How to feed your chickens for FREE!

[B.Bryan]

Quote:
Excellent idea...produce that would be thrown out!!! I'll start inquiring about it today. Also, bread that would be otherwise thrown out. Also, I just found out that whole oats can be fed instead of expensive commercial feed for hens. A couple tbs. of dry milk in the water and some oyster shell. Can anyone tell me why an asprin in the water is necessary? Also, I need to know if feeding alfalfa will make bloody eggs? That doesn't make sense to me, but could that happen due to alfalfa?

 

[sjh]

B.Bryan :

Quote:
Excellent idea...produce that would be thrown out!!! I'll start inquiring about it today. Also, bread that would be otherwise thrown out. Also, I just found out that whole oats can be fed instead of expensive commercial feed for hens. A couple tbs. of dry milk in the water and some oyster shell. Can anyone tell me why an asprin in the water is necessary? Also, I need to know if feeding alfalfa will make bloody eggs? That doesn't make sense to me, but could that happen due to alfalfa?

Who ever told you that is 100% wrong. Oats are not a complete food. You need food that is complete in nutrition and vit/minerals. Also alfalfa does not make bloody eggs. It will make them real dark orange. Some feed companies use alfalfa as a forage product in there feed.​

 

[FyshWyfe]

My DH used to dumpster dive at the produce distributor b/c they throw out food that is even LESS ripe than the stuff the supermarkets throw out. Green bananas, barely-ripe apples, etc. He'd put it all in the food dehydrator and eat for free all summer (he was also a vegetarian until he married me). We don't have a place like that around here anymore, but the I know he won't mind diving in the supermarket dumpster! I'll send him out tomorrow.

 

[rolffamily]

Question for all you leftover feeders. Are you getting a steady supply of eggs? I would think you would see a reduction if your chickens aren't getting layer feed, but I could be wrong.

 

[nitcomb]

I visit my Korean grocer almost every day to buy fruit and veggies for my family.
Once a week I stop in with a big bag to pick up greens for my chicks. It's a great experience. I walk down the rickety stairs and greet the guys prepping the produce in the basement. They throw away huge amounts of greens daily and are happy to give them to me. The fun part is that I get different stuff all the time... depends on when I show up...

 

[franklinchickens]

Quote:
I asked our local Publix where I shop for leftover fruits/veggies and they won't even sell them to me (at a discount) - they quoted the reason as people would return things and claim they were rotten/damaged. I never thought about the waiver idea though. I'll look into that.

 

[Greenskeeper]

My chickens thank you in advance!

 

[sheila3935]

so far every store I have asked says no even if I would sign a waiver. Still trying though and I work at a Walmart. They wont and know I have chickens.

 

[kidd42]

I am a Production Superintendent at a cannery in the California Central Valley, at our plant we process and can apricots and peaches. From June until mid Sept. our girls enjoy Cots and peaches, all they can eat. I stop by the slurry line every afternoon on my way out of the plant and fill a plastic bag up with the "pie" headed to the slurry hotbreak. The girls love it, but I use this as a supplement to their regular layer mash.

On a side not, a few of the bigger stores mentioned are our customers (we are a private label, canning for supermarkets) and it's funny that they have such policie's regarding this, because they are really big on suppliers being green and sustainable. What better way to be both!

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Will County Illinois checking in here
Before I saw this thread:
I've tried EVERY grocery store, large and small. No luck. I brought a paper to hand to the managers a 2 stores and they wouldn't even see me. I offered, in exchange free range eggs they could sell to sweeten the deal, NOTHING! I tried diving myself but they lock the garbage bin areas. Sheesh! You would think, in this economy, in this culture of saving and reusing, that I would have had luck somewhere. I am pretty persistant.
Good luck to all of you. Doesn't work in Will County Illinois.