My chickens go GA-GA over the barn cats' food. I have to fill their dish at night when the chickens are roosting/sleeping or they won't get any. What gets me, is the cat food is made from - CHICKEN!!!! LOLOLOLOL. But I read that it's good protein for the chickens - in the summer I guess they can get their good protein by eating the bugs and dead critters they find (yeah they fight over mice and other things that I hit with my lawn mower). I mix cat food into their feed, they LOVE it!!!
I also feed a couple handfulls of catfood now. One day it was so funny, Jack was eating out of the food dish with the cat and the cat got a little to close so Jack pecked her in the head, the next day, I threw some food out on the ground for the chickens and the cat came over and started eating the chicken food. I just about lost it. That cat was just a chowing on the chicken food with the chickens.
You shoulda seen Alex (the Chantecler) when I gave them some cauliflower! it was hilarious! he was running around the barn, trying to find a safe spot to eat it. The girls wouldn't leave him alone! It was a hoot.
Carole I love the pictures. Chickens do the funniest things. My cats try to get the chickens treats but the hens won't let them. I have a cat that pats the hens before he gets pecked. He does occassionally get the hen that turns around and pecks him on the head.
Just a thought...
If your chickens are fighting over the cat food, their protein intake may be too low. Check the sodium level in the cat food. Cats require a higher level sodium than your chickens do.
The canned is usually better (although these days, how can you tell?) and it won't cause crop impaction.