Question about Feeding Meat Scraps to Chickens

[nurkdenflurn]

Hey there, some friends and I are in conflict about whether or not meat scraps, especially poultry scraps, can be fed to our chickens along with veggie kitchen scraps. She's weirded out and thinks it's a bad thing; I've heard that it's good for them and they love it. Plus I've seen other flocks eat just about anything, and loved especially fatty pig scraps. And these weren't hungry chickens...just opportunistic.

What have been others' experiences and/or preferences?

 

[ChickensInTheNorthWoods]

Nothing wrong with a little protein - I gave my chickens the carcass of my Striped Bass when I was done taking the filets off. Just make sure the scraps are cut up into managable pieces and make sure you don't give them anything rancid- anything not eaten will beed to be removed so you don't end up attracting rats, mice, racoons opossums etc.. Think about it - chickens eat bugs, worms etc...

 

[PunkinPeep]

I have read, here on BYC, that a lot of people will even toss their chickens CHICKEN carcasses, and the chickens will pick them clean.

It freaks me out a little bit too, but apparently it doesn't hurt anything.

 

[nurkdenflurn]

That's the same thing I've seen...if you leave a hen who's died in the coop for too long, she'll disappear. Yikes. But chickens are basically dinosaurs with feathers, so it's not overly surprising. (That's not a slam on my hensters...)

 

[Judy]

Heck, they eat each other alive, as well....

 

[danielbrown]

There isn't much difference between meat scraps and the bugs, small mammals, and reptiles they catch, kill and eat.

 

[sealsandwich]

If you feed them....they will eat!

ANYTHING!!!

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
So true... and remember, they are what they eat!

 

[RainbowFlower]

I don't feed mine chicken scraps, or huge chunks of meat, but we had some left over meat pies after last night's dinner, so they went in with the vegie scraps. Mine get the table scraps, and vegie scrapings, so may have some curry and rice, or bits of mince etc. But we have dogs so they get most of the meat scraps.

When I clear the table and prep dinner I have 3 containers - chooks, dogs and compost. Most stuff goes into one of the three, with the exceptions of cooked bones or artificial wrappers.