Feeding aquarium culls to chickens?

[Chris09]

All 'freezing' is not created equal; For example, to kill trichina in meat, it must be frozen below a certain temperature for a certain length of time. There are specs for this and underdoing the time or temp is not effective. (All I remember from meat inspection many years ago) Mary

I agree,
To kill trichinella in pork that is less than 6 inches thick you have to freeze the meat for 20 days at 5°F.
Now some strains of trichinella like what are found bear meat and other game are not effected by freezing.

 

[centrarchid]

Remember a basic point, the aquarium reared fish will likely be disease free especially when you keep out host of alternate parasite life stages which is generally realized indoors. The concern over disease is becoming so extreme you are taking the fun out of raising fish and chickens. You might as well be feeding birds purified diets made in a lab and keeping them in a glass bubble.

 

[CrazyTalk]

To continue Centrarchid's point - most of the fish you buy from a pet store (and are breeding) have been bred for several generations (at a minimum) in captivity - inside. They've never been exposed to the sort of pests you'd be worried about.


There's still some wild collecting going on, but its mostly done for species that don't breed well in captivity, or when people are trying to introduce new blood - and F0/F1 fish are worth too much to feed to your chickens.

Extra koi or goldfish from your pond though - might be worth worrying about.

 

[DelBlueHen]

Thank you for your informative reply.

 

[DelBlueHen]

Clove oil is the best way to euthanize fish. It puts them to sleep instantly and then they slowly pass after that. Can't imagine the amount of clove oil needed to euthanize a platy would harm a chicken.

Yes, I had read that, too. I spent about an hour on fish fora about the best way to euthanize fish. Most other people agree with you about clove oil and vodka (I think). Thanks.

 

[DelBlueHen]

Remember a basic point, the aquarium reared fish will likely be disease free especially when you keep out host of alternate parasite life stages which is generally realized indoors. The concern over disease is becoming so extreme you are taking the fun out of raising fish and chickens. You might as well be feeding birds purified diets made in a lab and keeping them in a glass bubble.

That is a good point. Thank you.

 

[DelBlueHen]

To continue Centrarchid's point - most of the fish you buy from a pet store (and are breeding) have been bred for several generations (at a minimum) in captivity - inside. They've never been exposed to the sort of pests you'd be worried about.


There's still some wild collecting going on, but its mostly done for species that don't breed well in captivity, or when people are trying to introduce new blood - and F0/F1 fish are worth too much to feed to your chickens.

Extra koi or goldfish from your pond though - might be worth worrying about.

Ok, thanks.

 

[DelBlueHen]

I raise fish for a living. Most raised in ponds and they can harbor a range of parasites that require fish eating birds as final host. I also raise crayfish that can harbor parasites that can cause serious damage to lungs and / or brain of critters not adapted to the parasites. The same fish species spawned and reared indoors in what is essentially an aquarium setting are "bug" free. To produce animals for research where broods are desired to be parasite free, we keep the system clear of snails, birds and raccoons that either bring parasites in or serve as intermediate hosts. Freezing does appear to kill most but not all pathogens / parasites.

Thank you for your informative reply. The idea that aquarium fish have been raised for generations under monitored conditions makes a lot of sense.

 

[DelBlueHen]

With tropical, immersion in a slurry of ice water is even faster. After about 30 seconds transfer fish into Ziploc bag and freeze them. Clove oil is no longer available for use in food-fish.

Darn. Just when I thought I had the definitive answer to the the best way of euthanizing...well, I thought freezing was a good way so it's nice to have support for my position.

 

[DelBlueHen]

I agree,
To kill trichinella in pork that is less than 6 inches thick you have to freeze the meat for 20 days at 5°F.
Now some strains of trichinella like what are found bear meat and other game are not effected by freezing.

Interesting. Thanks!