Feeding bones and uncooked potatoes?

[Wisers150]

Is it OK to feed my Red Sexlinks left over meat bones like ribs and also uncooked potatoes that have gone green?not mold just green.

 

[TwoCrows]

Raw potatoes are a NO NO and are toxic to chickens. Peelings also. And I do not recommend any bones either as shards can lodge in the throat and cause choking. Stick to the healthy things to feed your chickens. If you would not eat it, then don't feed it to your chickens.

 

[Wisers150]

Thank you. Glad I asked first.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
Raw potatoes are fine for chickens.
I would stay away from green peels, they contain solanine which is toxic if you eat enough. Even for people, but you really need to eat a lot.
A lot of people give their chickens meat bones, poultry carcasses etc. I think mostly for them to clean off the meat, not eat the bones. I probably would not give bones small enough for the chickens to swallow.

Imp

 

[florida lee]

I don't think they would eat bones, however, when I was a kid my mom would have me take the table scraps to the chickens. these scraps included the raw potato scraps and skin. Never seemed to hurt them.

 

[billfields]

Quote:
Absolutely right! When I was a kid I too carried potato peelings to the chickens on a daily basis. It never hurt them. I would feed potato peelings to my chickens now except that I'm too lazy to peel them---I usually cook potatoes skin and all.

(and eat 'em with no ill effects!)

The concern about potatoes that always comes up on here seems to come from the fact that the green parts of potatoes (the plants and the tubers that have turned green from "sunburn") and sprouts are in fact toxic. But only the green parts not regular potato peelings or raw potatoes. Barnyard chickens have been pecking at potatoes and and potato peelings for hundreds of years.

If anyone is interested the issue of green potatoes is addressed at that legendary urban legend website snopes.com. Check out: http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/potato.asp Just remember this is talking about green potatoes not regular ones.

Would have been nice to have convinced my mom potato peelings would make the chickens sick, would have saved me a daily trip to the chicken lot in the middle of my TV time!

 

[Yonaton]

Quote:
Based on what evidence? At least give a reason or what knowledge you have about it to give such an answer. If it's 'just something you heard', then that's simply condoning ignorance and is no help to *anyone*.