Maggots

[SandraMort]

OK, so, is there any reason I can't just scoop up the manure from under the roosts for the buckets, or bring in manure from another farm? I like that a lot more than a rotting animal...

 

[SandraMort]

For that matter, is there any reason it needs to be in a raised bucket? I could just shovel it off to one side into a pile and let them lay eggs in it there, couldn't I?

 

[JennsPeeps]

The reason the bucket is suspended has to do with the life cycle of the fly. The larvae won't pupate (next form in their life cycle) in the food medium, so they drop out of the bucket onto the ground. Given the chance, they'll burrow into the ground. But if you have chickens, they'll scoop up the little buggers gladly!

I suppose you could just give the chickens access to manure on the ground. I assume you'd have to remove it every so often and the chickens would likely spread it all over their run, though.

 

[CHICKENHEAD]

This sounds like an easy cheap way for the chickens to get extra protein, I just dont want to smell the stuff. I wonder if you could keep it far away from everything and just put some kind of tray or another bucket under the suspended bucket and just transfer the maggots to the chicken pen?

 

[wishin4chicken]

Last winter I had a wild hen turkey hanging around the barn with our horse. We all laughed and said that the horse now had a "friend". I noticed that she was watching for me to come with the grain bucket so I'd throw her a handful just to keep things friendly. Well, she convinced me that maybe we ought to seriously think about having chickens. When the snow left and it was time for me to seriously think about winter cleanup, there was very little to do. She'd spread the manure out, broke up the manure balls and it was decomposing very nicely. Thank you mama turkey.