Feeding Hens with Restaurant Scraps

[spiceholler]

I was at dinner the other night and was shocked at how much food is wasted! I'd like to do my little part and try to feed this food to my hens, as a supplement and a way to get them to work through my garden compost. I've got about 21 hens and 1/4 acre in farm production with a huge compost setup so I'm not worried about having too much.

My plan is to supply the restaurant with covered buckets with our phone number and when they're full, they can call us and we'll pick them up.

I'm trying to figure out which type of restaurant would be better to approach than another for the hen's dietary supplement. I would stay away from junk food of course and lean towards a restaurant that has a diverse menu.

Has anybody done this successfully?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

There is this one guy...

He has a commercial "trash" business collecting from nearby restaurants, and a flock of chickens turning it as compost as a side business. Name escapes me at the moment. Couple flashy youtube videos and a decent website. But it works in part because its at commercial scale. Typically, the neighbors get upset when you make a landdfill sized series of compost piles of food waste and leave it out to attract.... well, pretty much everything.

Obviously, he's zoned and permitted for it.

 

[AGeese]

A grocery store would be better. Less germs.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

This guy.

It looks great, if you only look at the one video. Do the research with the other stuff about his set up, and it looks a lot less doable for most of us.

 

[Rosto]

Subway or other sub shops would be a good choice. A Chinese restaurant would be good too. Rice and veggies would be good. Panera I think gives bread to the needy humans. Only worry would be the salt.

 

[spiceholler]

I'm in a rural area with no neighbors and used to be concerned about the creatures crawling in the compost, but the snakes also moved into the area and are keeping things in balance. I'm actually right near that youtube guy in North Carolina. I like the idea of a Chinese restaurant and will also hit up my grocery store too.

I've gotten pretty good at working my compost temperature to about 120, but know that I need to get up to 140 degrees and am slowly building to that capability in my compost system.

My chickens are free range so they have full access to all sorts of wonderful germs!

 

[AGeese]

Mine have been getting some table scraps of various things from veggies to meats, but I've had to up the feed portions on the pellet going into the low 10's and 20s the range is frosted over more than not.

 

[AGeese]

This guy.

It looks great, if you only look at the one video. Do the research with the other stuff about his set up, and it looks a lot less doable for most of us.

Haha yeah he's got hired? or volunteer hands all over the place sorting out compost, soils, animals, etc...

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Maybe a pizza place where it's made there? Like domino's or pizza hut. I don't know if they could legally give it to you, and there would be lots of dairy, but veggies, meat and fruit too

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Maybe a pizza place where it's made there? Like domino's or pizza hut. I don't know if they could legally give it to you, and there would be lots of dairy, but veggies, meat and fruit too

I used to manage a Pizza Hut, the dough is all shipped in frozen as pucks and sheets. They let it defrost overnight in pans, then (for some of the dough) place it in a proofing oven. Its good for 48 hours after that, though 36 is more accurate.

Anything that isn't sold after 48 hours is usually baked off, bagged up, frozen, and donated to a local shelter as a tax write off for the store.

at least, that was the business plan 30 years ago.