Fish & Snails

[Tu Nyce]

I live by the shore and I go fishing a lot. If I bring home fish and snails, how should I feed it to the chicken? Do I have to cut it in small pieces for them, or can I just throw a whole fish and let them go at it. Is it ok to feed them fish, snails, or clams?

Also, do chickens eat squirrels? I hunt squirrels in my backyard with a .22 airsoft rifle, it'll be cool if I can feed it to my chickens lol.

 

[CCourson05]

I don't think chickens are supposed to eat snails... Not 100% positive though..

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Snails are the intermediate host to a tape worm (Davainea proglottina) that infects chickens. I don't know the likelihood of a given snail being infected. I'd feed them extra fish though!

 

[CCourson05]

When feeding fish, how do you prepare it?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Trout Almondine?

I haven't brought any fish home for my chickens yet. I always intend to, but I end up releasing them. There have been a few threads about this subject. I think folks are divided, some just give the whole fish, some only give the scraps after cleaning and some actually cook it first.

 

[panner123]

Depends on how lazy I feel at the time. Most of the time I just cut the larger ones up into pieces about the size of a bluegill. If you throw the larger ones in the run, all the chickens will do is bicker.
Never give them more than they will eat in 15 minutes. And make sure there is none left on the ground. Bugs and predators will have a field day with any leftovers.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some people feed road kill or leftovers from hunting to their chickens. Just split it and let them have at it.

You don't want leftovers since that will attract predators and you may breed flies, but they do love meat and such.

 

[Tu Nyce]

Ok, thanks guys!

 

[Erica]

Could you boil the snails to kill parasites? I'm sure the chickens would be happy with escargot.

 

[Andeye]

Snails can be a carrier of quite a few parasites. I would have to dig out all my old pathology notes to accurately name them, and I am not sure if they could infect a chicken, but I personally would not risk it.