Have you ever wondered if it’s okay to feed your backyard chickens some leftover chicken from last night’s dinner? This question often sparks heated debates among chicken keepers. As someone who’s raised chickens for years, I’ve explored this controversial topic thoroughly and want to share what I’ve learned about whether chickens should eat chicken meat
Chickens are natural omnivores not vegetarians! When I see “vegetarian-fed” proudly displayed on egg cartons I can’t help but shake my head. In the wild, chickens enthusiastically devour insects, frogs, mice, and even scavenge dead carcasses. They’re little dinosaurs at heart!
But is it safe and ethical to intentionally feed chicken meat to your flock? Let’s dig into the pros, cons, and best practices.
The Nutritional Benefits of Feeding Chicken Meat
Chicken meat offers several important nutritional benefits for your flock:
- High protein content: About 26 grams per 3-ounce serving
- Essential nutrients: Good source of niacin, vitamin B6, and phosphorus
- Supports egg production: Protein is crucial for healthy egg-laying
- Seasonal supplement: Especially valuable during winter when bugs are scarce
- Helps during high-demand periods: Spring egg production, molting seasons, growth spurts in young chicks
My chickens definitely seem more energetic and produce better eggs when they get adequate protein. During winter months when bugs disappear, providing occasional meat helps maintain their protein intake.
Potential Health Concerns
Despite the benefits, feeding chicken meat isn’t without risks:
- Disease transmission: Bacteria like Salmonella can spread to your flock
- Commercial chicken concerns: Potential traces of hormones, antibiotics, and steroids
- Bacterial contamination: Raw chicken may contain harmful bacteria
- Behavioral issues: Some argue it might trigger cannibalistic behaviors (though evidence is mixed)
According to the content I reviewed, Salmonella is particularly concerning, being found in about 8% of chicken parts tested by the USDA and 25% of ground chicken. Chicks under 3 weeks old are most vulnerable, with mortality rates potentially reaching up to 100% within 2-3 weeks of age if infected.
The Cannibalism Question: Will Eating Chicken Make Chickens Attack Each Other?
This is probably the most debated aspect of feeding chicken to chickens. Some chicken keepers insist that the taste of chicken meat triggers cannibalistic behavior in their flocks. Others say they’ve fed chicken for years with zero issues.
In my experience and based on what I’ve read, cannibalism in chickens is more likely caused by:
- Overcrowding
- Protein deficiencies
- Environmental stressors
- Boredom
- Natural pecking order dynamics
If your flock is well-fed, has adequate space, and isn’t stressed, feeding occasional chicken meat probably won’t turn them into cannibals. I’ve given my chickens meat scraps for years with no cannibalism issues whatsoever.
How to Safely Feed Chicken Meat to Your Flock
If you decide to feed your chickens chicken meat, follow these safety guidelines:
- Cook thoroughly: Heat to 165°F to kill bacteria like Salmonella
- Cool before serving: Prevents choking or crop burns
- Remove skin, bones, and seasonings: Plain meat is safest
- Chop into bite-size pieces: Makes digestion easier
- Limit to 10-15% of diet: Balance is key
- Introduce slowly: Sudden diet changes can upset digestion
- Store safely: Keep refrigerated under 40°F until serving
- Choose quality sources: Organic, antibiotic-free chicken is best
I typically give my chickens meat scraps as an occasional treat, not as a daily food source. For example, after roasting a chicken, I’ll pick off some small meat pieces from the carcass and toss them to the flock as a special treat.
Alternatives to Chicken Meat
If you’re uncomfortable feeding chicken to chickens, plenty of alternative protein sources exist:
- Cooked eggs: Excellent source of protein and calcium
- Mealworms: Contain up to 60% protein
- Black soldier fly larvae: High in protein and calcium
- Beef, turkey, or fish: Other meat options with valuable nutrients
- Soybean meal: Plant-based protein option
- Canned cat food: High in protein and easy to digest
My personal favorite alternative is black soldier fly larvae. They provide about 40% protein and contain 50 times more calcium than mealworms. Plus, they’re typically sourced from the USA, unlike mealworms which often come from China.
Cultural Perspectives on Feeding Chicken Meat
Interestingly, attitudes toward feeding chickens chicken meat vary widely across cultures:
- Traditional farming: Historically common as a nutritional supplement
- Rural practices: Still common in places like Korea and Africa as a protein source
- Western view: Often considered taboo or unethical
- Modern commercial farms: Typically avoid the practice due to disease concerns
In many traditional farming communities, feeding small amounts of meat (including chicken) to chickens was standard practice before commercial feeds became available.
What Chickens Naturally Eat in the Wild
To understand whether chickens should eat meat, it helps to know what they naturally consume when allowed to roam freely:
- Tender greens and plants
- Seeds and grains
- Worms, slugs, and insects
- Frogs and lizards
- Small rodents
- Occasionally small birds
- Dead carcasses they encounter
- Larvae in manure
I’ve watched my free-range chickens chase down mice, gobble up frogs whole, and pick clean the carcasses of animals that died naturally on our property. They’re enthusiastic meat-eaters by nature!
Foods to NEVER Feed Your Chickens
While chickens can eat many things, some foods should be strictly avoided:
- Raw potato peels
- Avocado pit and peel
- Dry or uncooked beans
- Moldy or rotten foods
- Heavily processed meats (hot dogs, sausages, bacon)
- Fried foods
- Heavily salted or seasoned meats
- Caffeinated or alcoholic products
- High-fat or high-sugar foods
- Artificial sweeteners
Additionally, strong-flavored foods like onions, garlic, and fish can affect egg taste, though they’re not harmful to the chickens themselves.
Should Baby Chicks Eat Meat?
While adult chickens can handle meat well, baby chicks have different needs:
- It’s generally best to avoid feeding meat to chicks under 8 weeks
- Stick with a quality chick starter feed for balanced nutrition
- Allow them to forage for tiny insects naturally
- Their digestive systems need time to develop before handling meat
I never intentionally feed meat to my baby chicks – they get all the protein they need from their starter feed and whatever tiny bugs they find while exploring.
The 90/10 Rule for Chicken Feeding
The “90/10 rule” provides a helpful guideline for chicken feeding:
- 90% of a chicken’s diet should come from complete commercial feed
- The remaining 10% can be treats, including meat, table scraps, or foraged items
This ensures your chickens get proper nutrition while still enjoying variety and enrichment from treats.
After all my research and experience, I believe that feeding chicken meat to chickens can be perfectly fine when done properly. Chickens are natural omnivores who readily eat meat in the wild, including scavenging carcasses of their own kind.
The key points to remember:
- Cook meat thoroughly to kill bacteria
- Feed in moderation as part of a balanced diet
- Source quality meat when possible
- Monitor your flock for any unusual behaviors
- Consider alternatives if you’re uncomfortable with the practice
Ultimately, whether chickens should eat chicken meat comes down to your personal preferences and comfort level as a chicken keeper. There are good arguments on both sides, and your flock can thrive either way with proper care.
What’s your experience? Have you tried feeding chicken meat to your flock? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
FAQ
Can chickens eat chicken bones?
Yes, chickens can pick at cooked chicken bones, but be careful with small, sharp fragments that could cause injury. Many chicken keepers allow their flocks to clean meat scraps from larger bones.
Will feeding meat make my chickens aggressive?
There’s little evidence that meat consumption leads to aggression in chickens. Aggression is more commonly linked to overcrowding, inadequate feeding space, or natural pecking order disputes.
How often can I feed meat to my chickens?
Meat should be an occasional treat, not a daily staple. Following the 90/10 rule, meat treats should comprise less than 10% of your chickens’ overall diet.
Is it cannibalism to feed chickens chicken meat?
Technically yes, but chickens don’t have the same moral concepts humans do. In nature, chickens are opportunistic eaters and will consume dead birds, including other chickens, if they encounter them.
Can feeding chicken meat spread diseases to my flock?
Yes, there is a risk of disease transmission, particularly from raw chicken. This risk can be minimized by thoroughly cooking the meat and sourcing it from quality suppliers.
Remember, a happy chicken is a well-fed chicken with a balanced diet and plenty of space to express their natural behaviors. Whether that includes chicken meat is up to you!
What do chickens eat?
Chickens eat anything and everything, which means they eat both plants/vegetables and meat. So, chickens are called omnivores (a carnivore only eats meat and a herbivore only vegetables or plants).
Chickens naturally eat seeds and cereals. On poultry farms, they get cereals such as oats, wheat, barley and maize. They also get by-products (leftovers) from the food industry, such as soya and rape meal, and sunflower and wheat residues. This way, chickens recycle what we humans don’t eat. Finally, they also receive a special premix from De Heus. This contains all the vitamins and minerals that the chick needs.
Broilers and laying hens do not eat the same food at all. This is because hens need to lay eggs and broilers need to grow meat on their bones.
The feed for broilers is divided into 4 stages:
This is what chicks eat in the first week. Their digestive system has not fully developed yet. That’s why they still eat very small pellets, almost as small as breadcrumbs.
This is the feed that chicks get after about a week. The pellets are now slightly larger. Their digestive system has already developed a little better. So, part of their feed is made up of whole wheat. This means their gizzard (an organ to help digestion) is put to work. The chicks need to do a lot of growing, so they are allowed to eat a lot.
The pellets in this stage are even bigger, as much as three millimetres long. The chicks have grown since stage 3, so they can eat the larger pellets easily. At this stage, the chicks get a little more whole wheat than before. Their digestive system has formed enough to allow them to digest whole wheat.
This is the feed that broilers eat to grow big. The chicks are now even bigger than before, so they can eat bigger pellets. They also get a bigger proportion of whole wheat in their feed – as much as 35%.