Compost = Happy Chickens!!

Hi everyone
First, I want to thank BYC for all the great members and everything I've learned here. I've got a healthy, happy flock and great eggs, and I owe it all to what I've learned here. You guys have helped me rescue lame hens, save a chick from coccidiosis, improve the quality of my chickens lives, and above all else, have fun with my chickens!
After reading this awesome article on compost a few weeks back, I started my own pile inside the chicken run. Everyday I pick up 1 to 6 CASES of waste veggies from either my neighbourhood market or the local private veggie shop. All for FREE! Mostly I grab the cases of lettuce, tomatoes and other greens, but sometimes there are melons, grapes and other goodies. Surprisingly, my chickens love melons. Although they don't much care for other fruit, I happily toss in the old nectarines, bananas and plums as they come, because they attract the bugs and thus their larva. When the fresh veggies on top run low, I use a pitch fork to turn and loosen the compost underneath so they can dig as they like. All in all, my chickens wade around in veggies and I love thinking how happy they must be, especially the adults which were all rescues. I've definitely been able to cut down on the feed I purchase, but I do still give them their pellets, some scratch on cold days and eggshells or seashells for the mature hens.
I took this about an hour after dumping today's haul of veggies, and so more than half of the chickens were already asleep under a tree with their crops full. In total I have 23, but most of them are still between 15 and 20 weeks.
Thanks BYC!
Tamara

 

That's pretty much what I do too. I have a separate compost for onion scraps, avocado, citrus and anything else that isn't good for them or takes too long to breakdown. My husband is the equivalent of your 2-year old in that he cuts open fruits and veggies, although he does it with a machete! The chickens have no fear of the machete, which scares me because they'll stand right there while he cuts open the produce!