Feeding dog food to molting chickens?

[rocking2r]

You suggest feeding dog food to molting chickens to increase their protein intake. I assume your mean dry kibble, but does anyone have a suggestion as to how much to feed, or what brand?

 

[saysfaa]

Hm, Different regions = different options, maybe. I spent $40 for 30 pound bags of dog food when I had a dog a few years ago. Pretty sure it hasn't gone down. Since it was a few years ago and I fed Blue Mountain salmon, I checked Chewy - it seems $25 for 46 pounds of Purina One.

Vs $12 for 25 pounds of chick feed at the feed mill - maybe not price the chick feed in 10 pound bags?

 

[Gallinarium]

In backyard chickens.com in an article about how to help molting chickens, this is written, “ Besides the normal chicken feed, you should provide foods with extra protein such as: oatmeal, quinoa, scrambled or hard boiled eggs, meat scraps, corn, peas, dry dog or cat food, tuna fish, black oil sunflower seeds and soybean meal.”

Unless you soaked it into mush or ground it up, wouldn't the chickens choke on the large pieces?

 

[Percheron chick]

That's one reason cat food is preferred over dog food. Cat food is also significantly higher in protein. I just toss out a handful like scratch.

 

[centrarchid]

I like Diamond small breed puppy, 32%. Very small kibble.

For maintenance and molt, 5% /.5 part is good to raise the protein a bit without giving them too much protein or fat. I use a 10 part feed mix. 1 part is a 3 quart scoop, so .5 is a 1.5 quart scoop. For example, just to show what I mean:

5 parts laying pellets
2 parts corn
2 parts wheat
.5 part sunflower
.5 dog food

I, and my dogs, go out of our way to deny the chickens of the exact same brand of dog feed. The chickens if left to their devices can eat half a 40-lb bag in a day. Too expensive.

My adult standard sized chickens can eat the adult dog pellets dry from bag.

Catfish feed might be worth considering.

 

[saysfaa]

What is the reasoning for this instead of chick feed or grower?

When the chick feed or grower has all the needed nutrients in the needed proportions. And costs less.

 

[Battlepants]

I think it does have to do with the region, it's real cheap to get dog food but a bit more for chick food

Yea, I would agree with the region changing this. I can get like 80 pounds of chick food for the same price as 30 pounds of dog food, or even worse, like 15 pounds of cat food.

Now this is worth mentioning, a 10 pound bag of chick food is like 80% of the price of a 40 pound. Prices are just all over the place out here.

 

[Mossy Dell]

I like Diamond small breed puppy, 32%. Very small kibble.

For maintenance and molt, 5% /.5 part is good to raise the protein a bit without giving them too much protein or fat. I use a 10 part feed mix. 1 part is a 3 quart scoop, so .5 is a 1.5 quart scoop. For example, just to show what I mean:

5 parts laying pellets
2 parts corn
2 parts wheat
.5 part sunflower
.5 dog food

 

[rocking2r]

I like Diamond small breed puppy, 32%. Very small kibble.

For maintenance and molt, 5% /.5 part is good to raise the protein a bit without giving them too much protein or fat. I use a 10 part feed mix. 1 part is a 3 quart scoop, so .5 is a 1.5 quart scoop. For example, just to show what I mean:

5 parts laying pellets
2 parts corn
2 parts wheat
.5 part sunflower
.5 dog food

 

[rosemarythyme]

I give my chickens a little leftover dog food, but it's just the crumbled bits at the bottom of the container. So no issue with big pieces. But cat food has higher protein, if protein boost is what you're looking for.