Can chickens eat amphipods?

[LuvingPaws]

We live near the beach, and have easy access to a surplus of these little crustaceans called amphipods. Our girls love crickets as a treat, but instead of spending the money on crickets, we can collect the amphipods for free at the beach.

Does anyone know if it is safe to feed the chickens these wild-caught critters, or is there a possibility of disease / bacteria being transferred that could make our girls ill?

Thanks!!

 

[JodyJo]

Hi, I didn't know either, I don't live on the beach, but always open to new info...so I found this quick link for you:

http://www.newlandgrange.com/page15.htm

yes they say....and not sure about the bacteria, according to this site, if they were wild, they would be eating them anyhow...

 

[caspernc]

Seems like they would have some calcium(sp) content? What about salt?