flockraiser vs. cat dry food to increase the protein level

[digitS']

Quote:
Diana cites some research on the issue of feeding cat food to chickens.

You can check out her links at the very bottom of the Treats Chart:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

Steve

edited to say: Now that I've noted Diana's post, I've found that the link on the Treats Chart is no longer viable.

This may be of help in assessing those concerns: Diseases of Poultry

 

[crazy huhn]

Thank You all so much!

That is very interesting information. As I see my chickens as pets and just want the best for my animals, I guess I will have to think twice about changing their diet at all, except healthy treats.....

 

[digitS']

Huhn, I am in here quite a bit over my head but I can see some of what Diana's concerns are.

Dry cat food is anywhere from 26% to 50% protein. That's very high for poultry. But the source of the protein is also part of the problem with the amino acid, methionine. Meat has a lot and plant protein has very little.

Poultry feed is supplemented with methionine because it is made primarily from grain. Cat food may be supplemented also if it is made with soy, for example. But the cat's requirement looks to me like it is more than twice as high as the chicken's need for this amino acid.

What I don't know is what the toxic level of methionine is for the chicken. Since it is the amino acid that is most likely to cause problems, I guess we can see why there is concern about adding much more methionine than what is already in their commercial feed.

I can't believe cat food would be a cause for immediate concern but, maybe over the long-term . . . And, what is long-term in the life of a chicken

?

Steve

 

[beautifulbirds]

What about real food, meat, greens etc.? Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, mixed grains? REAL FOOD that the bird can get some REAL NUTRITION from?