In order to supplement the lack of animal protein in our chicken feeds? I obviously mean in small amounts so as not to screw up their diets, etc................
I mix a little dry cat food with scratch only in the winter time when they have no bugs to chase down and eat. They get, of course, all the cooking liquid, meal trimmings, peelings, etc. anyway on a daily basis.
I feed a small amount of dry cat food every day. Like you say, as a source of animal protein. I don't give very much of it. I buy the cheapest cat food that contains a lot of grain. Not good for cats, fine for ducks. I like the one with fish protein for the ducks, but I switched to a meat meal one before we butchered. I didn't want to risk a fish flavor to the meat. I haven't noticed any fish flavor in the eggs, bit if there ever is, I can switch cat food and the only loss is a few eggs. Not like losing 20 dressed ducks.
Have you considered raising earthworms? It would be more work but a better supplement! Sometimes if any of mine are loose they will wander onto the porch and eat any cat food left out. Also, some say to throw a handful in too your birds when they are molting to give them a protein boost. Of course, dog food is based on grain, so you are on the right track with catfood, which is based on animal products. Good luck! MW
Quote:thank you also. couldn't do the worms though.............i didn't know dog food was based on grain and cat food ISN'T. SO WHAT'S A GOOD THING? IAMS............EUKANUBA.............but a bit pricey on eukanuba
I use generic kitten chow. paws n claws at TSC has 34% protein an is as small as the scratch. My birds wouldn't touch the full size cat kibble. I just mix a bag in with their 50# scratch. I use it all year around. It helps with feather maintenance with my layers. I free choice calcium since the kitten chow contains some.
Quote:Not true. "Good" dog food, like "good" cat food, is grain-free. Plenty of crappy dog AND cat food contains grains, which carnivores have no use for and which can lead to all kinds of health problems. "Good" is in quotes here b/c I wouldn't feed ANY of it to either my dogs or my cats--they are all raw fed now. But a truly grain-free dog food is very like a grain-free cat food. The only brands that fit into this category are EVO and just a few others. They are sold ONLY in speciality shops (not PetSmart and certainly not the grocery store). A better option for chickens is UltraKibble. Do a search here--there have been several threads on it.