compost pile in chicken coop

[Hollywood Chickens]

I have the compost pile in the chicken yard, they stay there all day digging for bugs and kitchen scraps, they have never gotten sick from drinking the runoff because they always have clean water to drink.

It is very convenient to have the compost close to the coop because in FL we have to clean out the coop everyday to stop the smell (can't do the deep litter method).

They are great on the compost because they break up the hay into tiny pieces making it compost faster and then they poop on the compost adding to the mix!

My chickens have been eating compost for 2 years and my mother raised chickens for many years and they always ate compost.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Quote:
my chicken eat the coffee grinds and have never gotten sick from them.

 

[StupidBird]

Reading this with interest - but since we have such a huge bin/pile, I don't think it'd fit in the run! My birds always go to the hay/straw mulched beds to scratch, and fling mulch all over. No problems in the two years I've had chickens. The mulch breaks down really fast on the empty garden in winter when they are allowed there.

 

[mulewagon]

I started to do the same thing as the OP, with a compost ring in the pen where I'd throw all my food scraps, and shovel the coop into. But the chickens scratched everything out through the wire. So now I just throw food scraps into the chicken pen, and shove the droppings out below the coop. They scratch it all downhill, along with the leaves. And in spring I'll shovel it up and carry it to the garden.

A lot of people manage things this way. While I'm sure that some kinds of mold will kill chickens, I've never lost any from eating out of compost piles. As a matter of fact, in my early days of chicken keeping I used the deep litter method, ignorant that it does not work well if your earth floor gets wet. I stopped using that due to the hideous stench of rotten corn when I shoveled up the mess. The chickens were thrilled and charged in to eat up the newly-rediscovered goodies. Now I feed them outside the coop, but it's purely for my sensibilities.

 

[Terri O]

Quote:
Freemotion--thanks for that link. It is a very interesting article. I too throw everything from the kitchen (and weekly from the restaurant I cook at) into the coop for my birds. I cannot imagine NOT giving them scraps...I do not feed moldy grains; but they have on occasion eaten the "science experiments" from my refrigerator! Terri O

 

[PepsNick]

Quote:
my chicken eat the coffee grinds and have never gotten sick from them.

Baaaad idea.

 

[clairabean]

Essentialy the main process of a comport bin/pile is to compost- meaning to make it rot. Rotten food can kill chickens, so.... I would think bad idea. I think it is about the amount. If the chickens can 'process' that amount in a few days, rot may not be a problem. But then it is not a compost pile, but a chicken feed pile....

I throw all my scraps over the fence to the chickens. What they eat, yay, what they don't get's trampled/scratched in the dirt.

 

[mkearsley]

I have a compost pile next the chicken coop. It is 90% yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, etc (I don't use any chemicals on my lawn), but I do also toss out the coffee grounds & filter and excess food. I see the chickens in it regularly scratching around, looking for food. I've actually had one of the birds decide to make a nest & lay eggs in the compost pile! During the summer, she tried to sleep on the nest.

I think that as long as they have access to other food sources, they'll be fine. No animal will eat things that make them sick unless that's the only option. However, if they have a wide array of food sources, they may eat things that have toxins, but can counteract those toxins by eating something else. Animals aren't stupid. If something makes them sick, they will not eat it again. However, if the only food source is the compost pile, the chances of them getting sick are alot higher. I've only had chickens since spring, but I've studied animal behavior throughout college & in my professional life. I can't imagine that cows are any smarter than chickens..... but I could be wrong

 

[biddyboo]

Protect chickens from potentially dangerous ingestions or toss them everything and see what happens. Which is best? Probably some chickens have died and moldy feed or poor condition feed has been blamed. Other flocks have thrived with no observable problems ingesting whatever they encounter, compost et al. We side or "err" on the toss it to 'em management style and our girls are healthy and active, relishing anything we offer or they find. THey always have fresh cold water available and laying mash plus Calf Pro Manna for protein additive and oyster shell. BOSS and scratch are popular winter treats along with hot oatmeal breakfasts. There is probably no right answer, just options for flock owners to ponder. ~G

 

[HeritageHens]

Quote:
my chicken eat the coffee grinds and have never gotten sick from them.

Baaaad idea.

Why?

I'm not suggesting feeding coffee grounds to a chicken but please point me to a definitive article on why coffee grounds are bad? I did a google search and have now gone back 6 pages. The only references I can find to coffee grounds being bad is in posts just like yours. So my question is why are grounds bad if they are part of a larger system of a compost pile?

The reason I ask is because the bad effects of onion, avocado, and chocolate is well documented in animals but I am curious why coffee grounds fall into the same category.

TIA!