WHY ARE MEAT SCRAPS BAD FOR CHICKENS?

[ChickenLegs13]

One of my pens ate a dead possum in their run last month. I said cool, that's 4 lbs of chicken feed I save today.
I think a steady all meat diet would be unhealthy for them. Too much protein or something. But I have no facts to support my opinion.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

One of my pens ate a dead possum in their run last month.....

I have actually picked up fresh road kill, tied the back legs of the bunny or possum to the fence and cut the hide to get the chickens started. I don't remember a large coon or possum lasting a yard of hens for a whole day. I have even had my hens eat a predatory chicken killing skunk I shot scent and all. Outside of a few tufts of hair, the largest part I could find was a piece of naked skull bone about the size of a half a dollar, and they were working mightily on making that part disappear. But not even a hint of skunk scent remained. I couldn't tell that the eggs smelled or tasted any different either. Chickens are amazing creatures, they can recycle anything.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Yeah chickengeorge, me & you got real chickens!

 

[Veer67]

I have actually picked up fresh road kill, tied the back legs of the bunny or possum to the fence and cut the hide to get the chickens started. I don't remember a large coon or possum lasting a yard of hens for a whole day. I have even had my hens eat a predatory chicken killing skunk I shot scent and all. Outside of a few tufts of hair, the largest part I could find was a piece of naked skull bone about the size of a half a dollar, and they were working mightily on making that part disappear. But not even a hint of skunk scent remained. I couldn't tell that the eggs smelled or tasted any different either. Chickens are amazing creatures, they can recycle anything.

Well that can be good in some cases, but I prefer not to feed them roadkill, which can promote them to eat dead animals lying on the ground. Who knows what kind of diseases they can carry.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Well that can be good in some cases, but I prefer not to feed them roadkill, which can promote them to eat dead animals lying on the ground. Who knows what kind of diseases they can carry.

They are chickens
They CAN safely eat such things

Feeding them meat doesn't "promote" them to eat anything, since they INSTINCTIVELY eat meat they find

It's all natural

 

[Veer67]

They are chickens
They CAN safely eat such things

Feeding them meat doesn't "promote" them to eat anything, since they INSTINCTIVELY eat meat they find

It's all natural

Yep, I know that chickens don't get rabies and all that stuff, I just think that it's nasty.

 

[appps]

Eww eww eww lol
We once went and saw some Tasmanian devils which they fed on a diet of road kill since they are scavengers and dead stuff is their natural diet. They stunk so bad, just like road kill themselves. I would not want road kill smelling chickens lol.

According to that link from the Aus gov site up there quite a few diseases are able to be transmitted through meat including newcastles disease. Would be curious to know how common it is though

 

[Martine1]

Newcastle cannot be transmitted through dead meat, only airborne.
The only contagion for birds from unsafe meat is botulism for which there is no cure.
Also known as limberneck because birds cannot lift the head.
They die within days.
Scavengers are immune to botulism, chickens are not. M

 

[theoldchick]

My chickens get fed meat scraps. They love it.










No matter how tough the meat is, they can break it down.


I don't feed any moldy food items.

 

[TXchickmum]

I have several hens that are molting. I have been offering them good pieces of meat leftovers (from the table). -seems acceptable to offer extra protein in lieu of the fact that they'll resort to eating feathers instead if necessary (if protein is lacking in the diet). -had much rather them get protein from meat.