NY chicken lover!!!!

I realized today after doing much reading online about chicken breeds and such and coming across many blogs in between researching that I am definitely not utilizing the scraps from my kitchen as well I should be. I mean, we'll toss out bread ends and left over eggs, toast, fruit out to the cheeps but never anything that has already spoiled. I always looked at it like, well I certainly wouldn't eat it so why would I feed it to my chickens?? I read online today that's its ok to toss food that has gone moldy or bad out to them such as fruits breads and other foods that are ok for chickens to eat. Is that right?? If it is I better start a compost pile this summer and leave it open to the chickens! Maybe I can go down from two trash cans a week to one!
No, that's not right, IMO. Bread mold can be deadly to humans, so I wouldn't feed it to the birds. (Something about rye bread/flour killing hundreds until they figured out the problem, somewhere in history) I do feed my birds things I won't eat such as 5 day old pasta in sauce, but I NEVER feed them anything with visible mold because I just don't know what molds are toxic and which ones a chicken can tolerate. (When making sourdough starter PINK mold is a sign to throw it out and start again; or get gravely ill from the product you bake)

What you might want to do is clean out the fridge once a week and throw out to the chickens anything that you haven't eaten that week, before it molds. Will cut down on feed and garbage removal costs. Not to mention yield you more fridge space as summer approaches.

Edited to add: I have a pie plate on my counter that I scrape dinner plates onto and anything from dinner prep (Skins, seeds, etc) and throw that plate of food out to the chickens every day. And they know it....ever see a flock of birds come running when they hear the sliding door open? Happens several times a day at my house, cuz that's the door I throw the food out of. LOL (and I go through the fridge every Saturday morning and throw that food out to them Sat and Sun, cuz I am home to space out the feast. If you do it every week it only take a few minutes because you know what is new and what isn't, no time spent thinking "how old is THIS thing")
 
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No, that's not right, IMO. Bread mold can be deadly to humans, so I wouldn't feed it to the birds. (Something about rye bread/flour killing hundreds until they figured out the problem, somewhere in history) I do feed my birds things I won't eat such as 5 day old pasta in sauce, but I NEVER feed them anything with visible mold because I just don't know what molds are toxic and which ones a chicken can tolerate. (When making sourdough starter PINK mold is a sign to throw it out and start again; or get gravely ill from the product you bake)

What you might want to do is clean out the fridge once a week and throw out to the chickens anything that you haven't eaten that week, before it molds. Will cut down on feed and garbage removal costs. Not to mention yield you more fridge space as summer approaches.
LOL, Cass I'm trying to find this article, although I may have a stalker now and they've discovered I'm talking about their article and have taken it down because I can't find it anywhere! There was a picture of moldy fruit and everything. We clean out the fridge once a week and feed everything that will eventually go to waste to the chickens (that is edible for them of course). I'm still searching....
 
Here is an off the beaten track bit of advice.

Do not attempt to rip out dead stalks of painted grass by (bare) hand. And the Darwin Award goes to...... TOB!
clap.gif


Almost needed stitches yesterday because I was being both lazy and defiant.

Staining the coop today should be extra nice with a slashed hand.


Will post pics of the coop's progress again soon.


TOB
 
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We put our ducks outside last night.. They are hitting 6 weeks old. Their bellies are fully feathered, and their sides are almost fully covered as well. (ducks feather weird compared to chickens! :)) My girls who are a year old are NOT happy to be sharing any space with them, so we took the large kennel out with them, put their crumbles and water in there with them, closed the door and the ducks proceeded to hiss(?) as the chickens.. I think I have some birds with attitudes!! lol

I have some more chickens that are on the verge of headed outside in the next week or two as well. They are white, but smaller than my Plymouth rocks that I have. Not sure who they are yet (TS birds...) I have some Barred Rocks that are only about 2 weeks old, and oh my are they tiny tiny gals!! But I love their coloring. I am waiting for my local feed store to call me with my black sex links.

I need to look up some more about pecking order, and how to easily move my gals in to the coop without being pecked clean of feathers after all their hard work of finally getting them in!!
 
Putting it here in case anyone close is interested. I'm letting my white & black Silkies go. I have a white trio, tons of white young pullets, a black trio and a splash hen. All are under 1.5 years or younger. I'm going to just keep the Porcelains, greys and am getting a trio of paints this week. So just concentrating on those 3.

White cockerel of trio I bought last fall from Catdance Silkies, & had shipped here. He is very show quality.

All adults are breeding/show quality. Chicks look good so far....
 
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Not sure who they are yet (TS birds...).
Lol sounds like me I have 7 "red pullets" and12 assorted bantams that I have to see what they are going to be. One of the reds is more of a light brown/tan. Some others are real dark. The assorted bantams 1 is all grey some feathers on feet about 4 weeks old. Four are all white 2 with feathers on feet 1 week old. Last 7 are all almost chipmunk looking also 1 week old. I have to say I clean the water dish out about 2 times as much with these 11 little bantams than I did with my other 11 birds wich was bigger breeds and older than these little buggers.

 
Here is an article here on BYC about composting that is good. It also mentions the Vermont composting where chickens only food is what they find in the compost
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/composting-with-chickens

While I'm sure this isn't the place I mentioned it is similar I suppose. One thing to keep in mind is how many eggs do they lay and how often?

I will admit that I toss stuff onto the compost but not much. I did toss a head of cabbage that got left in the garage and had turned black but I'm not sure if the chickens got to it or the rabbits that live around the area and I've seen visiting the pile.

I've been known to cut up and put in the freezer strawberries DW buys.. I know they won't get eaten. If tomatoes get wrinkly no one will eat them so out they go. Squash, melons, and pruney apples go out before they get moldy.

I just brought home some more bread from school, but that I'll let dry out so it doesn't get moldy.

Everyone has their way of what to give and not, but since I don't eat their eggs, it's no matter to me. I just try to keep things as clean and healthy as possible.

BTW, I post on CL for the BM roo, 4 BM chicks and 2 other chicks for free. Lord have mercy did I get lots of people willing to take them. Last call to anyone here.
 

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