- Jul 4, 2013
- 7
- 0
- 9
We have a compost bin in our backyard. We used the same bin at our previous house too and before moving to our current location I would find the most REVOLTING grubs inside the compost. Obviously, we didn't maintain the perfect balance in the mix and some yucky bugs got in. Whatever. They were mostly a nuisance and just disgusting but they all died or moved on by the time the compost was finished.
The other day I saw them in the current compost pile (same bin, different house). They were maybe even more numerous. They are about 1/4 inch to 1 inch long, segmented, off white to dark grey, and they do that horrid wiggle thing when you disturb them.
A week ago a lightbulb went off in my mind-- the chickens might eat these things! I removed a few from the bin with a shovel and, sure enough, our 4 month old girls gobbled them down! I was laughing with delight and satisfaction! I have since encouraged them to the area around the compost bin where they seem to have found some in the soil and were scratching around happily at the new snack shack this afternoon.
It's so satisfying to imagine turning something so disgusting-- a by-product of an unhealthy ecosystem, into nourishment for a healthy one.
The other day I saw them in the current compost pile (same bin, different house). They were maybe even more numerous. They are about 1/4 inch to 1 inch long, segmented, off white to dark grey, and they do that horrid wiggle thing when you disturb them.
A week ago a lightbulb went off in my mind-- the chickens might eat these things! I removed a few from the bin with a shovel and, sure enough, our 4 month old girls gobbled them down! I was laughing with delight and satisfaction! I have since encouraged them to the area around the compost bin where they seem to have found some in the soil and were scratching around happily at the new snack shack this afternoon.
It's so satisfying to imagine turning something so disgusting-- a by-product of an unhealthy ecosystem, into nourishment for a healthy one.
