Are you keen on finding the right answer to the question as to whether chickens eat papaya? If yes, then you are in the right place. We will try to answer this question that often bothers scores of people who have chicken coops in their homes or on their farms.
So, can chickens eat papaya? Yes, chickens do like papaya. It is considered to be one of the best fruits for them. This is because it is rich in many useful vitamins, minerals apart from being a good source of different types of antioxidants.
However, making papaya alone the main source of food may not be the right way forward. It can be used with other quality commercial feeds. These include grains, other fruits, vegetables, and some different types of scraps and crumbs.
A combination of these foods along with papaya can help to keep our chickens healthy at all points in time.
Why should chickens be encouraged to eat papaya?
There are a number of reasons why chickens should be made to eat papaya regularly. To begin with, chickens love the taste and would not mind devouring them.
As mentioned earlier, papaya is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and other antioxidants, and this works extremely well on the chickens, provided they are given in the right quantity.
As mentioned above, since papayas are tasty, the chickens often have the tendency of overeating them. Therefore, you must be careful that you only give it to them in the right quantities and at the right frequencies.
There are also many health benefits if you could regularly feed your chicken papaya. Papaya can help quite a bit in reducing and controlling worm problems in these birds. This is not based on hearsays or opinions. There are many studies to prove this.
They go to prove that papaya can help quite a bit in your deworming effort. Regular feeding of your chicken with this fruit may help in bringing down around 78% reduction in eggs, per each gram of dropping of chickens. It compares very well with other medicines, and therefore it is a safe and sure way of treating your chicken if it suffers from worming problems.
It also is known to be an effective and safe antibacterial. Papaya fruit could help in treating a wide range of bacterial infections such as Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia Coli, Pseudomonas Aeuroiginosa, and Salmonella Aureus.
It also works extremely well for the control of different types of coccidiosis. Again, this is based on some studies that have been done in some African countries, including Uganda. The research has pointed out that it could bring down the levels of coccidiosis by as much as 50% to 60% in chickens.
A great antifungal: There is no doubt that chickens often suffer from fungal infections, especially if the surrounding is not clean and hygienic.
Though there are different types of infections that it may suffer from Candida Albicans is the most common one. It is a yeast-like fungus and it could not only impact chickens but also could lead to crop loss or make crops to become sour.
Papaya also works extremely well as an antiviral. Papaya, when it is given to chickens regularly, could help in bringing down the symptoms associated with viral fever.
It could be given in the raw form or it could be in the form of a decoction or in the form of a cold-water extract. However, it has to be prepared properly, and only the edible parts of the papaya tree should be used.
How should you feed papaya fruit to your chickens?
You have many ways to feed papaya fruit to your chicken. Make sure that the papaya is ripe and eatable. You can slice it into tiny pieces and feed it to the chickens.
You can be sure that they will relish it. Alternately, you also can make a decoction or syrup out of it and feed them. This is suitable for those chickens who, at times, may desist from eating the fruits. You also can add cold water and then feed it.
Are all parts of the papaya fruit edible for chickens?
As human beings, we do not eat certain parts of fruits. In the same way, it would be a good idea to check out on the various parts of the papaya tree and fruit before feeding them to your chickens.
The flesh of the papaya fruit is fine with these birds. However, the skin and seeds are not good. In fact, the skin of the papaya fruit is considered toxic. You must, therefore, remove them properly before you feed it to the birds.
However, there are some differing opinions as far as the seeds are concerned and the leaves of the papaya plant.
Some people believe that small quantities of seeds of the papaya fruit are not bad. However, the opinions are still divided, and it would be advisable to stay away from it till there are more conclusive studies on the feeding of seeds and leaves of the papaya tree.
The safest way is to ensure that the seeds are scooped out. It is not at all difficult to do it. Once it has been done, you can feed it any way you find it suitable.
Stay away from leaves till such times you are double sure about it. The leaves are toxic according to many studies, and therefore, it would be better to stay away from it. Be sure that even if you are making mistakes, you are on the side of caution instead of putting the lives and health of the chickens.
Few interesting questions
Is there anything good about dried papaya? Dried payable is being tried out in many countries and regions as an additional food supplement on chickens. It is considered a good source of high-quality vitamins, minerals, and other such ingredients.
Can it be combined with other foods? There is nothing that stops you from mixing papaya fruits with other food items until it is liked by the chickens and does not hamper the intake of other vital macronutrients.
Conclusion
Almost all farms can quickly grow papayas. Apart from being a good cash crop, it also can be used as a feed for chickens because of the various benefits that are associated with it. However, you must limit the quantity and ensure that you do not compromise on the quality and quantity of other major feeds such as grains and so on.