Compost?

[emimiller8]

What foods can and can't my chickens eat? Anything dangerous to my hens? Can I give them all compost able foods?

 

[chfite]

You can likely feed them anything in moderation. If they have sufficient free choice, it seems unlikely that they would eat anything bad for them.

Anything edible that is compostable, I now feed to the chickens for initial processing, then add the pine shavings with the poop to the compost bin. There are some things that mine won't eat, but those things are few.

Chris

 

[emimiller8]

Coffee grinds, onion, garlic, jalapeño? Anything that I should absolutely keep out. Right now I just started a compost pile in the run( section of back yard fenced off for them). They are so picky right now they don't eat from it at all. I am hoping that changes once they get more comfortable with me and their run. I have only has them for 10 days. I just don't want to put something harmful in the run compost pile.

 

[sushicat2000]

Heres a list of no-nos:

• avacado
• citrus fruit
• banana peels
• raw potatoe peels
• pineapple
• salty foods
• dried or un cooked beans
• raw eggs
• candy or sugary food
• apple seeds
• peach pits
• tomatoes

Some of my girls' favorites are mealworms, pear, black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, plain yogurt, and spinach.

 

[OkChickens]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens

Nate

 

[emimiller8]

That website was perfect!

 

[lisascenic]

My chickens check out our compost every day. They very eating the insides of juiced lemons with gusto, just today. I'm not sure why citrus is considered off limits. Perhaps because of concerns about pesticides? (We grow lemons organically in our backyard.)

We are delighted by our dumpster diving hens.

 

[emimiller8]

I have fenced off an area in the chicken area where I dump all the sawdust and poop. They love to dig through it and speed it everywhere so it makes it nearly impossible to harvest tw poop for my garden. Any better sujestions? Also there is so much sawdust mixed with the poop. What do I do about that? Is it good for plants? Or do I need to separate the poop and sawdust if I want to use it for my garden. Please help! Thanks

 

[Den in Penn]

You need to either have a compost pile out of the run, or a solid sided bin with sides high enough the chickens can't spread it around. The wood shavings will break down given time. If you are composting, that will start it. When it is spread in the garden and mixed in it will help loosen the soil and continue to break down. If you want a better shavings to poop ratio you could use less when you clean the coop, clean less often or maybe clean under the roosts and let the rest go longer.

 

[swga]

Heres a list of no-nos:

• avacado
• citrus fruit
• banana peels
• raw potatoe peels
• pineapple
• salty foods
• dried or un cooked beans
• raw eggs
• candy or sugary food
• apple seeds
• peach pits
• tomatoes

Some of my girls' favorites are mealworms, pear, black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, plain yogurt, and spinach.

Tomatoes are fine to feed chickens- mine love them! Just avoid the vine part- that is toxic