Chickens addicted to cat food! Will a cat door keep them out?

[Squawkers]

Yeah sorry I just think giving them as much as they want is a bad idea. As smart as they are, cat food is candy to them…

 

[NatJ]

Yeah sorry I just think giving them as much as they want is a bad idea. As smart as they are, cat food is candy to them…

Candy for people is mostly sugar, with pretty much no other nutritional value (no protein, no vitamins or minerals.)

Cat food has quite a bit of protein, and all the vitamins & minerals a cat needs. That makes it much more nutritious than candy.

I think giving as much as they want could get expensive pretty quickly, but I would not expect the chickens to have any major issues if they have constant access to cat food (as in, no issues caused by what the cat food does to their diet.)

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Some of the past flocks I grew up with would find the cat food.

Various things we'd do...
- only feed when the birds weren't out (early morning, night)
- only feed what the cats would finish in x amount of time
- feed up high, out of the way (we fed on barrels *this was mostly to keep a dog from getting sick)

It'll be difficult if your chickens are... well...addicts, it sounds like
But if they can't see where the food is, they might not get as crazy.

If you can change where you feed, and have the food up high (assuming your cat can access it safely) that could help. Maybe?

 

[Perris]

Makes sense for older chickens, but younger chickens might have a harder time figuring out what is too much.

Younger chickens have instincts and appetites just as older chickens do, and they may indeed tell them to eat more protein, because they are growing their whole bodies!

I trust a chicken's instincts more than I trust any human to decide on the 'right' amount of anything for that chicken.

 

[MROO]

Ill just say in the many years that cat food has been a regular favorite treat for mine they never just don’t eat it

Mine will, too, even after a full meal. Cat food is right up there with mealworms ... chicken-crack!

 

[Squawkers]

I just saw this gif doing something else and thought of this thread