Disposal of offal?

[iwltfum]

Makes great compost. I end up with at least 30 or 40 cubic yards of better compost than I have ever had the option to buy. That amount from 500-600 birds per season. I mix it in with chicken bedding, hardwood chips, and waste hay. I make sure it is all covered up at least a couple inches and let it sit until the next butchering (usually 2 weeks later). By that time, there is very little left. Everything we dont eat or the dogs dont eat goes in. Feathers, blood, intestines, sometimes organs or feet. I toss whole chickens in there too that die of natural causes.

I used to bury ofal, but I dug up a spot there years later to see what happened to it and everything in there was all just still there in full color and everything. Slightly melted. They say you can contaminate your ground water by burying ofal in that way. If too deep, it's deprived of oxygen and just ferments and then leaches in to the groundwater as is percolates down because it doesn'trun into any microorganisms to break it down on account of the depth. Several inches maximum for burying is a good rule.

 

[Isadora]

Makes great compost. I end up with at least 30 or 40 cubic yards of better compost than I have ever had the option to buy. I mix it in with chicken bedding. Make sure it is all covered up at least a couple inches and let it sit until the next butchering (usually 2 weeks later). By that time, there is very little left. I toss whole chickens in there to that die of natural causes.

I used to bury ofal but I dug up a spot there years later to see what happened to it and everything in there was all just still there in full color and everything. Slightly melted. They say you can contaminate your ground water by burying ofal in that way. If too deep, its deprived of oxygen and just ferments and then leaches in to the groundwater as is percolates down because it dowsnt run into any microorganisms to break it down on account of the depth. Several inches maximum for burying is a good rule.

You don't have animals trying to dig it up? That would be my concern.

 

[iwltfum]

You don't have animals trying to dig it up? That would be my concern.

Eagles and ravens and racoons sometimes, yes. We dont have very many large digging predators where I am. But I would do it anyway I think. My dogs are a good deterrent for most predators, guns works as a second resort. My compost piles are far, but within sight of my living room windows. I like to *try* and work with the wildlife as much as possible, and within reason. We do sacrifice birds to predators on occasion because of that mentaily, but we save ourselves alot of management stress and worry by simply not worrying about it. I've never lost more than 5-10 birds per season. Mostly from hawks, owls, and mink. But really, that compost is so worth it, if you have the space. I will never buy compost from a commercial compost operation again. Just garbage.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Like a good septic tank - more than 18" to discourage digging predators. Less than 3' so as to allow decomposition by oxygen needing bugs. AND its got to be the right soil, with the right water table, or those numbers are no good.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You don't have animals trying to dig it up? That would be my concern.

If I bury it in my garden, which is normal, my fence keeps dogs, coyotes, foxes, etc out. When I used to bury it in the orchard I'd put some wire fencing over it and weigh if down so critters couldn't dig it out. One time something, I think dogs, did dig it out so I started using that fencing.

A few times I've put it in my compost pile, also dead rabbits I shot out of my garden one time. The timing was right. If I cover it well the smell stays in and nothing dug it out. This is when I'm starting a new compost pile and I'd have the offal on bottom, a layer of garden wastes, a layer of dried grass, a layer of "old compost" from where I'd been collecting stuff that had stared composting, a layer of chicken poop, and more layers of garden wastes or dried grass. It was well covered and well sealed.

 

[CNJ]

I bury the head, feathers, intestines and gall but the neck, heart, lungs, crop, gizzard and liver go to the dogs as raw food. I'll occasionally keep a few livers back for myself; breaded and fried, they're really good.

What do you all do with the byproducts of the slaughter?

I freeze the guts and take it out on trash day. I only save the neck and feet for stock.

 

[gatrapper]

Anything that does not get eaten gets burned. On butchering day I fire up my burn barrel and load it up with some logs. Toss parts in as I go and it's turned to dust. Scoop up the ash and spread in the garden. Simple and easy.

 

[CNJ]

Anything that does not get eaten gets burned. On butchering day I fire up my burn barrel and load it up with some logs. Toss parts in as I go and it's turned to dust. Scoop up the ash and spread in the garden. Simple and easy.

I put ash on my potted mango trees and they died. Maybe it was too much?

 

[Coops Dad]

I just butchered 4 more far roosters and gave the necks, livers, gizzards and feet to Luna, our really good Siberian Husky/GSD. She enjoyed them laying under one of our live oaks.

It was a good day.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

All my innerds/head feet to goes to my rats, carcases once I eat them goes to my dog same with leg bones, wings etc.