Clams can be found in freshwater in the surrounding area. Clams form part of some special dishes.
If you have clams in excess as leftovers, and you are raising chickens in the yard, you might be wondering if you can feed the clams to the chickens.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if it is good to serve clams to the chickens or not. You will also discover if chickens can eat cooked claims.
Can chickens eat clams? Chickens can eat clams both raw and dried ones. You can serve clams to the chickens as a treat. Clams are an excellent source of calcium for the chickens.
Do not hesitate to serve clams to the chickens if you have them at your disposal. You can serve it alone or together with other treats you serve the chickens.
Table of Contents
Are clams good for chickens?
Clams are seafood and they are good for the chickens. Just make sure that you are serving clams in moderation to the chickens.
It is very important to always determine if a treat is good for your chickens before you start giving it to them.
You can only know if a treat is good for the chickens when there are little or no traces of toxicity in the treat you want to serve them.
You need to be cautious of whatever you are going to give the chickens so as not to hurt them.
It is not good to turn your chickens into a garbage or waste cleaner as some people always do.
There are some chicken owners who will throw table scraps and leftovers at the chickens and never care about the effect of those things on the chickens.
This should not be the case with you because it is a bad practice. Always give them something that will nourish the body systems.
To be more certain about this, I asked other chicken owners in the neighborhood about feeding clams to the chickens.
One of them told me that whenever he has leftovers of cooked clams, he usually serves them to the chickens and they quickly devour it.
He said the chickens do not show any sign of illness whenever they eat the clams.
How do I introduce chickens to my chickens?
Introducing clams to the chickens should not be difficult if you have been serving them different seafood in the past.
It is important to go slow at first whenever you want to introduce any new treats to the chickens. This will help them to get familiarised with the treat.
You can start crushing the clams into smaller pieces. After that, you can serve a small amount of clams to the chickens into the feeder and watch how they are going to react to the treat.
The small amount of clams use of them will help to improve their appetite towards the treat if it happens that they accept it.
The chickens will always look out for more but you should not serve them again after finishing the first round. You need to wait till next time.
Another thing is that the small amount you serve them will help to reduce wastage if it happens that the chickens reject the clams.
You can also mix the clams you want to see the chickens together with other seafood before serve them.
This technique is good if it appears that they are not eating the clams at the direct serving.
How often do I feed clams to my chickens?
Clams are not something you can serve to the chickens regularly. Clams are treats and they should be regarded as one.
You might be tempted to feed them clams most of the time if it happens you have access to seafood in abundance.
Clams should not be served more than one time in a week and two times in 30 days to be one a safer side.
Can clams affect the egg produced by the chickens?
Clams can have little effect on the eggs produced by the chickens. Clams are rich in calcium and this is very essential for the formation of eggshells in the chickens.
The chickens are going to lay eggs with strong eggshells due to the good amount of calcium they derive from eating clams on other seafoods.
Can chicks eat clams?
You should not serve clams to the chicks. The chicks need more protein in their early stages which will help them to grow faster.
They also need protein in order to grow feathers which will protect the chick from changing climate in their immediate environment.
Clams do not offer much protein in their nutritional facts which makes them less choice for the chicks.
Why are my chickens not eating clams?
The chickens might reject the clams you serve if it happens that you have never served them any seafood in the past.
The chickens are going to reject the clams if it happens that they don’t find it palatable after having some snack on the treat.
Other treats you can serve the chickens
These are some other healthy treats which you can serve the chickens.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is one of the healthy treats which you can serve your chickens. Pumpkins are very rich in vitamins and minerals. You can slice the pumpkin into smaller pieces before you serve the chicken.
Corn
Chickens are capable of eating fresh corn and the dried ones. Corn is a good source of energy for the chickens. Corns help to provide energy for the chicken.
Carrots
Carrots are another good treat which you can serve the chickens. Carrots are a good source of Vitamin A for the chickens and it helps to boost their vision and see clearly in the dark or at night.
Bread
Breads are one of the treats which you can serve to the chickens. If you have leftover bread, you can simply turn them to the chickens to do the justice.
The chickens will be more than happy to do so. Just avoid serving the moldy bread.
Watermelon
Watermelon is good for the chickens as a treat. The chickens can eat the rind and the seed of watermelon as well. You have to cut the watermelon into different slices and serve the chickens.
Treats that are poisonous to the chickens
It is good to also know some of the treats which can harm the health of the chicken due to toxic substances in them.
Beans
Beans are one of the treats you should not serve the chickens. The reason is that they contain a toxic substance called Lectin which can cause stomach disorders in chickens.
However, you can serve cooked beans to the chicken as the cooking would have reduced the effect of the toxic substance in the beans.
Chocolate
Chocolate is one of those treats which is not good for the chickens. Chocolate contains thamermine, and it is a toxic substance that can affect the digestive system of the chickens.
Conclusion
Clams are safe for the chickens. The chickens can eat both the cooked and raw clams. But you have to identify the one they like better and serve them in moderation. Clams should always be served to the chickens in moderation.
Reference
https://www.seriouseats.com/a-guide-to-clam-types-and-what-to-do-with-them
