Can chickens have cat food?

[NYREDS]

There's nothing wrong with feeding cat food as a protein supplement or a training aid for show birds. Can't imagine why anyone would want to feed it as the main part of the diet.
As to chicken cannibalism if a bird dies in the coop or run & isn't removed quickly the chickens will always cannibalize the corpse.
I'd like to see some scientific evidence linking bovine cannabalism with mad cow disease.

 

[Nutcase]

Yes, I know chickens WILL eat chicken if given the opportunity. But I think it's just wrong to encourage it. Anyway, when a hen died in the run without my knowing the others did not touch it.

 

[Smoochie]

It's like dogs.. Everything in moderation. Feed chicken food and supplement with treats. Show chickens are often fed a higher protein ration and supplemented with high quality wet cat food for quality plumage.

 

[3 NH reds]

I know of people including some cat food in meat birds diet to get them bigger sooner. I gave some to my egg gals after a molt for a treat and they loved it

 

[KristyHall]

There's nothing wrong with feeding cat food as a protein supplement or a training aid for show birds. Can't imagine why anyone would want to feed it as the main part of the diet.
As to chicken cannibalism if a bird dies in the coop or run & isn't removed quickly the chickens will always cannibalize the corpse.
I'd like to see some scientific evidence linking bovine cannibalism with mad cow disease.

Not always. if well fed and not of a cannibalistic "culture" among the birds, the body can be there for days. I learned this when I had helped an elderly woman with her coup. I had been called and she admitted she had been tossing food and water over the top of the small coup run, but a bird had been dead for several days during mild temperatures inside the coup and she couldn't get in there to get it. I went in and cleaned the coup and found the body, full rigamortus, partially beginning to decay on the bottom, and untouched.

I now come once every few days to help check her birds out to insure they're all cared for properly since they do give her a reason to get up every day. I was once out of town and returned to find the family member I hired to care for my birds had been slinging in food and water but had done nothing else and found a dead bird. It had obviously it been dead a while but once again, no signs of cannibalism. I was very upset with this person.

as for cannibalism leading to prion development in mammals, cattle included.... (the practice of feeding ground cattle in feed to cattle was widespread before mad cow disease outbreak and was banned in many countries as a result). So I restate, just because they WILL eat it doesn't mean I am comfortable encouraging such behavior.

http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/...y-of-rendering-cattle-cannibalism-in-the-usa/

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0428/Mad-cow-Latest-episode-raises-questions-about-cattle-feed

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/8...istance-to-mad-cow-like-disease/#.UL6BY4OCmAY

http://frantzmd.info/PUBLIC hEALTH/Cannibalism.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030411071024.htm

http://teacherweb.com/NJ/QueenofPeaceHighSchool/McGill/CannibalstoCows_ThePathofaDeadlyDisease.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuru_(disease) (I am cautious of trusting wikipedia as an information source though)

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/inthenews/itn06062301

http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/04/26/americas-mad-cow-crisis/

 

[dawg53]

Too much protein will eventually cause gout in chickens. Also there's usually too much sodium in catfood, not good for chickens nor humans.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Mine eat cat food as a treat and my gmas ate cat food as a treat and were just fine. It has lotes of protein and is good on occassion when molting

 

[KristyHall]

Too much protein will eventually cause gout in chickens. Also there's usually too much sodium in catfood, not good for chickens nor humans.

Good points.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

OOO the sodium can be an issue. I always watch the sodium when I buy animal foods, I have a cat who cant have alot of sodium so I have to buy expensive food

. Alot of the time I add cooked rice and chicken to it for her. I have started buying blue buffalo and this other kind called out of the wild it has venison and salmon etc. the sodium in them is extremely low. I think if someone is giving it daily it would be bad but a handful every now again wouldnt hurt anything,

 

[MsChickenMomma]

Thanks everyone. I stopped giving them the cat food now. I never knew it was bad for them. I started giving it to them because they would eat all of the cat food in my big cat dish multiple times a day, and I never saw any signs that it did anything to them.

I will start looking things up before I give it to my chickens.

Thanks for the help and tips from everyone! It was all very helpful.