[Festes]

Well folks sad to tell you but fat is good for you. And it will help keep your chickens warms as well. Use natural fats, and don't overdo it. Please keep any negative comments to yourself. Thanks:thumb:

 

[rpp]

Suet, great idea. Thank you.

 

[MichaelK]

I bought 10lbs of chicken pieces recently that I used for canning. Before deboning the meat and using the bones to make broth, I first rendered the fat from all the chicken skin. I put all the skin in a wok with a few tablespoons of water. After steaming the skins for a few minutes the chicken fat started to render out. After filtering it I got a 1/2 pint of clean high-grade chicken butter.

Would it be unethical to feed this fat back to chickens?

What I've also done in the past is lightly stir-fry dried out bread scraps in old bacon fat. The birds went crazy over this.

 

[Sumatra]

I bought 10lbs of chicken pieces recently that I used for canning. Before deboning the meat and using the bones to make broth, I first rendered the fat from all the chicken skin. I put all the skin in a wok with a few tablespoons of water. After steaming the skins for a few minutes the chicken fat started to render out. After filtering it I got a 1/2 pint of clean high-grade chicken butter.

Would it be unethical to feed this fat back to chickens?

What I've also done in the past is lightly stir-fry dried out bread scraps in old bacon fat. The birds went crazy over this.

The ethics depend on who you ask, but it sure won't hurt the birds and they'll love you for it, if properly prepared.

 

[Dragonid]

...
Would it be unethical to feed this [rendered fat from chicken skin] back to chickens?

No. Unless you're the sort of person who thinks plants and animals deserve equal rights with humans -- but you're eating them, so that's unlikely.

Rendered fat (boiling hot 400+F) is unlikely to carry pathogens, and that is all that really matters.

 

[Grits]

I bought 10lbs of chicken pieces recently that I used for canning. Before deboning the meat and using the bones to make broth, I first rendered the fat from all the chicken skin. I put all the skin in a wok with a few tablespoons of water. After steaming the skins for a few minutes the chicken fat started to render out. After filtering it I got a 1/2 pint of clean high-grade chicken butter.

Would it be unethical to feed this fat back to chickens?

What I've also done in the past is lightly stir-fry dried out bread scraps in old bacon fat. The birds went crazy over this.

It would be safe. Like Dragonid said there should not be any pathogens once you've redered it, and your chickens are used to eating fats so it won't cause digestive isses. It would freak me out personally, but that's just me.

 

[MichaelK]

No. Unless you're the sort of person who thinks plants and animals deserve equal rights with humans -- but you're eating them, so that's unlikely.

But, but, but, the PETA people think so. Shouldn't we all be paying attention to what they say?

 

[Dragonid]

But, but, but, the PETA people think so. Shouldn't we all be paying attention to what they say?

Have you ever noticed that when they set animals free from research labs or whatever, it's always small things. Why aren't they setting lions and bears loose?

 

[Vectorwoman]

Today I decided that this unusual relentless below 0 temps was just cruel to not give my chickens heat.

I have built in 2 cages under the nesting boxes (for injured birds). I cleaned all the hay out of one, and put a heater in it. I do not like the risk of fire hazard by having a heater in the coop; but I feel like if I don't I am going to end up w/ dead chickens.

I will turn it off in the morn. and just use it at night. Even if they wouldn't die, they have to be miserable, with those temps day in and day out.

 

[rimaaustin]

Well folks sad to tell you but fat is good for you. And it will help keep your chickens warms as well. Use natural fats, and don't overdo it. Please keep any negative comments to yourself. Thanks:thumb:

Bacon grease is an awesome idea, I was worried about my birds (I'm a first time chicken owner) getting cold this winter. I took a seminar on backyard chickens and she assured us that chickens were hardy. She said birds are birds, some migrate and some don't. Chickens do not migrate so that means they are prepared for winter which made sense. Still worries me though. I am going to start with the grease and I am assuming you still heat the oatmeal when you add the grease right?

 

[rimaaustin]

But, but, but, the PETA people think so. Shouldn't we all be paying attention to what they say?

Chickens eat their own eggs, I think PETA is overthinking it. I respect what PETA does but this is the natural order of things. I threw out some yolks the other day that I didn't eat and they scrambled for them and devoured them and the fat was good for them. I think it is a matter of personal choice.

 

[Fillzee]

Our girls got a snack of spaghetti with some sardines for protein this morning. They loved it. They didn't like the steam coming off the spaghetti and they would sneak in and grabbed one piece at at time. Still, it gave them something to do. It got down to 13 but they are hardy birds. The cold will not get them but make sure they always have fresh and not frozen water.

 

[America's Patriot]

They are fairly hardy in the cold. It's a cold draft that will kill them. And feeding them scratch in the evening is the best way to help keep them warm. Scratch will build fat on their bodies, but also gives their body an energy boost to help shake off the chills. Scratch will not replace a good meal, so feed them normally in the mornings. Personally, I feed them anything they will eat...