Can Chickens Eat Cheese?
Chickens can eat a little cheese — protein and calcium in a package their lactose tolerance can just about handle.
The why
Chickens lack much lactase, but hard aged cheeses are low-lactose and small crumbles digest fine. It's rich and salty though, so this is a pinch-sized treat, not a menu item.
How to feed it
Crumble or shred a small amount of cheddar, swiss, or similar hard cheese occasionally.
Worth knowing
Tiny portions, infrequently; skip soft fresh cheeses in quantity and anything moldy — blue cheese included.
The 90/10 rule: whatever the treat, a laying flock's diet should stay about 90% balanced feed. Treats — even the healthy ones — are the garnish, not the meal. Wondering what your flock really costs to feed? Try our free egg cost calculator.
📄 Free printable: The Chicken Never List
The 15 foods that can hurt your flock, on one page — print it, tape it inside the feed-bin lid.
Keep your whole flock on track
Homestead Paradise tracks your birds, eggs, feed costs, and health records in one place — and Harold, your homestead advisor, reads your records and tells you what he'd do next. Snap a photo of a mystery plant or bug with Harold's Eyes before it ends up in the run.
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