Fish Pin Bones

[SaffronRouge]

My husband is an avid fisherman. I routinely give the hens any leftover fish trimmings and they love it. I haven't given them the trimmings that have the pin bones in them. It seems like such a waste of meat. Will it hurt the hens to give them the fish trimmings with the pen bones? Thanks

 

[ValerieJ]

I wouldn't do that.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I imagine there would be some risk, but I agree it seems a shame to waste that good meat (and calcium).

How much do you love your flock...find a $5 meat grinder at a yard sale and pre-process the pin bone meat?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I love the idea of throwing em thru a cheap grinder and feeding them that way. Should be fine that way since they go through the trachea (pretty tough) and then end up in the gizzard!

If they're small enough you could maybe even chop em up with a knife.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Magic bulletize those... whatever bone fragments makes it through that will likely spend some time in the gizzard helping your birds digest future meals.

 

[centrarchid]

I have been giving my dogs and free-range chickens whole rainbow trout on almost a weekly basis. They do not seem to have the same problems we have consuming the bones as the entire fish are gone in a day.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I seem to recall seeing ads for a product for just this purpose back in the late 70’s...the Bas-o...

Wait, that was on a Saturday Night Live!

 

[toredano]

boil the fish .. the pin bones will soften I am sure

 

[SaffronRouge]

actually cooking any type of bone makes them dry and they splinter easier. This is why it is generally ok to feed your dog raw bones, but cooked bones is a no no. And to be clear, the pin bones are the ones that are like the width of a hair and a half an inch long or so.

chicken bones, in particular, are great to feed dogs raw, but they splinter horribly after they are cooked, and pose a high risk.

 

[toredano]

fish bones are different than cows etc..not same..so when you cook them. they will soften.. mackerel and salmon pin bones are soft from start..