Can chickens eat scraps from cleaning fish I catch?

[cbrodsky]

I sometimes fish for panfish and end up with quite a bit of leftover scraps after cleaning the fish. Can chickens eat anything on a fish and/or will they pick what is safe for them to eat? Would it be better to steam/cook the fish scraps before feeding to them? A panfish has a bit of meat along the spine after cleaning, along with some ribmeat and the innards that is left on each one, so it adds up.

I'm thinking this would be a good use of protein that would otherwise go to waste. The organic grower feed I've been buying for them is only 19% and I suspect they want more protein as they have been eating feathers.

-Colin

 

[miss_thenorth]

Yes, I feed the scraps raw. Cooked bones are what are considered dangerous. Your chickens will love them.

 

[txchickie]

Yup, let em at it. Don't cook it or anything, they should demolish it LOL

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

Well guess I am in the dark
will some one email me PM and tell me what is bad for chickens in cooked bones
is it they may choke?

I never ever fed them any as I never felt cooked bones was of use to a chicken
all are to big to go down their throat

as for the fish
if the flies it brings you and the maggots they may have from it I guess feed the fish to them

as for eating feathers I feel you have the birds in too close of a building for the amt of chickens you have in the building

they can have a head of cabbage wrapped in chicken wire and hung from the ceiling to 18 inches if adult chickens lower if they are chicks

also you can wrap a piece of baled alfalfa and hang from ceiling also

these are items to keep them busy

your protein is high enough as for the feed

also take a feeder and fill with whole horse oats and ofcourse a feeder with granite grit
Oats are a very good addition to commercial feed

they will give the bird something to do when eating and make healthy chickens

they lay eggs on them also
still feed the protein feed you are giving them

some times if the feed is high in protein they will eat feathers also
but usully it is cramped quarters

email me with any questions

 

[charlielynnsingletary]

yes you can feed them the fish bones. ours not only get fish but they also get crawfish and crab shells. we haven't had any problems. if anything the shells gave the yolks a darker color.

 

[cbrodsky]

Thank you for the replies - I'll give it a shot. I got 3 crappies and a couple bluegill today that will make a nice pile for them.

I was thinking I would put them in a bin that I can remove in a few hours to keep it from spoiling or rotting anywhere - if anything is left. I'm curious to see just how much of it they consume. And since these are meat chickens, I don't need to worry about flavoring the eggs.

The feather eating also seems to have ceased so perhaps it was just a phase as they adjusted to a new mixed population.

I just like the idea of not throwing away valuable protein in a landfill.

-Colin