Can Chickens Eat Tomatoes? Yes, But Not the Green Parts
By ChickenGearGuide · Updated September 2026
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Quick Take
Yes, chickens can eat ripe red tomatoes safely, but keep them away from the green parts of the plant.
Green fruit and all the leaves and vines carry solanine and are off-limits. Ripe tomatoes stay a treat, so keep them inside the ten percent of the diet reserved for treats.
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Tomatoes are one of the more confusing foods in the coop: the ripe fruit is a favorite treat, yet the plant it grows on is mildly toxic. Here's how to tell the safe part from the risky one.
Can chickens eat tomatoes? The short answer
Yes, chickens can eat ripe red tomatoes safely, but keep them away from the green parts of the plant.
The safe parts: the ripe red flesh, including the skin and seeds of a fully ripened tomato.
What to avoid: green or unripe fruit, plus all leaves, stems and vines, which carry solanine, the glycoalkaloid toxin concentrated in nightshade foliage.
Is tomatoes good for chickens?
Ripe tomatoes are rich in vitamins A, C and K plus the antioxidant lycopene, which supports immune health and overall condition. The flesh is also high in water, so it doubles as a mild hydrating treat in summer.
How to feed tomatoes to your flock
Offer only fully red, ripe tomatoes, chopped or halved so birds can peck the flesh. Cherry tomatoes can be cut in half, and a split tomato hung in the run makes a good boredom-buster. Never toss whole vines, prunings or unripe green fruit to the flock.
Keep all treats, tomatoes included, to no more than about ten percent of the daily diet; a few cherry tomatoes or a couple of slices per bird a few times a week is plenty.
What to watch out for
The solanine in ripe red flesh is negligible and harmless, but green tomatoes, leaves and stems can cause solanine toxicity, with digestive upset, diarrhea and lethargy. Chickens usually avoid the bitter foliage on their own, but don't hand-feed it.
Tomatoes aren't a priority food for young chicks. Wait until they're a few weeks old and eating treats, offer only ripe flesh in tiny amounts, and make sure they have grit.
We couldn't pin down an exact safe treat amount for tomatoes in the sources, so treat the portions here as guidance rather than hard limits.
More foods chickens can and can't eat
More foods chickens can (and can't) eat: watermelon · bananas · grapes. Or see our full safe and toxic foods list.
For how the whole diet fits together, feed, grit, oyster shell and water, see our what do chickens eat feeding guide, and for the protein that matters most in a molt, our molt and cold-weather notes.
Tomatoes: common questions
Can chickens eat tomato leaves and vines?
No. Tomato leaves, stems and vines are part of the nightshade plant and hold the highest solanine levels, so keep prunings and plant waste away from the flock.
Can chickens eat cherry tomatoes?
Yes, ripe cherry tomatoes are fine as an occasional treat. Halve the larger ones so they're easy to peck, and only offer fully red fruit, not green ones.
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