As a chicken owner, you constantly think of new treats you can serve your chickens.
If you are running an emergency and you have some dry cat food at your disposal, you might be wondering if you can serve dry cat food to the chickens.
In this blog post, you are going to discover if it is safe to serve dry cat food to the chickens or not.
Can chickens eat dry cat food? Chickens can eat dry cat food. Dry cat food can be served to the chickens once in a while. Dry cat food provides the chicken with enough protein.
If it happens that you have cat food at your disposal, you should never hesitate to serve small quantity to the chickens as a treat.
Table of Contents
Is dry cat food safe for chickens?
Before you start serving cat food to the chickens or any other treats, it is very important to determine if it is safe for the chickens or not.
In this case, dry cat food is safe for chickens when you serve it in moderation to the chickens.
First, I need to tell you that cat food contains animal derivatives and this can be very toxic for the chickens.
Majority of the cat food usually contains dried goat or chicken meat on them. And this can have some effects on your chickens when they consume dry cat food in excess.
It is very important to research about the new treat you want to serve the chickens. You should always check the label for toxic substances anytime you want to serve a store bought treat for the chickens.
This will ensure that you are serving something safe to the chickens. The well-being of the chickens and other pets you have should be one of your top priorities.
And this should be the reason why you always ensure to serve them something that will nourish their body systems.
Can you give dry cat food to chickens?
You can give dry cat food to the chickens if it happens that you don’t have anything else to feed them.
Just because people are saying that chickens can eat a certain treat does not mean that you should also go ahead and start serving the same treat to the chickens regularly.
There is quite a difference between a treat being safe and chickens actually eating the treat.
Another thing is that chickens have unique body systems which makes them to react differently to a common treat
Chickens may have the capability to eat a certain treat but it might not be healthy for them to consume the treat.
To be very honest with you I have never fed dry cat food to the chickens before. And I am not planning to do that anytime soon.
In order to be more certain about this, I did a little research on this topic and I discovered that some people are serving dried cat food to the chickens.
A member of a poultry site forum gave an account about how his chickens discover dry cat food. He said the chickens usually eat dry cat food several times a day.
Another member of the same forum said he usually gives canned cat food to the chickens.
He said the chickens seemed to love it the first time he served it to them and have been taken it anytime he served the cat food.
One of the chicken enthusiasts on Quora said that cat food should only be served for the chickens on occasion.
How often do I feed dry cat food to the chickens?
Now you know that you can serve dried cat food to the chickens, that does not mean that you should always serve them every cat feed you have at your disposal to the chickens always.
There is no way cat food will replace the main feed which you serve the chickens. It is very important to take note of that.
The chickens can be very convertous of other pets’ food, they may want to go overboard whenever they have access to the food.
It is your duty as a chicken owner to control the amount of the dry cat food they consume. So that it will not lead to something else in their body systems when they eat the food in excess.
I can’t give you the exact amount of time you need to serve dry cat food to the chickens but it should be done once in a while.
Is dry cat food good for emergency food for chickens?
Sometimes you might find yourself in a situation whereby all the main feed you serve the chicken has been exhausted.
When this happens, you only need to rely on healthy treats you have at your disposal to serve for your chickens pending the time you get the main feed you serve them.
If it happens that dry cat food is the only thing you have as a disposal to give the chickens during an emergency, you can go ahead and serve the cat food. Ensure that the dry cat food is served to the chickens in moderation.
The best thing is to serve some other healthy treats to the chickens to complement the dry cat food you want to serve them.
Can you feed dry cat food chickens in molt?
Molting is one of the critical stages your chickens are going to pass through once they reach a certain age.
When molting occurs, it is good to serve the chickens feed that contains a lot of protein as this will help them to grow feathers faster.
One of the members of the poultry site forum said he gives dry cat food to the chickens when they are undergoing molting and this helps them to grow feather fast.
Can chicks eat dry cat food?
It can be very tempting to serve dry cat food to the chicks since they contain a high proportion of protein in their nutritional value.
My advice for you is to look for other feed to serve the chicks instead of dry cat food due to the animal derivative in them.
The animal derivative in the dry cat food can cause a serious effect on the digestive system of the chicks.
How can I stop my chickens from stealing cat food?
Chickens can be very calculative. They might find their way to have access to the favourite treat you provide for them.
This can pose a great problem for you whenever you want to serve cat food to the cat as the chickens might find their way around to steal from the cat.
I think it would be good to have separate places for the cat and the chickens in order to prevent staining of food between the two pets.
You can serve the cats it’s food indoors whenever the chickens go on a free range.
Other treats you can serve the chickens
These are some other healthy treats which you can serve to the chickens once in a while.
Carrots
Carrots are one of the healthy treats you can serve the chickens and they provide them with vitamin A. You can slice the carrots into smaller pieces for easy pick up.
Cabbage
Cabbage is one of the healthy vegetables you can serve your pets. Cabbage is a good source of antioxidants for the chickens.
Bread
Bread is one of those treats you can serve the chickens. Breads provide a good amount of carbohydrates for the chickens. Just avoid serving them chocolate bread.
Corns
Chickens like corn and it’s one of their favorite treats. Chickens can eat both fresh and dried corn. Corn provides the chicken with enough carbohydrates for the day.
Conclusion
Chickens can eat dry cat food. You can serve dry cat food to the chickens as a treat once in a while. Dry cat food can be a good source of protein for the chickens. You can serve dried cat food to the chickens when they are undergoing molt.
Reference
https://forum.thepoultrysite.com/discussion/14516/dry-cat-food-for-chickens
