Can Chickens Eat Cat Food?

The answer to this question, at least in most cases, is yes. Chickens are quite capable of survival when they’re given a small amount of cat food to eat. It’s not well-recommended, though, and should be done with caution because there could be health risks associated with it.

It’s true that you can feed your chickens a small amount of cat food, but it’s not wise to make it a regular occurrence. If you’re fortunate enough to have other sources of protein and vegetables available, then feeding your chickens cat food on occasion is unlikely to harm them.

However, if you only own a few hens and there is no other food available for them, then feeding them cat food regularly will cause their eggs to contain high levels of cholesterol.

What’s In Cat Food?

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat in order to get the nutrients they need to be healthy. Due to this fact, commercially available cat foods contain animal meat as either the primary or sole ingredient.

Protein is important for muscle growth and repair; it also helps keep your pet alert and satisfied between meals. This means you’ll need to feed your cat a high-protein food with a moderate amount of fat.

Both water and salt must also be provided through the diet to prevent dehydration and the development of hypernatremia or salt poisoning. So how much should you feed your cat? The amount required varies depending on age, weight, activity level, and health status.

In general, cats require at least 0.5% of their body weight as dry food each day, as well as free access to fresh water at all times. In other words, if your kitty weighs 8 lbs., he needs 4oz of dry food per day…

Is Cat Food Safe for Chickens?

Yes, chickens can eat cat food. After all, it’s not like you’re feeding them beef or anything–cats need a lot more protein in their diets, so long-term, it’ll be bad for the chicks. A short-term protein boost can help with molting and egg production.

However, for a chicken to make the most of a meal of cat food, they would need to consume about five pounds per day. This amount of cat food is unhealthy for both chickens and cats—giving your pet a spoonful of wet cat food isn’t going to hurt them one bit, but you aren’t expecting your chickens to thrive on this diet.

The first thing you need to keep in mind is the amount and frequency of supplemental feedings. It can be tempting to give your birds as much as they will eat and as often as they will eat it, but it’s crucial that you understand how much protein their bodies actually need.

Chickens don’t have many requirements for carbs or fat intake, but all chickens are required by nature to consume lots of proteins on a daily basis—for egg production during molting time, among other things.

How Much Cat Foods Can Chickens Eat?

There’s no set amount for this, but 20-30% of the chickens’ diet should consist of protein. Regardless of your choice of cat food, be sure to use a well-balanced ratio for your daily feeding. For example, if you give them 2 cups (pea and rice) and 1 cup (mash) per day each, that means 10% protein.

Second: Be sure that the protein in the cat food is high quality and not high in fat or carbohydrates. High fat and carbohydrate can both have negative health effects for chickens as well as other birds. The maximum % of a chicken’s diet that should be protein is 20%, and this is for molting chickens.

Too much protein will have a negative effect on their health. Plus, too much protein puts them at an increased risk for bone fractures from a muscle strain as well as egg binding.

Can Chickens Eat Dry Cat Food?

Chickens can eat dry cat food. Chickens are absolutely capable of eating a small amount of dry cat food. Typically, dry cat food has a higher protein and fat content. Dry food is usually around 28%-26% protein, while wet food will be closer to 10%-15% protein. This is why you would feed your chickens with wet cat food once in a while as they have a more limited diet, but they should only eat it 1-2 times per month at most.

It’s also worth noting that the iron levels in dry cat foods are typically low since beef is the main component of these types of foods. It’s typically recommended to feed wet food to chickens, but dry kitty chow can be utilized for nutritional purposes if your farmer friend won’t allow it.

Plus, if you aren’t in the mood for wet chicken dinners, that’s fine too because dry cat food has a higher protein and fat content.

Wet vs Dry Cat Food – Which is Best for Chickens?

Wet cat food is much easier for chickens to eat because it’s usually dark in color and can be consumed with little to no pre-processing. Of course, there are some drawbacks you need to consider as well. The first one is that wet cat food can spoil if it isn’t used quickly enough.

This happens because the nutrients are removed during the dehydration process, and moisture makes up about 60% of the volume once prepared by wet cat food manufacturers.

Can Chickens Get Sick from Cat Food?

Chickens are not designed to eat cat food. There are many things in the cat food that your chickens don’t need and can actually hurt their health. For example, one of the significant ingredients in pet foods such as Purina One SmartBlend Weight Management Formula for Cats contains monounsaturated fat, which can cause inflammation and heart disease in your chicken.

Another difference between cat food and chicken feed is that it has a higher protein content than what you find in hen feed.

Can Chickens Live on Cat Food Only?

Chickens cannot live on cat food alone. Chickens need a certain amount of protein and other nutrients to survive. They need vitamins A, B1, B2, D3, which cannot be found in cat food alone. If their diet consists only of cat food, there will be secondary health issues such as vitamin deficiency and heart problems.

Chickens need a balanced diet with plenty of water as well as bedding material such as straw or wood shavings to eliminate ammonia from their body.

Bottom Line

The amount of protein a chicken eats in a day can have a drastic impact on its health. Too much or too little protein in their diet can lead to long-term ailments later in life.  According to nutritionist Dr. Diana Cullum, “If they get too much protein, the heart and liver will struggle to process it all”.

Cullum also notes that extra protein may cause an excess of toxins in the body, creating kidney issues. Protein also has a tricker time being converted into energy when there is an overabundance of it in the diet.