Pineapples are very sweet treats, especially for chickens, and because of this, your flock will love this fruit as a treat. Chickens can eat pineapples but should not be given to the flock in excess, and I’ll explain why in-depth, below.
Will Chickens Want to Eat Pineapples?
Yes, the inside of a pineapple has that crisp yet palatable fruit interior texture that chickens love, much like the inside of an apple or pear.
Pineapples are laden with those wonderful natural sugars, too, like candy for chickens.
The pineapple’s exterior is likely too tough for chickens to break into, meaning that you’ll need to cut or break the pineapple for them first.
It’s best to cut pineapples into pieces to ensure everyone gets a piece. But if you’re in a pinch, you can always step on the pineapple to squish it open for them.
They’ll roll it around and find ways to get a bite of every last morsel.
The Pineapple Nutrition Profile
One medium-sized pineapple (weighing 905 grams) is:
- 452 calories
- 724 grams (approximate) of water
- 119 grams of carbohydrates
- 89 grams of sugar
- 13 grams of fiber
- 1.1 grams of fat
- 5.48 grams of protein
- 5.408 grams of potassium
- 49.32 milligrams of sodium
- 434 milligrams Vitamin C
- 13.73 milligrams of Manganese
- 1.02 milligrams of Vitamin B6
- 0.54 milligrams of Iron
- 986 micrograms of Copper
The Specific Nutrition Needs of a Chicken
Nutrition Item | Amount Present in a Medium Pineapple | How Much a Chicken Needs Per Day |
Protein | 5.48 grams | 17 grams, for a light breed hen, or 23 grams for growing broilers |
Fat | 1.1 grams | 6 grams |
Fiber | 13 grams | 3 grams |
Water | 724 grams | 500 grams (a half liter, or one pint) |
Will Chickens Eat the Pineapple Skin?
Chickens will not eat the skin or rind of the pineapple if a whole pineapple is placed in their coop or run. They may peck at it a bit but will likely not be able to break into it to access the fleshy fruit inside.
If you cut the pineapple into chunks, the chickens will eat the soft interior and leave the tough exterior.
If you’re interested in encouraging your chickens to eat the ring, consider running it on a grater to break it up into small pieces. At least part of your flock will eat this, and they will get a lot of that essential fiber this way. It’s a tedious task, but you can get chickens to eat most (or all) of the full pineapple using this method.
Is It Safe for Chickens to Eat Pineapples?
Some nutrients of the pineapples are pretty dense, while other nutrients are severely lacking for the chicken’s nutritional needs. Because of this, pineapples make great treats but should never be used as the primary (or even a significant portion) of the chicken’s daily diet.
Chickens on a hypothetical pineapple-only diet would be severely lacking in fat and protein, with a surplus of sugars and fiber (if they were able to eat the rind).
Yes, a pineapple technically contains more water than a chicken needs in the day, but fruit should never ever replace a fresh supply of clean water. It can be a handy tool in the hot summer months to increase water intake, but it cannot and should not take the place of clean water.
It’s best to consider pineapple a treat that can be given periodically, but never as a meal replacer.