When you’re enjoying a mouthful of succulent and sweet mango you may be wondering if your chicken would like it as much as you do. Or maybe you’ve simply come into a lot of mangos that you’re just not sure what to do with.

The truth is, chickens can eat mango, and as it turns out, it’s actually a perfectly healthy and nutritious treat to give your chickens on a semi-regular basis. Chickens can even eat mango skin, but will generally avoid it if they’ve got better options. Just remember to take off the leaves as they can be toxic to chickens in high doses.

Here’s everything you need to know when feeding your chickens mango. 

Can Chickens Eat Mango?

Mangoes are one of those super-healthy fruits that are packed with vitamins, sugars, minerals, and plenty of antioxidants. 

Although chickens can eat mangos, they tend to prefer when they’re ripe — just like we do! Otherwise, unripe mango isn’t as soft, and they’re more sour than sweet. But, if they are ripe or ripe enough, your mango will be a perfectly safe and healthy treat for them to enjoy. 

Mango contains Vitamins A, B5, B6, C, K, and E. It also has a good level of potassium and magnesium, and fiber to keep your chickens regular. All of these benefit the chicken’s health, and overall will help protect the chicken’s heart, lungs, kidneys, immune systems, and bone strength. A lot that comes from a humble mango.

But, just like any fruit or vegetable, they should be used only as a treat and not a substitute for a balanced chicken feed. 

Can Chickens Eat Mango Skins?

The natural scavengers that they are, chickens are always eager to peck away at anything, including sweet treats. But can chickens eat mango skins, though? Is it safe for them and is it even healthy?

As a matter of fact, chickens can eat mango skins, and they’re pretty high in fiber, contain even more nutrients, and have stronger antioxidants than the fruit itself.  Provided they’re given in moderation, mango peel or skin is generally very healthy for chickens.

Mango skins do contain a small amount of urushiol, which can cause allergic reactions and skin issues in some chickens. But, at such low doses and because of how uncommon severe reactions are, the urushiol isn’t much of a concern.

Just start with a small amount of mango, to begin with, and observe any reactions on the face or beak. If your mango hasn’t been grown organically in your backyard then always be sure to wash it thoroughly to remove any lingering pesticides. 

Can Chickens Eat Mango Leaves?

The only part of the mango the chickens can’t eat is the leaves. Chickens usually do a good job at avoiding foods that aren’t good for them. But, mango leaves, because of their high doses of an oily substance called urushiol, are actually toxic for chickens.

If your chicken has accidentally eaten some of a mango leaf, don’t stress, they will normally be fine if they haven’t consumed too much or don’t have an allergic reaction to it. But, it is a risk to be aware of.

Is Mango Healthy for Chickens?

It’s important to ensure your chickens have a well-balanced diet, for their overall health, wellbeing, and to help their egg production. In fact, the quality of a chicken’s egg is directly related to their diet.

The good news is, mangoes and even their skins are packed with nutrients and are a great addition to your chicken‘s treats rotation.

Amongst so many other properties, mangoes contain:

• Vitamin A: Keeps the chicken’s heart, lungs, and kidneys healthy.
• Vitamins B5, B6: Promote healthy blood vessels, nerves, and immune systems.
• Vitamins C, K: Help with the absorption of iron, immune system, wound healing, and healthy cartilage and bone mineralization.
• Vitamin E: Supports the immune system and helps cells regenerate.
• Potassium: Helps regulate fluid balance, muscle contractions, and nerve signals.
• Magnesium: Promotes heart health, muscle function, and bone strength.
• Fiber: Helps keep chickens full and aids their digestion.

How Often Should Chickens Eat Mango?

While your chickens can get a fully balanced diet simply by eating a good quality chicken feed, providing fruit, vegetables, or seeds to your chickens as a treat can be beneficial for their health. A variation in their diet will provide boosts of that specific nutrient, like omega-3 in flax seeds, high protein in game bird feed, or a range of vitamins for mangos for example.

When it comes to how much and how often you should feed your chickens mango, just like with any type of treat or table scrap, it’s best to always be conservative. Although a small amount of mango could be healthy every day for your chickens, I would stick to once or twice a week in normal amounts.

After all, fresh fruit and vegetables, seeds, and other table scraps should be considered a treat for your chickens, and shouldn’t constitute more than about 10-15% of your chicken’s daily diet.  So although mangos, beets, melons, apples, berries, eggplant, etc. are all packed with tons of nutrients, a balanced approach is best.

Mangoes are on the high-end of sugar content. Sure, a little sugar will boost chickens’ energy, but it’s best to give them mangoes in small quantities. Too much sugar could lead them to become overweight and unhealthy, which, in turn, will lead to a drop in their egg production and wellbeing.

Things to Remember When Feeding Mangoes to Your Chickens

Mango skins and leaves contain a compound called urushiol, the same substance found in poison ivy. This may cause an allergic reaction to some chickens, and in high amounts can cause skin issues and other complications.

For this reason, always avoid feeding your chickens the mango leaves as it contains high amounts of urushiol. Mango skins contain much less, so just as a precaution feed your chickens a small amount to begin with and watch for any reactions, especially skin allergies around their mouths. 

Always choose soft, ripe mangoes, whose flesh and skins will be tasty and easy for the chickens to eat and digest. If the mangoes are unripe, their skins may taste too sour or bitter, but the chickens will simply avoid the skin at this point.

If your mangoes are store-bought, always give them a scrub to wash away any pesticide residue on their skins. It’s a plus if the mangoes are organically grown so you won’t need to worry about this.

Chickens can eat the mango pits too but tend to only do so on unripe mangoes since they’re soft. They may even be beneficial for your chicken’s health, but it’s certainly not unsafe.

When you’re feeding your chickens mango, you can choose to simply cut it in half or quarters. Just be sure to cut it open for your chickens so they can go straight for the flesh. A sliced mango is easier and better than a whole mango for your chooks.

In A Nutshell

So, chickens can eat mango and it’s certainly a very healthy treat to add to their rotation. Chickens can even eat mango skin if it’s ripe, and it will provide the same great nutrients.

Just be sure to remove any mango leaves before starting the chicken feeding frenzy, as it contains high amounts of urushiol which can cause allergies and complications.