cat food?

[abhaya]

2 of my pullets love cat food. I have cats that I feed in the barn and I have 2 chickens that I have to shoo away from the cat food every morning. Are they telling me something? They have layer pellets in the coop and free range all day. I give them a little scratch at night before they go into the coop. They get occasional treats but mostly pellets and free range. Should I be concerned about them eating cat food?

 

[Imp]

Cat food is OK as long as it isn't the only thing they eat. Keep it a treat. Mine make a beeline to the cat dishes first thing every morning.

Imp

 

[gritsar]

As an occasional treat it's fine.

 

[Thousand Oaks Family]

I have fed my cat food before to boost their protein and it would get them laying again.

 

[Judy]

dlhunicorn, who has done a lot of poultry research, recommends not feeding cat food. She did a post at the end of this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=27293

She has several posts on here explaining why cat food is not good for chickens.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
If one is worried about Salt and Mycotoxin all you would have to do is feed a better Cat/ Dod food, one that is low Salt and contains no grains.

As a treat most types of Cat/ Dod food is OK. I would say the better of the two as a treat would be dog food just because they use a better grade of ingredients in dog food than cat food.

Chris

 

[Judy]

It's primarily the methionine in cat food that is rough on chickens, besides the salt.

Post #5: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

The same information appears at the very end of the treats chart: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

Do you have a source for dog food having superior ingredients to cat food? I've always assumed they were both pretty lousy food.

 

[drdoolittle]

I always have to put my cat food up when I let the chickens out in the morning! I didn't know it could be bad for them, it's just that my cat eats Iams, and that is just too expensive to ket the chickens get it!

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
Just so that you know there is Methionine in all[/i] poultry feed.

ams.usda.gov :

Methionine is an essential amino acid necessary in poultry diets for proper cell growth and feather development.

Methionine is found naturally in foods such as red meat, fish, beans, and grains. Methionine is a protein-based amino acid which assists with metabolic function, breaks down fat, and is the primary source of sulfur in the body. As one of the compounds known as a lipotrophic, a fat burner or antioxidant, methionine is also critical for the removal of heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, from the body. Some of its other primary purposes include ensuring healthy liver, kidney, bladder and it is essential for muscle growth and energy.

As for the link https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart I my self wouldn't go by half of which is says, most of that stuff that is posted on there is only half true.

Chris​

 

[Frannabelle]

I buy 9 lives tuna canned cat food for my cats, and in the winter give my chickens a can a week....
they love it