Can Chickens Eat Rhubarb?

No — rhubarb, especially the leaves, contains oxalic acid at toxic levels.

Reviewed against extension and veterinary guidance · Last reviewed July 2026

Verdict

Do not feed

⚠ Leaves contain toxic levels of oxalic acid — can cause kidney damage and death. Never feed.

The details

Rhubarb leaves contain high concentrations of oxalic acid, which is toxic and can cause tremors, kidney damage, and death. The stalks are lower in oxalic acid but still not worth the risk for chickens, and frost-damaged rhubarb is especially dangerous.

How to serve it

Never feed rhubarb leaves, and keep the flock out of the rhubarb patch.

Treat rules that apply to everything

Whatever you're feeding, the 90/10 rule is the one to remember: at least 90% of a hen's intake should be balanced layer feed, and no more than about 10% treats and scraps. Layer feed is formulated to deliver the protein and calcium that eggshells and feathers are built from — pile on the treats and you dilute it, which shows up as thin shells and a slowed-down lay.

That is a stricter limit than it sounds. Ten percent of a dozen hens' daily feed is only about 4.8 oz of treats — for all twelve birds combined, not each. Work out the limit for your own flock with the chicken treat calculator.

Chickens have no teeth: they grind food in the gizzard using grit. Birds that free-range pick up their own, but a confined flock needs insoluble grit available whenever they eat anything beyond feed. Introduce any new food in a small amount and watch the flock for a day — droppings are the quickest tell that something didn't agree with them.

Two rules that override everything else: never feed anything mouldy, since some moulds produce mycotoxins that can kill a bird, and never feed heavily salted, sugary, or processed human food. If you wouldn't eat it, it doesn't go in the run.

Frequently asked questions

Can chickens eat rhubarb?
No — rhubarb, especially the leaves, contains oxalic acid at toxic levels. Rhubarb leaves contain high concentrations of oxalic acid, which is toxic and can cause tremors, kidney damage, and death. The stalks are lower in oxalic acid but still not worth the risk for chickens, and frost-damaged rhubarb is especially dangerous.
How should I feed rhubarb to chickens?
Never feed rhubarb leaves, and keep the flock out of the rhubarb patch.
Can baby chicks eat rhubarb?
No. Rhubarb is unsafe for grown hens, and the risk is worse for chicks — the same dose goes much further in a much smaller bird. Keep it away from the brooder entirely.
How much of a chicken's diet can treats be?
Follow the 90/10 rule: at least 90% of what a chicken eats should be balanced layer feed, with treats and kitchen scraps making up no more than about 10%. The feed carries the protein, calcium, and micronutrients that keep hens laying — treats dilute all of that if they take over.

Can chickens eat…?

Sources

Verdicts follow established poultry nutrition and veterinary toxicology — the toxic compounds named on these pages (persin, theobromine, solanine, thiosulphate, phytohaemagglutinin, oxalic acid) are documented, not folklore. Last reviewed July 2026.