercury plunges.

In fact, rice is commonly given in the winter time as a warming feed to help keep chickens’ metabolisms running high and thus keeping the birds warm.

Rice Nutritional Info

The only reason rice is so beneficial to chickens is because it has such a well-rounded profile of nutrients to offer…

Rice is very heavy with several essential minerals, including phosphorus, selenium, magnesium and manganese along with a good amount of zinc, potassium, calcium and iron. Each and every one of these is essential for chickens.

Also essential for chickens are the vitamins found in rice. Predominantly, this is a huge assortment of the B complex vitamins, namely thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and niacin, the latter of which is particularly abundant.

Rice also contains a little bit of vitamin E, and vitamin K in the bargain.

Rice also contains a surprising amount of protein, making it a good source of long-lasting energy for chickens, and also important for muscular growth and repair.

Though you generally don’t want rice to be the primary component of a chicken’s diet, you can do a lot worse when it comes to supplements or treats!

Is Rice Safe for Chickens Raw?

Yes, it is. Really! Contrary to the legends that have persisted since who-knows-how-long, raw rice is safe for chickens.

Rice will not swell up in a chicken’s stomach and make them explode. It won’t rupture their intestines.

There is no crazy reaction that happens to raw rice after it is eaten by a bird. It is all malarkey. And chickens are well equipped to break down rice in their gizzards, so it does not stop up their digestive tract- assuming the bird is healthy to begin with, of course!

That being said, it is important to note that chickens are highly divided when it comes to the appeal of raw rice, in my experience.

I’ve noticed that some chickens, more than you think, seem to shun the stuff. Others will happily eat it when you toss it to them. It just depends.

Seems that chickens are more individual than we might think, eh?

Chickens eat rice

Can You Cook Rice to Give it To Chickens?

Yes, and cooking rice is a good idea if you want to give it to your chickens. Cooking softens rice, it makes it more appealing to most of them, and also makes the nutrients more available upon digestion.

Cooking also lets you do more when serving the rice, such as mixing it with other foods or even their usual feed if you want to bulk it up a bit.

Is Brown Rice Safe?

Yes, brown rice is 100% safe for chickens. Brown rice also happens to be the most nutritious type of rice to give your chickens, as it contains more nutrients than white rice, and more fiber.

Is White Rice Safe?

Yes. White rice is likewise totally safe for chickens, and though it is not as nutritionally dense as brown rice, it nevertheless offers plenty of vitamins and minerals and also energy to help keep your birds peppy.

Is Flavored Rice Safe?

No. Flavored rice mixes, raw or cooked, are not safe for birds. Things that you and me eat without issue can cause serious digestive upset in chickens, or potentially fatal health issues.

So steer clear of flavored rice mixes for your flock, no exceptions! I’ll talk more about the issues associated with these ingredients in just a bit…

Is Rice Still Safe for Chicks?

Yes, so long as they are allowed to reach about 6 weeks of age, and consider grinding or chopping the rice to help them out.

Rice is nominally safe for baby chicks, but the problem is that rice is not nutritionally complete and is also highly fattening and filling at a time when the rapidly growing babies need maximum nutrition.

Chicks are also notoriously delicate eaters, and rice can be hard to digest until the birds are a bit older. As such, I suggest you wait until your chicks are headed into adolescence before introducing them to rice.

How Frequently Can Rice be Fed to Chickens?

So we learned that rice is a healthy source of energy for chickens, and totally safe. Can they have it any time, then? No.

Rice should be used as a supplement or treat only. You don’t want to end up feeding your chickens so much rice that you start prompting weight gain.

Plus, rice doesn’t have all the essential minerals and vitamins chickens need, and it can lead to deficiencies if fed too often.

Chickens should live on a diet consisting primarily of chicken feed, with about 90% of their calories coming from it. The remainder can be made up of various other wholesome foods, of which rice should only be a part.

What’s the Best Way to Serve Rice to Your Flock?

The very best way to give rice to your flock is to cook it, then drain it well, and let it dry slightly. Remember that moist food can be tricky for chickens.

Either let them eat the rice from their usual container or other feed spot, or mix it together with other safe foods to form a sort of casserole for them.

As an alternative, you can scatter raw rice, and let your chickens peck for it (if they like it).

Rice Is Safe, But Only Safe By Itself: No People Food!

Back to the topic of flavored rice mixes and other preparations. Never, ever give this stuff to your chickens.

High concentrations of preservatives and ingredients like salt, oil, sugar, and cheese can be seriously toxic to chickens.

Don’t feed these packaged mixes or leftovers from your favorite risotto to your flock! So as long as you’re sticking with plain rice and other wholesome foods, your flock should stay healthy.

Don’t Leave Rice Lying Around the Run or Coop

Just what it said: you wouldn’t think rice, especially raw rice, could cause problems if you leave it lying out after feeding your chickens, but it can: It will attract rodents, and is highly likely to host harmful bacteria as it decays.

Save your birds from both bad outcomes by cleaning up when they are done!