Fish meal in chicken feeds

[Chris King]

A question for those feeding a chicken feed that contains fish meal: do you detect a fishy flavour to your egg yolks?

The only organic chicken feed I can find locally includes fish meal. I don't like the smell of it, and I'm a bit concerned that I'll taste it in my chickens' eggs if I feed it. (I don't like fish.) I fed one bag of it when my chickens were still little, but now that they've begun laying, I'm a bit leary of it.

Instead, I've been making my own chicken feed, using grains and peas/beans I've been buying retail, but that's costing about $2/lb! I'd really like to find a premade organic chicken feed that doesn't contain fish.

Thanks!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I feed a local organic soy free with fish meal in it & I've never had a problem. I would think most reputable feed makers know how much they can put in a feed. I love having fish meal in the feed, as it is a high quality animal protein that works well with chickens. There should be many vegetarian organic feed around. Nature's Best is one & though it comes from PA, it is available in many parts of the country. I think it is really hard to find a feed with fish meal and that's why I am lucky to have a locally made feed.

 

[Kelsie2290]

I've fed feed with fish meal, and feed fish pellets whose main ingredient is fish as a supplement (and really smells fishy), and never noticed anything different about the eggs, nobody else has complained either.