Meat scrap questions?

[Osprey]

Never thought about feeding meat or fish scraps until I read some of the threads on here, have a few questions.

-seafood? I read the thread on fish, but what else? Summer time I've got blue crabs. Scraps from steamed crabs? Raw hardshell crabs broken up? Soft or papershells? Winter means oysters, how bout those (already a good shell source, just walk to the shore and pick 'em up.

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-venison? I shoot and eat plenty of deer in the fall, how bout raw butchering scraps, or should it be cooked. Fat? How about scrapings of fat and meat from hides, I generally freeze those and work them later for leather tanning . Sorta gross, but what about entrails?

 

[thechickenchick]

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[Tweeza]

I butchered 8 rabbits not long ago. I was going to give the guts to the chickens but decided to just give the organ meat (liver, kidneys, lungs, heart) since I had so much! The hens loved it. I chopped it all up and dusted it with red pepper and gave it over several days.

 

[CANDLE98]

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What did the red pepper do? Were you just seasoning it for them?

 

[Chickenmaven]

My hens get the bones from rack of lamb. Not even my DH can suck all the meat off those bones & I'd never dare give them to the dog. The hens pick at them, run around with them in their beaks playing keep away, etc. Once in awhile, they'll scratch up an old bone & off they go!
I would never hesitate to feed cooked scraps of meat or fish. I'd be more cautious about uncooked meat, particularly game. That's just me. I don't know enough about the wasting diseases & such to make an informed choice, so my choice would be to cook it.

 

[Tweeza]

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What did the red pepper do? Were you just seasoning it for them?

I can't spell without spell check and was to lazy to look up the spelling of Cayenne. Red pepper is the same thing and I get it at walmart for 50 cents a bottle. It was just another way to introduce some to help with increasing egg production. I have since started to put it in their water. A lot settles to the bottom and is waisted.

 

[CANDLE98]

It increases egg production? Does it act the same on chickens butts as it does on ours? It burns going in and out! Just wondering

 

[Hobbley_Farm]

Quote:
What did the red pepper do? Were you just seasoning it for them?

I can't spell without spell check and was to lazy to look up the spelling of Cayenne. Red pepper is the same thing and I get it at walmart for 50 cents a bottle. It was just another way to introduce some to help with increasing egg production. I have since started to put it in their water. A lot settles to the bottom and is waisted.

Pepper helps egg production? Or the meat that you are giving with the pepper? I'm confused, sorry.

 

[Kim_NC]

I don't like to feed raw meat. I always feed it cooked - but that's me, many people feed raw meat. Lots of folks also feed 'guts' to chickens when butchering animals. I only feed the organ meats - and boil them first. Liver in particular is good for them due to the high protein content.

About the Cayenne Pepper:

Hot pepper like Cayenne is high in vitamins C and A. It helps to protect the intestines from damage due to bacteria and protozoa and has some bactericidal and protozoan suppression quailties. It acts as a tonic.

According to herbal remedies, the active ingredient is capsaicin. When taken internally capsaicin can warm the body, raise metabolism, improve weak digestion and increase circulation.

I mix 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper per cup of feed. Any of the hot peppers will do. But not the black peppercorns they're a different type of plant. In the summer, we toss them garden refuse of peppers - jalapeno, hot banana, anaheim, cayenne that are damaged.

LOL...I dunno about the butt burning quailties.

 

[SandraChick]

There are reasons why chickens are lovingly called garbage disposals by some. They really do eat just about anything.

My family huntses and fish. My chickens get all the extras...When we butcher our deer, I take all the meat scraps (fat,ligaments too) and grind them up. I then take them and fill old icecube trays and freeze. Then I pile them into zip loc bags. Then, in the winter, when bugs are in low supply, I defrost and put them out for the chickens. THEY LOVE IT. It's a good protein boost.

I also give them all my fish scraps. I clean my fish outside so I don't stink up the kitchen. I now have to be careful, as the chickens will jump up and grab any fish on the edge of my make shift table!

The only thing I would worry about with seafood, is the salt content. Doesn't mean they can't have any....just to do it very moderately.

Oh...and about entrails....I watched my cat catch and eat a gopher. All she left behind was a little neat gut pile. The chickens went nuts for it. Now I know why I never find my cats' kills!

Have fun treating your chickies!