What’s the deal with you chicken people??

[NatJ]

Wait... Wait... Just hold up a minute...

You can give chickens meat with bones!? They do not eat the bones?

Correct, you can give them meat with bones.

They usually pick the meat off and leave the bones.
If any bones are small, they will swallow those whole (just like they swallow oyster shell for calcium or small rocks for grit.)

 

[KayisforKale]

Check out my status, posted underneath my username: "She Who Brings Grapes"

Or tomatoes
Or shredded cheese
Or wild strawberries

My chickens refuse to touch strawberries. They like strawberry jello when it is 90+ degrees outside, but they will not touch the fruit.

 

[KayisforKale]

Correct, you can give them meat with bones.

They usually pick the meat off and leave the bones.
If any bones are small, they will swallow those whole (just like they swallow oyster shell for calcium or small rocks for grit.)

So it is safe for them to eat those little bones on, say, chicken wings?

I have new ideas for their dinner for summer then...

What about sardines in water? Are those a good thing to give them? I want to chill some and throw them into the run during summer, but I was always afraid one of the dumdums would choke to death on a bone.

 

[NatJ]

So it is safe for them to eat those little bones on, say, chicken wings?

If they can swallow it down, yes.
If they pick the meat off and leave the bone, also safe.
The only problem is if a bone gets stuck on the way down, which is not common. Chickens are usually pretty good at judging what they can and cannot swallow.

I've read of chickens swallowing whole mice (bones included), although I've never personally seen that.

What about sardines in water? Are those a good thing to give them? I want to chill some and throw them into the run during summer, but I was always afraid one of the dumdums would choke to death on a bone.

There are some people that give their chickens sardines somewhat regularly. The author of this article is one example:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...eat-tears-a-calculator-or-deep-pockets.78655/

 

[KayisforKale]

If they can swallow it down, yes.
If they pick the meat off and leave the bone, also safe.
The only problem is if a bone gets stuck on the way down, which is not common. Chickens are usually pretty good at judging what they can and cannot swallow.

I've read of chickens swallowing whole mice (bones included), although I've never personally seen that.


There are some people that give their chickens sardines somewhat regularly. The author of this article is one example:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...eat-tears-a-calculator-or-deep-pockets.78655/

One of my red girls, Mulan, once swallowed a bit of bread that was way too big for her. I started freaking out and tried getting to her, all while calling for big roo, and he ran over post-haste, drove his beak down her gullet, and pulled out the bread. Man... Every time I remember something like that, I love my roo more and more. Like, when one of my EE girls went hot-footing it toward the road and I had a broken foot, so I screamed at her, big roo ran like lightning from where he had been digging up slugs, and got her back for me.

 

[azurbanclucker]

This is what happens in the chicken underground.

 

[KayisforKale]

This is what happens in the chicken underground.

View attachment 3820384

The striped one wins, right?

 

[azurbanclucker]

The striped one wins, right?

The brown one.

 

[KayisforKale]

The brown one.

The cockerel?

 

[PopoMyers]

Wait... Wait... Just hold up a minute...

You can give chickens meat with bones!? They do not eat the bones?

Yes, but if small enough, they will eat bones.