Cat food for hens?

Hi

It's ok for them to eat cat food as long as it is only a treat now and again - mine love it 

If I feed my dogs outside I have to make sure the chooks are locked away or they muscle in and help themselves. It's the only time I think the dogs might be brave enough to stand up to the hens!

is it safe for them to have some, if I don't get there before they do?!

Katiecat you definately shouldn't be racing the chx to eat the cat's food.   However a treat once in a while won't harm you as long as you won't be entering the human food chain.  However chx should not be eating cat meat except if they have been diagnosed as needing extra protein during moulting and then it's not strictly required so you should save all the cat food for your own consumption oh and the cats of course.
HF

Quote from: Katiecat on February 15, 2011, 12:15

is it safe for them to have some, if I don't get there before they do?!

Katiecat you definately shouldn't be racing the chx to eat the cat's food.   However a treat once in a while won't harm you as long as you won't be entering the human food chain.  However chx should not be eating cat meat except if they have been diagnosed as needing extra protein during moulting and then it's not strictly required so you should save all the cat food for your own consumption oh and the cats of course.
HF

My friends chickens used to stand up to the cats to get the cat food!  the cats used to get what was left.  She had to start feeding them indoors!

All your comments could be refering to my girls. 

I also notice there's a certain amount of overlap between the word 'giving' and 'taking'. What the chicken keeper 'gives' is not always the same as what the chicken 'takes'. (In fact I'd say its a lot less!) 

My chooks and cat get fed in different places to keep this sort of thing to a minimum, but I'm much more concerned to keep the chooks off my lunch, let alone the cat's. It's not as if I make off with the pellets. and yes we should all eat what's good for us, but having surveyed the contents of my fridge ... 

As this thread is descending into levity I thought I'd ask a couple questions of serious deep philosophical import in the name of science and raising the tone of this thread. 

You know that cat food meat has diferent "flavours" beef and liver in gravy, rabbit and kagaroo, chicken and infant in jelly how come it always smells the same, why does it always contain two diferent animals can't they remember what they put in the pot or can't Pedigree smell the diference either?  Does it all taste the same too? I thought Katiecat would be able to answer that one!

HF

What's a kagaroo? (and I thought I was the only dyslexic on here  ).

Wearing my serious hat I would suggest that cat food is not that bad - assuming anything that foul smelling and processed beyond belief  can be said to be not bad - for the chickens as they are scavengers and will snaffle anything they can fit into their beaks. Theoretically cat food should be pure meat as cats are obligate carnivores, but a quick glance at the side of the tin reveals a fair amount of vegetable content, even on the posh tins. Thus I would suggest the primary danger is from an angry feline who wants to know what happened to dinner.

Before anyone says anything - I do feed my girls layers pellets and make sure only pellets and water are available in the morning. However, once at large they eat what they choose and are not above demonstrating what audacious and capable thieves they can be. Just as humans like high fat high sugar foods the same can probably be said for chickens: like us they need their grains and veggies, like us they'd rather not. They also need variety and as Marie Lloyd once said, a little of what you fancy does you good. As does a good run down the garden once you've caught the little dears.

Pertelotte

Chicken and infant in jelly, Hillfooter? You mean I could have sold him on....?