Feeding fish to chickens

[feathersnuggles]

I feed a LOT of fish to my adult chickens. Bones and everything. Cooked and raw. They don't have any problems with it. They eat the fish guts & fish heads, too.

ETA: mine won't eat the spine and large bones - but they'll pick everything off them. The small bones, they polish off. Small fish bones are actually pretty easy to digest. I eat them, too.

 

[alpinefarm]

Quote:
I do too. My husband fly-fishes trout and brings home a few each time for the flock. I give them raw and the chickens eat them entirely, fins, bones, and especially love the roe. Except they don't do much with the heads except pick out the eyes.

I've understood that raw bones are best, actually, as they are flexible still. If you cook them, they splinter more easily. But I also feed cooked fish from the table, bones and all, and not had problems with it.

 

[Hozer]

We go over to my buddies yard to fillet our salmon and just pitch the frames (carcases) out in his yard for his chickens. He has never had a problem and they do pretty short work of them.

 

[ChickenEllis]

thanks for all your replies. i have watched in horror as my chickens ate all kinds of things (soda poptops, rubber bands) that i was sure would kill them. they are all still fine.

i will bring back a small perch next time i go out.

 

[thechickenchick]

I have to agree with those that say it is fine. Like feathersnuggles I have fed it to them both ways but always with the bones. They seemed to like it better when I boiled it first. I had a freezer full of trout from the previous year and thought I would give it a try. They ate the bones and all when it was cooked. Didn't make the house smell to great but they enjoyed it.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Ms~Silkie~Girl :

you can't feed chickens bones, or raw meat.

Yes you can feed raw meat!!!
We do it all the time.
THey are birds of prey, and carnivores to boot.​

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

We feed all our raw salmon carcasses, plus any other types, to our chickens.
As long as we do not feed them piles of it, it will not taint the egg flavor.
Its excellent protein, and shouldbe fed raw, although cooked scraps are just fine as well.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Quote:
My birds LOVE love love very fresh raw fish. -- emphasis on very fresh. However, once it's been frozen for some time (or even worse, freezer-burnt) they don't relish it nearly as much raw, but they still love it cooked.

 

[SallyF]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I now know what to do with freezer-burned fish!

 

[team guava pastry]

Well I've created a monster, actually 3 monsters. Have to clean our catch up a little higher these days. The girls love raw fish/lobster meat.

We've had to run after them after they stole a filet and run across the yard with it.

A little isn't bad for them.

TGP