Closing the loop with BSFL

[velacreations]

Grains are grass seeds. Many have been modified by selective breeding to make them easier to grow and harvest. Different grains have different nutritional values but they are essentially grass seeds. Different wild grass seeds have different nutritional values. If you want to consider anything domesticated as unnatural, fine. You certainly can do that. But I see no real difference in the nutritional value of a domesticated grass seed versus a wild grass seed, as long as you consider it for its individual nutritional value and mix it into their balanced diet appropriately.

Grass seeds, yes, but grass seeds and corn are very different, especially nutritionally. There is a significant difference in grass seeds, and even the ancestors of common grains and the modern versions. That's why we feed grains instead of wild grass seed to chickens. My comment wasn't to suggest that grains are not good feed for chickens, but they are not what an ancestral chicken would have come across, whereas maggots are certainly within the natural diet of chickens.

Quote: I've been composting our human manure for 15 years, I'm way past the yuk factor. And in reality, it never bothered me that much to begin with. I understand not everyone feels the same way.

Manures are a resources, though, and we'd do good by considering them as that vs just waste products. They have a lot of usable energy (as the study shows), and if integrated properly, it can greatly increase the sustainability of our operations.

And when it's all said and done, I love the idea of free chicken feed!

 

[velacreations]

I realize the chickens would not be exposed to the "manure" only the larva, after they self harvest. I will go out on a limb here and say that a lot of folks would find handling human feces in this manner would be a little unsettling.

I also wonder if disposing of human waste in this manner is even legal?? "They" certainly have all kinds of laws concerning sanitation....

Well, composting toilets are legal in most areas, so this might be. I imagine that you'd want to keep it secret to avoid strange looks over the fence.

Yes, this isn't for everyone, but maybe some people.

 

[enola]

I already get strange looks over the fence....... I am locally known as The Crazy Chicken Lady !

 

[velacreations]

I want to try BSFL this summer, I am going to use mine to consume leftovers after butchering, house hold scraps, eggs that don't hatch, chicks that die....... Things like that. I have also wondered if roadkill could be processed by BSFL. It seems to be such a waste to a wild animal's life....

BSF really are wonderful in that role. Here's the bin I made/use for doing exactly what you are talking about: http://velacreations.com/food/animals/bsf/107.html

Roadkill can be processed really quickly with a proper sized colony. They love things like that, and will leave nothing but bones behind.

 

[velacreations]

Ok, since we already talked about feces, I figure I can talk about urine, too. The urine from one adult human has enough nutrients to grow 200 kg (~440 lbs) of grain a year. Combined with BSFL from the feces, you could provide your entire diet for your flock from your waste alone!



Quick calculations: 1 lb of humanure per adult per day = 1/2 lb of BSFL per day. Combine that with 1.2 lbs of grain grown with urine, and you have 1.7 lbs of chicken feed. That's enough for 35 lbs of chickens, or about 5-7 laying hens.

So, why are we buying feed, again?

 

[velacreations]

Velacreations, I just wanted to let you know that I'm very intrigued by your ideas. Figuring out a way of eliminating what would otherwise be a waste product while at the same time creating a livestock feed source is the kind of thinking that is necessary if ever we want to move to a more sustainable way of existence.

A viable alternative to conventional human fecal waste processing such as this would not only be a way to deal with sanitation issues, but could impact hunger and poverty issues as well. I've often felt we could feed the world's hungry if we all just ate bugs anyway. Feeding bugs raised on poop to chickens is not something that would gross me out in the least. Heck, I'm actually wondering if it would be more efficient to cut the chicken out of the picture entirely and just eat the processed larva ourselves.

I agree, and I know it's not for everyone, but nutrient recycling and more efficient livestock (insects) are tools we haven't really used in the majority of food production.

Yes, it is more efficient to cut out the chicken, and eat the bugs directly. Most people won't do that, and people here have chickens, so that's why I route through chickens. You can eat BSFL, and cutting out the chicken, you could produce all the protein you need directly from the BSFL. You'd want to clean them well, add a sterilization step, but BSFL can be and are consumed by humans.

You could also route through other, more palatable insects (mealworms, crickets), fish, other poultry, pigs, dogs, etc. I wouldn't give it to herbivores, but there are plenty of omnivores around to use up a protein source like that. And then, don't forget to integrate their manures, too!

Fecal recycling is really just one small part of the bigger picture, too. Urine +fecal recycling is where you can replace 90%+ of your diet with food grown on the nutrients in your wastes. A human adult produces enough urine to fertilize a hydroponic garden 150 square feet in size, year round. That's far more than you need for vegetables, and could produce a big chunk of your carbs/staples. If you only grow 6 months of the year, then 300 square feet, which again, in an intensive hydroponic setup, is a considerable amount of food.

Imagine systems like that, with a properly designed toilet, and hydroponic system linked together and semi-automated. Produce a daily rate of both veg and protein, right from home without significant external inputs.

The point being, that by closing the nutrient loop, we could produce the vast majority of our food with considerably less resources than we currently use.

If you are interested in integrations like this, check out our book/project on Amazon - Food Web: Concept

 

[velacreations]

OK, I draw the line at eating the larva myself. I am sure I could collect the poop and feed it to the larva, then feed the larva to the chickens, WAY before I could eat the larva myself. My stomach thinks digesting larva is just wrong on so many levels. *****running to find a chair to hide under*****

what about bug Tofu?

People don't like the idea of eating bugs in Western societies (even though you eat them in your flours and grains already), but luckily, we have other options, like chickens, fish, pigs, etc.

 

[velacreations]

I completely understand that the majority of people would balk at the idea of eating bugs, especially those fed poop. But I'm not talking about frying up a plate of the crawly critters and eating it for lunch. It'd be near to impossible to get people to sign on to that idea. I'm envisioning the worms being dried and processed into a powder that would then become an additive to "regular" foods in much the same manner that things like whey or soy protein powder is. I'm willing to bet that a strawberry protein shake made with larva protein vs. one made with soy protein would probably still taste like strawberries--even if the larva were raised on poop.

Bug tofu would be easy to make, as well, and would work ok as a meat replacement in meals: http://www.popsci.com/c-fu-tofu-made-100-percent-mealworm-protein

I wonder how much of the commercially raised meat eats poop already? It's common in the poultry and pig industry to feed manures to animals.

 

[enola]

So, would cat and dog manure be an option?

 

[velacreations]

So, would cat and dog manure be an option?

yes! and chicken manure, too.