On Thu, 3 Jun 2004 18:41:18 +1000, "Liza" wrote:

Food waste :

I collect food scraps from my local organic shop and throw it all at the
chickens as well as the household scraps, (saves me buying chicken food)
like Graybyrd states, the chickens will either eat it or scratch it into the
ground.

As I move my chickens around the garden beds in what is called a 'chook
tractor' (permaculture design) this works very well and gives me a no dig
garden. (even better) I also rake up the left over scraps when the pen is
moved and throw them on the compost pile.

Alternatively, go for the worms, which I also keep. They will devour food
scraps. You end up with worm liquid (amazing fertilizer) and worm castings,
(amazing potting mix) I feed the worms the food I know the chickens wont
eat unless they are cooked into a mash, (ie corn leaves, potatoes, carrots
etc.)

I made my own worm box. Holes on the underside of the box, under which a
tray sits to collect the worm liquid, and a flap at the bottom of the box to
pull the casting out from. A lid at the top place the worm food in. Very
easy.

I like this worm site its full of information about keeping worms. (not that
it is that hard. You dont feed them citrus onion/garlic/chilli or meat
otherwise pretty much anything goes) http://www.squirmy-worms.com/index.html

In autum I start cooking the food scraps up in an old pan, which I feed to
the chickens. The warm food keeps them laying a little longer coming into
the winter months. They will also eat scraps such as potato peels if they
are boiled up and soft.

P.S Why wont chickens eat avocado ? I'm fairly certain mine do. I know I
feed it too them on occassions from the collected organic matter form the
shop. I haven't watched closely to see if they actually eat it, it may be
part of the compost rot i rake up or gets scratched into the bed.

They're toxic to hook bill birds, and I figure they aren't going to be
good for other birds either. I didn't see any definitive reason other
than they're toxic and they're not sure which part is the problem but
since most of them that eat them die, why push it with others.

Janice


"Janice" wrote in message
.. .
On 2 Jun 2004 17:21:44 GMT, Ignoramus15978
wrote:

Much of our food waste I give to my chickens, but some (mostly
vegetable scraps) I do not.

why do you not give the vegetable scraps to the chickens? They LOVE
greens and they are sort of piranha with feathers, they'll eat
anything pretty much. Saw a silver lace wyandott hen chase down a
mouse, nab the sucker and swallow it whole, head first! Just one step
up from the reptiles they came from! ;-)

They'll eat and process anything you give them (short of avocado, fat,
chocolate, and pineapple I'd skip those since those were no-nos for
other birds). Then you wouldn't need to worry about it stinking in a
can, or raccoons getting it, and the beta carotene in the veggies will
make the yolks darker in the eggs! They love your garden weeds and
thinnings too. Skip the nightshade and other poisonous weeds and
tomatoes and potatoes and rhubarb leaves of course!

Janice

Those, I would like to somehow compost. I
already have a compost pile for chicken bedding (leaves and grass),
more leaves and grass. I am reluctant to throw food stuff in that pile
due to raccoons and other pests.

For now, I decided to simply dump these wastes into a garbage bin with
a nice closeable lid that cannot be removed by raccoons, hopeing that
it will rot in time, and that then I will add it to the compost pile
when it finally rots. I read exciting things about worm composting, is
it worth the trouble?

Or, maybe, I can store food scraps in the bin, and when I turn over the
pile, I would dump them into the middle of the pile?

i