I remember going to weddings when I was younger, one of the best parts was getting one of those cute little netted bags that was tied with a pretty silky ribbon and contained rice. Throwing rice over the bride and groom as they ran to their waiting “Just Married” car was a much anticipated tradition at weddings. Apparently this tradition dates back to the ancient Romans. Tossing rice at the end of the wedding reception is meant to symbolize rain, which is said to be a sign of prosperity, fertility and good fortune. In more recent years, bird seed has replaced rice because some folks believed that rice was bad for birds, that if consumed the rice would mix with moisture in the birds stomach and expand and cause problems. In fact, you can still find evidence of this myth circulating on the internet today.
I have heard on several occasions that you should not give rice to chickens and I always wondered why. One of the things that I do before feeding anything to my animals is think about whether or not that food item would be available to them in their natural environment. There are many places throughout the world, even in the United States, where rice fields provide habitats for many, many bird species. Rice farmers and birds have kind of an interdependent relationship. The birds help out with the vitality of the rice fields, and in return, they get to eat rice. So, raw rice is a food that is available, eaten and enjoyed by birds throughout the world.
Also, when you look at how a bird digests their food, it’s easier to understand that it’s highly unlikely that raw rice will make it to the stomach in a form that could absorb enough liquids to expand and cause problems. Birds don’t really have a stomach like we think of in people and other animals such as horses or dogs. Birds have a crop, an expandable storage compartment, where they store food. Food particles are then released in small portions and travel to the gizzard which is an organ where food is actually broken down. The chicken consumes small pieces of rock and sand, called grit, which sit in the gizzard. These small pieces of rock which work like grinding stones, along with digestive juices and the muscular action of the gizzard, cause food to be broken down into usable particles. And a side note, if you have ever fermented food for your animals you know that there are lots of foods that expand when mixed with water, and we feed those foods to our chickens regularly.
So, it’s okay to feed your chickens rice! You can feed them cooked rice, raw rice, brown rice, white rice, short grain or long grain. The other night we had Mexican food for dinner and my husband didn’t eat all of his Spanish rice…or salad. My chickens were the benefactors of a delicious salad and rice mixed treat. When I cook up rice for dinner, I will generally cook up a little extra for my hens. Of course, my dog thinks that some of that yummy rice should be for her as well! I like to think that warm rice on a cold winter evening is appreciated by my birds. If you’re cleaning out the cupboards and you have some extra uncooked rice hanging around, feel free to share with your chickens. They will enjoy it. If you’re getting married and you want stick with tradition and have your guests shower you with rice (symbolic rain), go for it! The wild birds will benefit from the rice every bit as much as they will the birdseed.
What nutrients does rice provide? Brown rice is a little more nutritious than white rice, but both are good sources of protein and carbohydrates. Rice also contains calcium, iron, potassium and niacin, among other beneficial vitamins and minerals. As with anything, too much of a good thing, is too much, but rice, cooked or uncooked, does make a great treat for chickens.
