Cat food?

[Annichka]

I couldn't figure out why my cats kept whining at me as if I hadn't just fed them an hour ago. Or how they weren't becoming morbidly obese with the amount of food that kept disappearing from their bowls! (Poor things: I'm a vet technician and a little critical of their weight, so I wasn't about to overfeed them. After a few bouts of whining I stopped refilling the bowls. Little did I know...mea culpa!) About three days of this went by before I went out into the garage to find that the chickens had gotten in there and were feasting on dry cat kibble.

My cats are too afraid of the chickens to defend their dinner. I'm trying to figure out a way to blockade chickens and not cats, but until I do, is it going to hurt the chickens to eat dry cat food?

 

[lovemychix]

I've actually heard that cat food is good for chickens!! protein

 

[RickiHupp]

My chickens do the same exact thing!! I will feed the chickens then come onto the porch to feed the cats and before I even get the cat food poured the chickens are up on the porch waiting!! Little brats, I now sit there shooing away the chickens so that my cats can eat!!

 

[Pumpkinpup]

There is a thread on this forum somewhere on foods or treats that are ok and what is not ok for chickens but I am thinking i read it is not a good thing to give the chickens cat food except as a very occasional treat. I can't remember the reasoning for that but it is in the thread I believe.

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
Cat food is high in protien, good to feed as a treat when moulting.

It is also high in salt content and other things that you don't want to feed your chickens regularly, so you don't want to feed only cat food.

 

[conny63malies]

My ducks will form a lynchmob when i give dry dogfood to our dog outside. Poor lil milie fleur just pics at it but its too big for her.

 

[Rte.66_chicks]

Can you put your cat food up high enough that cats can get to it but the chickens can't jump up that high? I do that, but I take the exta precaution of blocking the chickens from the patio, where the cats are fed. Cats can get in, but not chickens-or at least they haven't figured out how to fly over the barrier yet.

 

[peeboo]

lol,
i live in a house right across the street from an abandoned cat filled house. the man comes by every day to feed them. lays food out all around the house and surrounding yards for them since there are so so so many. but as soon as i let my hens out in the morning, before i have a chance to even feed them they blitz by me and run across the street to rob the cats of their meal lol. i think they're plotting against my hens now. i can see them stalking at all hours. looking to get their food back the hard way. i can't believe they go ape for that stuff. goes to show...chickens, who knew?

 

[gritsar]

Mine steal the dog's food, the cat's food and the goat's food. Poor starving little creatures. Who knew that a 30 lb. feeder full of layer pellets, scratch and all the leftovers from the kitchen just wouldn't be enough.
P.S. The cat's food dish is on a high window sill. They take turns flying up to knock it down.

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
Now we know why the chicken crossed the road!!!