Do you allow your chickens in your compost?

[Ridgerunner]

But then they eat the moldy food too

And live.

 

[NatJ]

Nat, actually grit has nothing to do with preventing crop impaction. Grit doesn't do any good until it gets to the gizzard where it can help prevent gizzard impaction. Gizzard impaction is a real thing too but grit helps grind stuff up if it gets that far. I know I'm getting a little picky with this but I see grit often suggested as a cure or preventative for crop impaction. It's not and does not help anyone actually experiencing crop compaction.

Yes, you're right. I was more thinking of grit's ability to grind things once they reach the gizzard, to prevent impactions there and further on, but it did sound like I was only talking about crop impaction

We’ll see I throw moldy food in there and the good food for the chickens. But then they eat the moldy food too

Not all molds are dangerous.
Obvious example: blue cheese is blue because of mold.

The mold I usually see growing on bread or cheese has always been safe, for chickens or people to eat. (No, I don't eat the mold on purpose. But it happens sometimes by mistake-- something tastes a bit odd, and then I see mold on the part I'm still holding.)
If I find a chunk of cheese in the fridge with mold on it, I cut off the moldy part, throw that to the chickens, and eat the rest of the cheese myself. It's never hurt me or the chickens.

I know that some dangerous molds exist, but I've never yet found them in my kitchen.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My compost pile literally has 4 things in it: Poop, shavings, feed and dead birds/parts of processed birds. It's completely open to them, and I don't mind occasionally since they do ear a lot of the feed that gets scooped up, but predators frequent it too because of the last part of my list, so I really prefer them not to go there. But I can't stop them unless they're penned up

 

[vintage]

My compost pile is next to the coop/run. I place fruit/vegetable waste, egg shells, and their poop in it. Never meat products because I don't want to attract predators. My chickens love love LOVE the compost, they spend hours scratching around in it and turn it better than I could ever hope to. The only problem I've seen thus far is that on really hot days, the compost being next to the coop can draw flies. I put up fly traps and all is good.

 

[Ridgerunner]

One winter I had about 9" of snow. It took a couple of days before they went out in it but eventually some did. It was really easy to see where they went since they left trails. Where they went was where they were used to finding food. One trail went to the compost pile, that was one of their high priorities.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

One winter I had about 9" of snow. It took a couple of days before they went out in it but eventually some did. It was really easy to see where they went since they left trails. Where they went was where they were used to finding food. One trail went to the compost pile, that was one of their high priorities.

Chickens aren’t dumb haha. Well, sometimes they aren’t dumb. I’ve caught mine eating styrofoam before so there’s that. And they didn’t die from it.

 

[topochico225]

My compost bin is next to my raised bed. My hens will stay in there for literal hours at a time! It's really funny to see 3 full grown hens crowded in a medium-sized compost bin, digging like it's a Holes remake.

I put any plant matter/old food/chicken bedding/old feed/paper towels/etc. in that bin. The girls haven't gotten sick yet!

 

[topochico225]

Chickens aren’t dumb haha. Well, sometimes they aren’t dumb. I’ve caught mine eating styrofoam before so there’s that. And they didn’t die from it.

One of my hens ate an entire 2'x3' sheet of cardboard from the box their coop came in. She was fine, just stupid.

 

[Chuckie chicken]

Our chickens are in our compost pile all the time. I purposely built the coop near it. They are there so much I leave a water bowl beside it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I deep litter, so in essence, my coop "floor" and my run "floor" is my compost pile.

That said, I don't throw anything into the run that I wouldn't normally throw in a compost pile. Proteins and bones go into a separate container, and eventually into a hot fire. The ash is then either turned under into some of my clay soils (with more leaf litter) or thrown as top dressing into a raised garden bed.

Efforts to restart a BSFL composter are delayed till the weather cools some.