any objection to feeding my girls canned salmon?

[SqueakyRoseShalom]

I have recently wanted to have my chicken lay those great "Omega-3" eggs, and I learned that feeding them fish meal was the best way to do this. I contacted my local fertrell dealer to order the fish meal from them, since it was recommended as a great product. My dealer only carries the organic (which I tend to buy anyway) but it costs $100 per 50 lb. bag! I only have 5 chickens! It would probably go rancid after I go through 5 lbs.

So I started brainstorming.

I did more research on other fish meal options, and I learned that fish meal is made by cooking or drying an industrial fish (not fit for human consumption) and pressing most or all of the oil and water from it before fully processing it into fish meal. Yet, from what I understand, it is the fish oil that contains all of the good stuff- the EPA and DHA and all those excellent Omegas. So I conclude that fish meal is not the best source of Omegas for our chickens. Don't you think?

Since I have such a small flock, I am now thinking that it might be cost-effective for me, and healthful for my chickens, to just feed them canned wild pink Alaskan salmon. The pink is cheaper than the red, and as far as I know, wild Alaskan salmon is the very best source of EPA, DHA, and all the good Omegas. I know that I don't want my chickens to suffer from mercury poisoning, so I would not feed this to them every day, but for $2.50 a week, I can feed my flock twice a week. I have tried it a couple of times, and my girls LOOOOVE it! Then the next day, my eggs have a delicious flavor, reminiscent of lobster

.

So I ask, can anyone think of any reason why I should NOT feed my birds canned wild pink Alaskan salmon once or twice a week? My girls say "please please!!"

 

[Judy]

Only your wallet. I buy them a can of canned mackerel now and then. If you know someone who fishes, they often get a "trash fish" or two that they won't eat but the chickens will love. If it's a large can, though, I'd spread it over two days; too much of anything is not good. I give the mackerel all at once but i have about 20 chickens.

Some use cat food which I won't do, because of the differences in their nutritional requirements; see the note at the bottom of the BYC treats chart.

 

[Medicine Man]

If you have one of the various "Dollar Stores" in your area, you might find canned Mackerel there. Num Num for chickaboos.

Incidentally, feeding fish meal in excess of 5% by weight can pass a fishy smell to the eggs. How this translates from fish meal to actual fish, I don't know...just throwin' it out there for ya. The same applies to flax seed except that the stank point is said to be 10%.

 

[kermujin]

If you do feed tinned fish, I'd recommend rinsing it thoroughly to rid it of some sodium. The sodium levels can be VERY high. I use the odd tin of fish for making dog food, and even with that substantially larger body, I rinse the fish.

Great idea, btw!

 

[Lyssa]

Another method to getting good Omega's is flax seed, I buy it in bulk at the local food co-op and mix it in the feed. That said, since it's seed I am not exactly sure how much is digested. But, don't grind it up as it will go bad once the shell is broken. Don't feed more than 10% of their diet. I don't see flax seeds in the poop. My girls walk around in grass and eat bugs and grass and whatever else I toss in, mostly watermelon this summer. But, pastured poultry has higher Omega 3's anyway.

 

[farmerinKC]

Funny-I was just thinking about feeding my chickens some canned salmon, but I didn't know if it would be okay. So, I did a search and found my answer!

I bought one of the six or eight packs of wild alaskan salmon last year at Costco. Although we love fresh salmon-we discovered we don't like the canned. I've been looking at it sitting in my pantry thinking I should do something with it- I hope my chickens like it! Lobster flavored eggs sound pretty good to put in a salad!

 

[mikecnorthwest]

Maybe I'm missing something but if you want the omega 3 couldn't you just eat the canned salmon yourself?

 

[farmerinKC]

Maybe I'm missing something but if you want the omega 3 couldn't you just eat the canned salmon yourself?

I could-but as I stated in my post we found out we didn't like it-so I was thinking I could give it to my chickens as a treat. I did a search and found this thread saying it was fine to feed canned salmon to chickens. Searching for answers on BYC has always been helpful to me.

I've pretty much learned everything I know about taking care of chickens by reading and searching for answers here.

 

[mikecnorthwest]

Quote:
I could-but as I stated in my post we found out we didn't like it-so I was thinking I could give it to my chickens as a treat. I did a search and found this thread saying it was fine to feed canned salmon to chickens. Searching for answers on BYC has always been helpful to me.

I've pretty much learned everything I know about taking care of chickens by reading and searching for answers here.

Actually I was referring to the original poster. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[SteveBaz]

Holly smokes they eat fish... come on? Really? Where do chickens find fish in the wild? LOL I could not afford chickens if I had to feed them fish. I cant afford to by Salmon for me?

Steve