Raw meat and chickens

[pawsplus]

My cats and dogs are raw fed. Is there any reason not to give the chickens some raw meat sometimes? I normally feed food as whole as possible but often get ground beef or ground venison on my free Craigslist scores. My older dog sometimes gets that, but I could offer some to the chooks as well.

Good idea?

Thanks!

 

[faykokoWV]

Might want to stay away from raw chicken, just in case they decide they they want more

I've fed mine raw hamburger, but usually I give them left overs rather than raw.

 

[breezy]

I gave mine some raw minced elk on Sunday. They all turned into little pterodactyls and got fairly violent going for it. I got pecked pretty good by my biggest buff orp when I reached for the dish to remove it after. They really loved it but I think from now on I'm going to scatter it around a bit before letting them out in the morning to avoid the feeding frenzy I had. Usually the "girlies" as I call them are sweet natured and get along really well but they fought over that meat and I dont want anyone getting wounded over it.

 

[outbackbill]

Feeding raw meat to chickens can make them more carnivorous then they already are. I was always told if your going to feed them meat, cook it. I had a dog that I fed raw meat to and he became very blood thirsty. when I started cooking any meat he got he calmed down.

 

[Country Heart]

My birds are vegetarians - except for the occasional worm or lizard they catch.

 

[briteday]

Quote:
When I started feeding my dogs raw I was told the same story about making them "blood thirsty." Well, my dogs are all the greatest defenders of our flock and we can freely leave them in the run with the chickens, no problem.

I have also fed my chickens an occasional piece of raw meat and they do just fine with it. If chickens became "blood thirsty" what are they going to attack besides each other? Quite frankly, no matter what commercial feed I've given them or how large a space they have to roam...it is in their nature to pick on the lowest member of their society...raw food or not. My low hen on the totem pole is half naked and always has been. And my flocks have always had a low hen on the totem pole, they molt, look better for a while, and usually one or two get picked on again the next year.

 

[BlackBart]

Quote:
When I started feeding my dogs raw I was told the same story about making them "blood thirsty." Well, my dogs are all the greatest defenders of our flock and we can freely leave them in the run with the chickens, no problem.

I've fed my dogs raw meat for generations of dogs and they have never hurt or killed a chicken or any other animal.

They are outside right now eating their raw meaty bones with about 10 chickens dashing in for the odd meat scrap.

I was putting the canned food outside in the hay barn for the wild cats, without seeing the cats there first and I thought they were getting it BUT the chickens found it first. If they could lick the plates clean with their little chicken tongues, I'm sure they would have.
Eggs didn't taste different.

 

[Akane]

People have issues realizing that meat they buy in the stores is the same as that critter they see eating grass or whatever out on the farm. Chickens are not going to put it together. Not even dogs will if you don't feed whole prey. Even if you do feed whole prey they still aren't more likely to kill something just more likely to eat something that's dead. It's the chase and the act that gets them interested in chasing again and eventually killing something. Dogs never fed raw will start killing other animals after they are allowed to chase them once and especially if they catch them.

There shouldn't be any reason raw meat poses a health issue for chickens. I would think they have the digestive abilities for that considering all the things they eat especially those that get mice and such frequently. Since chickens are omnivores they should get some type of meat and should not be fed a vegetarian diet. Animal protein is good for them.

 

[The_Flock]

All my animals eat raw meat. My cats, dogs and chickens. The chickens go for the mice so I never feel bad about giving them raw meat with raw bone. My chickens LOVE fish. I give them smelts and they are HUNGRY for it. They don't get too much fish and with the small amount they've had, their eggs taste wonderful!!

 

[Fairview01]

There are certain essential amino acids that can not be created from the building blocks of other amino acids. Lysine and methionine are two essential amino acids that can only be sourced from animal protein.

These amino acids are synthesized and sprayed on vegeatable sourced protein feeds.