Feeding chickens chicken?

[spacecowgirl]

I freak people out when I feed my chickens chicken! It's so funny.

Even my husband has a problem with it, but I don't mind him. They love it, and one of them fights my cat for the bones! I really don't see why it grosses people out so much; it's good for them, and they don't know what they're eating.

( They don't know it, but even they think they taste good ). Haha!

 

[loanwizard]

Let's not get too ahead of ourselves.... They're chickens, nothing more, nothing less. I give mine chicken. Fried, baked, burnt, nuggets (if that is really chicken), noodles, beef, pork, eggs (scrambled, fried, poached, raw, and cracked).

When I get my feeder pigs, I will have to split the scraps between them. Saves on feed and makes the family feel important that there is ALWAYS enough food for them.

 

[lovinlife]

I give my chickens cooked carcasses and they love it. People do freak out and call them cannibals.

The chickens just want food.

 

[galanie]

I doubt they care if it's chicken or not. They'll even eat a buddy that has passed given the chance. They are chickens, not humans. They don't have the same scruples we do. It's a great protein source for them and it's good for them.

 

[Denninmi]

There is a valid scientific reason not to feed the meat of hooved animals back to others of the same type - prions, the proteins that cause Mad Cow disease, Creutzfeld-Jakov syndrome and Kuru in humans are all spread by consumption of contaminated meat, and these proteins are really resistant to degradation by heat, acids, alkali, etc.

However, I haven't ever heard of this issue in birds.

I feed mine all kinds of table scraps, including meat of any type, even chicken. We have a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. They don't ask what it is, and I don't tell them.

When I processed my meat chickens back in July, I boiled the feet for stock, and then fed them to the laying hens. They loved it, and ate pretty much everything, including the bones. I do have to admit, it was a little creepy dumping them in there and watching them go after it, but the chickens have absolutely no clue what it was. Sounds like the makings of a chicken horror film, though.

 

[JHillgrove]

Quote:

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

At first we were like no chicken for the chickens and when I went to get in the shower My yungest brother went and got some left over chicken and went outside and gave them it and came back inside very proud of him self for making the chickens cannibals.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

My chickens go nuts for chicken.....and scrambled eggs. I haven't tried any other meat, but I'm sure they would like that too. I have heard you can give them bones and they will peck down to the marrow and eat that.

 

[dragonlair]

I get meat/fat scraps from the local meat store for my dogs. They sell locally raised, grass fed meats and cage free poultry. I share those scraps with the chickens once a week or so, but not when it's hot. I feed it mostly in the winter for added energy. They LOVE it.

 

[dragonlair]

I feed mine eggs too. The bantam eggs get mixed raw into the crumbles. I hard boil the bigger eggs that are left overs. I collect the shells, dry them, crush them and feed them back to the hens for calcium.

Chickens don't appear to be too fussy about what they eat.