Organic Approaches to Getting Feces Less Messy

[Henriettamom919]

Stuff I want to look at can be packaged dry as part of a nutritionally complete organic formulation. I have seen the grass option and used it, but it does not package well. Alfalfa meal can get you there too but the birds do not always get excited over that as part of their feed mixture.

Are you looking for something naturally occurring or willing to sow for storage? What about barley or maybe Timothy grass?

 

[centrarchid]

Right now I am concentrating on items that have a lot of lignified cellulose that is hard to digest. May even look at clay and possibly even biochar. Latter may be hard to get in a form that can be certified organic. Not restricting this to grains, as grains are not normally such a high percentage of a chickens diet anyway once you get away from feed out of feed sacks.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I would think biochar would be worth exploring. Not sure if you can find it "certified organic" or not, but maybe a brief test with non-certified would tell you whether it was worth exploring further?

 

[centrarchid]

I would think biochar would be worth exploring. Not sure if you can find it "certified organic" or not, but maybe a brief test with non-certified would tell you whether it was worth exploring further?

That is plan.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

That is plan.

Cool. Let us know how it goes. I've been meaning to set up a small biochar setup and would feed some to the chickens if it would help with the manure smell and/or quality.

 

[centrarchid]

I do not know one would assess the organic nature of biochar. Some batches might be similar to licking the charcoal grill.

 

[centrarchid]

Progressing with project has us now using hemp based bedding. Smell not as strong as I suspected. Not good for smoking or making brownies I guess.

Hemp bedding.

Student and I went out collecting potential edible insects for the chickens. Target was June Beetles. Student getting some direct exposure to sampling issues and how one might approach importance of insect forages. Student's focus to date has been on the production animal side only with consideration of behavior. She is now having to adopt a more holistic approach.

 

[centrarchid]

First part of experiment using Speckled Sussex pullets did not work. Pullets would not roost up. First experiment is to determine if feces quality varies with time of day. Casual observations with chickens in the garage suggest it does. Plan is to have a group of singly housed pullets where feces can be collected every hour around the clock. Problem ran into is where Speckled Sussex would not roost up making it difficult to collect feces because birds sleeping on collection surface. Yesterday we swapped out Speckled Sussex for American Games. Games much tamer and come when called. Games still a bunch of Houdini's as they forced their way out of pens early this morning. I had no trouble calling them over where they then flew to hand so I could put them back in. Games are roosting up. Having to determine how much they eat per day so they are eat at much as possible without leaving excess in feeder or on ground. We named them.
Maple escaped.

Butterscotch escaped. She was also used to follow feather development which almost complete. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/molting-as-growing-up.1325544/#post-21622635

Pens in a row.

Lightweight plywood covers now being weighed down a little. If escape repeated then will be tied down.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Student and I went out collecting potential edible insects for the chickens. Target was June Beetles. Student getting some direct exposure to sampling issues and how one might approach importance of insect forages.

Did the June bugs have their certified organic paperwork on them when you caught them?

 

[centrarchid]

Did the June bugs have their certified organic paperwork on them when you caught them?

No. The did not fill out application.

The concept of organic certification does not yet make sense to me. Many insects like adult June Beetles and Japanese Beetles fly around too much to be consistently coming from a particular area. Grasshoppers have potential to move but can be blocked by wooded areas and open water. Larval stages stay put. I can not get crayfish certified even when they spend their entire life in organically managed landscape.

For me, I want consumable products that are simply not laced with industrial sourced residues that pose health risk. What can be labeled / certified organic may not meet that requirement I have.