Compost pile and Chicken feeder

[FortCluck]

One of my favorite homesteaders in Alaska feeds their chickens from their compost plus free ranging.

My chickens have lost interest in chicken feed the past month. I’ve noticed it’s become quite dusty compared to last year.

I decided I’m going to grow fodder, a pasture of cloves, and make several compost piles in our massive chicken run.

1.) They’ll get all the bugs and worms they want

2.) They’ll get egg shells and other Whole Foods (we do not eat processed in this house)

3.) They’ll have a better rounded diet overall to the natural way a bird eats.

4.) We have several berry bushes that we need to harvest that they can eat as well

We are taking it back to our ancestors roots... My fathers grandfather farmed this way and here I am continuing the tradition.

I will post pics in a bit of the steps we did. We have been learning a lot from older generations and homesteaders.

 

[corriemartin]

My chickens eat hardly any chicken feed. Lots of crickets and grasshoppers and plants, and whatever it is that they find in the compost pile.

 

[FortCluck]

Very good attitude ! Wow! God bless you !

You too... I’m about to make the pile now

 

[FortCluck]

My chickens eat hardly any chicken feed. Lots of crickets and grasshoppers and plants, and whatever it is that they find in the compost pile.

I’m glad to hear this! Thank you for sharing that with me. Mine love it so far... my chickens hated pickles... I just gave them homemade ones and they were going ’s

 

[Sally PB]

I will be following this with a lot of interest! I've been trying to give my chickens less chicken food and more natural food. They don't free range (too many predators and dogs), so they are depending on me to give them what they need. Their run is becoming more compost-y and when we move them closer to the house in the fall, I will have some nice stuff to put on my squash bed. Win for everyone.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I have to admit, I've noticed a big increase in chicken feed intake over the last month since I broke my forearm and am temporarily not able to haul food waste in and turn the compost pile.

I'm hoping in a few weeks when I can get back into, the feed consumption will go back down to what I was seeing earlier this year.

One thing - winter makes this all a lot harder for those of us in areas that significant cold/snow. I'll be interested to see how it goes.

 

[corriemartin]

My favorite chicken writer, Harvey Ussery (https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/the-small-scale-poultry-flock/) has a whole chapters on how to feed chickens naturally (one on raising worms and "protein from thin air", and greens, and a wonderful section about his "compost corner"--no need to turn the compost, let the chickens do it. His book is REAALY inspiring.

My chickens are in a tractor these days (after a brutal neighborhood dog slaughter session) so they're not out and about like they used to be, but when they were, they were always on the compost pile. And I dumped a huge mound of hay from our pasture after we mowed it into their yard, and they went nuts on it. The ducks are in that yard now, and I toss kitchen scraps on it, and dump their mucky ducky duck-food water on it every day, and they seem to be finding lots of goodies.

But even the chickens in the tractor are eating mostly bugs (it's cricket and grasshopper season) and grass and clover. Seriously, I'm hardly having to put any food in their feeder.

 

[SabongStuff]

Chickens sift my compost daily. It’s a great alternative and makes for the best soil.

 

[yakitori]

We have so many fat worms in our garden, but my chickens wouldn’t touch them

I compost directly in the run and they love sifting through it!

 

[Chicalina]

I read that mould can poison chickens, but part of the composting process involves moulds breaking the food down. Just curious about this. If I toss in kitchen scraps into their run and they go mouldy the chickens tend to leave those bits but will gobble up feed that gets caught under their feeder and has gone mouldy when I move it.