fish-how do you feed chickens fish

[Time-Out]

Mine turn their beaks up at fish, so I end up throwing it away anyway. I have fussy chickens lol

 

[AlaskaChicks]

I have fussy chickens lol

haha

 

[daniefon]

I had a couple of sick birds, while I was treating them, I gave them extra nutritious treats. I tried sardines and they went crazy. I did but bOnless because I wasn't sure. However, I'd like for them to get the extra calcium next time. Are the bOnes soft enough and safe for them? I also found low sodium and rinsed them too. I tried low sodium tuna, which they all loved.
They're all healthy now and will be laying in a few weeks, I'd love to give them calcium and omega 3s in a treat that they love.
So all that just to ask about bones!

 

[centrarchid]

With marine fishes is applied raw or cooked, preferably with skin and viscera included. With freshwater fish that might otherwise be eaten by birds, those are cooked but also when possible with skin and viscera on.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

With marine fishes is applied raw or cooked, preferably with skin and viscera included. With freshwater fish that might otherwise be eaten by birds, those are cooked but also when possible with skin and viscera on.

Could you clarify? Are you saying that freshwater fish should be cooked for the chickens but not saltwater fish?

 

[centrarchid]

Could you clarify? Are you saying that freshwater fish should be cooked for the chickens but not saltwater fish?

I am concerned about potential transmission of trematodes that normally use birds like herons, black birds and robins as host. It is not known to me whether such are a risk to chickens, but in other instances where a given species is fed something that is an intermediate host to a parasite that another species has no experience with, the new host can be more vulnerable than the typical host species. Sometimes the vulnerability difference can mean life with minimal impact to death.

 

[Chambertin]

Probably due to parasites.
I know many more freshwater fish that carry little bugs and bits when compared saltwater ones. However that doesn’t mean everything from the ocean is clean. The smaller the tank (lake, pond, etc.) the more likely that something bad can be spread. Ocean > Lake and usually much safer. However fish farms can reverse this logic.

As those have said these were wild birds who ate anything and everything at a time, but nowadays they are domesticated and some natural resilience has been bred out. Better safe than sorry.
I'd say cooked whole then tossed to them is best. So many good vitamins and compounds in guts and things. Might want to wawtch the bones, not sure though as I've only ever given fish to dogs and hamsters. They eat around or crunch up the bones well.

I pretty much give my birds whatever I'd eat, but don’t want to. Doggies love fish too much to share, poor birds.
Interesting thread.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Thanks. Very interesting. Off to look up trematodes. Sorry daniefon don't know the answer about the bones.

Looked it up and may never eat fish again, LOL.

 

[centrarchid]

Probably due to parasites.
I know many more freshwater fish that carry little bugs and bits when compared saltwater ones. However that doesn’t mean everything from the ocean is clean. The smaller the tank (lake, pond, etc.) the more likely that something bad can be spread. Ocean > Lake and usually much safer. However fish farms can reverse this logic.

As those have said these were wild birds who ate anything and everything at a time, but nowadays they are domesticated and some natural resilience has been bred out. Better safe than sorry.
I'd say cooked whole then tossed to them is best. So many good vitamins and compounds in guts and things. Might want to wawtch the bones, not sure though as I've only ever given fish to dogs and hamsters. They eat around or crunch up the bones well.

I pretty much give my birds whatever I'd eat, but don’t want to. Doggies love fish too much to share, poor birds.
Interesting thread.

Chambertin,

I can not place why but your avatar looks a lot like what I see in mirror. It is unsettling. Are we related?

 

[Rhoise]

If you freeze the fish first wether it's raw or cooked, fresh or salt water, it kills most all parasites and most bacteria......very much like they are required to do with resturaunt sushi for humans.....

My boys are fish killin machines, and my chooks love love love fish but i only feed them cooked leftovers after the humans who love it too get first pickings ;-) This was left over frozen trout crumbles on a very hot day the blurry head shots are because they were scarfing it up so fast their heads were like lightning!!!! you'll have "Omega Eggs" after two weeks of regular fish meals but a few trout here and there won't make the eggs taste fishy

oily fish like sardines mackeral trout salmon blue fish will have a stronger oil/fish effect but it's very mild and most folks won't notice it...I was feeding my dogs salmon dog food and after a year they had a very slight fishy oder( it was probley in my imagination or just the old dogs bad breath heh heh)