How to feed your chickens for FREE!

[OldSchoolBackyard]

I don't know if you are like me and your chickens are cooped up all winter long as it seems that they consider snow "White Death." Normally my chickens free range my backyard all summer long. One of my egg customers commented that she loves how dark and rich colored the yolks are in "my" eggs. I noticed a change mid winter in the color of these yolks and after reading up on here about WHY they did this, I thought "I got to get more greens for my ladies" Sure, I feed my chickens the standard Layer Feed with scratch as a treat for them to dig for in the shavings. And yes, I give any Chicken friendly table scraps to my chickens daily. But that still wasn't enough.

Then I remembered back to my college days when I experimented with a "Freegan" life style. Check it out, there is a whole thing out there about it. Basically, people would get veggies and fruit out of dumpsters at grocery stores and clean and eat them. It's not as gross as it sounds. Supermarkets often throw away perfectly good produce because they got a new shipment, the greens are starting to wilt or something along those lines. One of my favorite examples of this is when supermarkets throw away a 4pack of pears because ONE pear is mushy. Is there anything wrong with the other three? Not at all. Or a whole BAG of apples gets tossed because of 2 rotten apples. Needless to say, a lot of good food is thrown away.

SO I thought I would apply this concept to feeding chickens. But now I'm married and my wife would never tolerate her husband dumpster diving for food! Even if it is for chickens. So I just asked the produce manager if I could have any produce they were going to throw out. I just had to sign a waiver that I would not hold them liable and that the food was destined for animals. Jackpot. Last night I picked up close to 25 heads of lettuce, a watermelon that had broken open, mushy pears, bags of salad mix that had expired yesterday, wrinkly tomatoes, etc. This isn't rotten food or recalled food or even buggy food. Most of it is just not cosmetically appealing (Oh yeah, and I got close to 20 pounds of brownish bananas).

Does anyone else do something like this?

Feed your chickens for free! They will be very happy! And so will your pocketbook.

 

[vtgirls]

I have friends who are self sufficient, off the grid folk and they've got a couple small local eateries that do the same. Tons of leftovers and discards, they have designated pick up days - feed a large flock and some pigs this way. Also found the apple orchards to be really helpful, locally they've allowed us to pick up season end drops for free - a treat my birds much appreciated through the fall. Last year was a good pumpkin year too and we've been smashing them up - the turkeys munch down the seeds and then the chickens finish of the flesh. I plan to grow extras of other veggies as well in the garden for the flock as well this year - does anyone have any proven suggestions?

 

[OldSchoolBackyard]

At risk of sounding like a real "trash to table" kind of guy, I share this story. I work at a school and twice a month they are required to feed the students apples. I saw so many apples being thrown away it made me sick! So I set out an empty box with a sign that said "Eat your Fruits and Veggies... But if you choose not to eat your apple, help feed my chickens. Toss in here" I filled two apple boxes with apples. Again, for free. My chickens have been enjoying apples all winter!

 

[classicsredone]

It is a great source for composting, too. I know people that get food scraps or bruised produce to feed their worm bins or soldier fly grubs. Both of those provide a great source of protein for chickens, too. My husband brings home a couple pounds a day of coffee from his work to use in our compost bin. If we have too much, it gets sprinkled on the grass for fertilizer.

 

[Momagain1]

I have a small restaurant in town, who I know the owner..but he's more hotdogs/subs...but if he gets moldy bread etc or too ripe veggies...I'll have him call me

I have 2 other restaurants that are larger; but very small town and the owner is a small town guy and is helpful friendly..I'll ask him too!

I have a small grocery store, I'll have to ask the mgr!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I work at a company that has a cafeteria in the building (think there's maybe 900 employees in the building).

They just started composting a few weeks ago, which is great, but the woman who preps fruit and veggies for the salad bar will happily fill a 5-gallon bucket with scraps for my girls if I bring one in. I've just started, but so far the girls have loved the two bucket fulls of treats I've brought them.

The woman is very nice and will even try to give them the stuff they like (and asked what they can't have). I brought her a dozen eggs on Friday as a thank you, and figure I'll keep doing that on a regular basis to make sure that the flow of treats continues.

I get a few funny looks from my buttoned-down co-workers when I'm carrying a bucket out to the parking garage, but what chicken owner wouldn't look silly for their flock once in a while?!

Once we get further into the growing season, my girls will get lots of fresh veggies from my parent's garden...over ripe corn, summer squash, and eventually butternut squash and pumpkins. I've already been to my folks house several times in the last two weeks to pick them piles of "weeds" (rye, clover, etc.) to snack on since they've got their run totally picked clean of greenery.

Plus, with a three year old in the house, we end up with plenty of wood scraps after almost every meal, so the girls do well for themselves.

They always have access to layer feed, but it's nice to feed them for free whenever possible!

 

[mmelton63]

I don't know if you are like me and your chickens are cooped up all winter long as it seems that they consider snow "White Death." Normally my chickens free range my backyard all summer long. One of my egg customers commented that she loves how dark and rich colored the yolks are in "my" eggs. I noticed a change mid winter in the color of these yolks and after reading up on here about WHY they did this, I thought "I got to get more greens for my ladies" Sure, I feed my chickens the standard Layer Feed with scratch as a treat for them to dig for in the shavings. And yes, I give any Chicken friendly table scraps to my chickens daily. But that still wasn't enough.

Then I remembered back to my college days when I experimented with a "Freegan" life style. Check it out, there is a whole thing out there about it. Basically, people would get veggies and fruit out of dumpsters at grocery stores and clean and eat them. It's not as gross as it sounds. Supermarkets often throw away perfectly good produce because they got a new shipment, the greens are starting to wilt or something along those lines. One of my favorite examples of this is when supermarkets throw away a 4pack of pears because ONE pear is mushy. Is there anything wrong with the other three? Not at all. Or a whole BAG of apples gets tossed because of 2 rotten apples. Needless to say, a lot of good food is thrown away.

SO I thought I would apply this concept to feeding chickens. But now I'm married and my wife would never tolerate her husband dumpster diving for food! Even if it is for chickens. So I just asked the produce manager if I could have any produce they were going to throw out. I just had to sign a waiver that I would not hold them liable and that the food was destined for animals. Jackpot. Last night I picked up close to 25 heads of lettuce, a watermelon that had broken open, mushy pears, bags of salad mix that had expired yesterday, wrinkly tomatoes, etc. This isn't rotten food or recalled food or even buggy food. Most of it is just not cosmetically appealing (Oh yeah, and I got close to 20 pounds of brownish bananas).

Does anyone else do something like this?

Feed your chickens for free! They will be very happy! And so will your pocketbook.

Our fresh market has "Chicken scrap" you just ask and they gladly will give you all they have, from 1-3 boxes.

 

[getaclue]

Most of the local produce stands here will give you the stuff that isn't "pretty enough to sell. You may have to cut, or trim a little, but for the most part, its just fine.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Egg sales pay for feed, scratch, oyster shell, granite grit and bedding, from 2 1/2 dozen sold, weekly.
I will never get back the $800, I paid for material to build coop, and all the other stuff, waterer, feeder, feed containers, brooder, heaters, lighting. Just to name a few.
All worth it to me. GC

 

[journey11]

Great idea. I have heard of others doing this. If I didn't live so far from town (30 min. drive) I would definitely be doing it too. As it is, I don't go into town very often. Guess I'll just have to grow my own.