Fish??

[sepaditty1]

I ended up with a bag of fresh fish. Cleaned & scaled & happily given as a token so I couldn't refuse.

No one in my house eats fish.

Can I give it to the chickens? Raw? Bones?

Any feedback?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chickens should love them, bones and all, either cooked or raw. I don't know how big the fish are or how many chickens you have, so I can't tell you haw many to feed at one time. Maybe freeze or refrigerate some and feed a little at a time. You can either chop it into small pieces or just toss it in there. I've seen chickens cut a mouse, snake, or frog into bite-size pieces with their beaks. Depending on how big the fish are, you may have a skeleton to deal with later.

There are two different things that are likely to happen when you give them the fish. They immediately go on a feeding frenzy or they are hesitant to eat it. Let me tell a story to demonstrate.

A few years ago I gathered a small yogurt cup full of corn ear worms when I was processing corn for canning. I dumped that cup or worms out near a group of free ranging 10-week-olds. Those chicks were curious but weren't sure what was going on. A few gradually and cautiously crept closer and closer. A worm wiggled! Run away! Run away! They didn't run far and gradually started sneaking up on the pile of worms again. Closer and closer. A worm wiggled! Run away! Run away! This went on a few times until finally a bold chick grabbed a worm and ate it. That's all it took. That pile was gone in less than 30 seconds.

 

[sepaditty1]

That's hilarious!

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are a lot of good shows on the chicken TV channel. Broody with chicks normally tops my ratings but occasionally a blockbuster will sneak in from a different time slot.

 

[BugGuy]

My flock goes bonkers when I start to clean fish. I even have to shoo them away as they get right up on the cleaning table with me, the knife, and the fish. It gets quite interesting at times. They have no problem eating fish or parts thereof. Good Luck!!

 

[barkinghills]

Does anyone have trouble with the subsequent eggs tasting "fishy" after feeding their hens fish? I have heard comments both yes and no about this.

 

[sepaditty1]

That's a good question. Anyone?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some people can smell things that others don't know even existed. There is one and only one way to find out if the eggs have a fishy odor to you. I could say one way or the other and that would mean nothing to you. Try it and see what you think. In that, you and your opinion is the only thing that matters.

 

[barkinghills]

That's good advice for those who just eat their eggs at home. The reason I asked is because I sell eggs to others, and I would like to make sure I don't sell any eggs that people think smell like fish.

Anyone else out there who can advise?