Scrap food feeding method?

[Chickamama8]

Hi all!! I have 8, 10 month old chickens. I give them fresh produce and scraps daily (all chicken safe). I have a metal dish I put on top of a tree stump. They always seem to jump up on it or knock it down. When they knock it down the food winds up coming in contact with their poop. Is this something that should be avoided? If so, what other ways can I feed them fresh produce? I’m afraid to stick dish to stump bc I wash it weekly and they would still jump in it with their dirty feet. Thanks in advance for all of your help

 

[CatWhisperer]

I’ve seen pictures using metal plant hanging baskets

 

[BaaKaaawk]

I'm going to guess your chickens come in contact with their poop a whole lot more than you realize... I wouldn't worry too much about it. Maybe just rake the area you're going to feed them before you put the food down.

 

[Cryss]

I toss it on the ground in the run. They love scratching through it as they pick their favorite pieces and run with them. Chickens scratch at the ground and eat bugs, weeds, and stones. They pick through horse and cow poop for tasty bits. Your chickens will be fine.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Just throw scraps onto the ground. It's normal for them to forage that way (and less scary than the prospect of knocking over a dish onto a bird). The poop isn't an issue for them.

 

[gtaus]

Welcome to the BYC forum

I think many people just throw the kitchen scraps on the ground in the chicken run. I put a garden cart in the run, filled it with grass clippings, and dump my kitchen scraps on top of the pile. Sometimes I put scraps in a rubber feeding pan, which is heavy and the chickens cannot turn it over. I don't think you have to worry about the scraps being soiled by chicken poo. I usually rake out the chicken run every week just to make it look better, but it all depends on how big the run is and how many chickens are in it. As mentioned, many people have chickens free ranging a day or two behind their cows or horses precisely to pick through the manure and scratch it around.

It's great that you are concerned about the health or your chickens. All my feeding pans and water pans can be removed and cleaned as needed. So I would not suggest attaching your metal dish to anything. If your chickens tip it over, it's not really a big deal. You might have better luck just putting the metal dish on the ground to begin with.

 

[cmom]

Everyone has given you some good advice. I don't give my birds my kitchen scraps. They go into the compost pile. They get their normal feed plus some seeds and grains for treats, grass clipping from the yard that I collect in a grass catcher which they love to scratch through and I grow some greens for them to peck at.

 

[gtaus]

I don't give my birds my kitchen scraps. They go into the compost pile.

That is your choice and I am fine with it. Just wondering why you don't give kitchen scraps to your birds? I have a small backyard flock, and part of the reason I got them was to process those kitchen scraps and make eggs. I do directly compost some kitchen scraps that I don't think would be good for the chickens, but mostly I try to give everything to the chickens first. They also have commercial feed available 24/7, but they seem to prefer grass clipping, pulled weeds, kitchen scraps, etc... before their commercial feed.

 

[cmom]

That is your choice and I am fine with it. Just wondering why you don't give kitchen scraps to your birds? I have a small backyard flock, and part of the reason I got them was to process those kitchen scraps and make eggs. I do directly compost some kitchen scraps that I don't think would be good for the chickens, but mostly I try to give everything to the chickens first. They also have commercial feed available 24/7, but they seem to prefer grass clipping, pulled weeds, kitchen scraps, etc... before their commercial feed.

I agree that is my choice. I have currently around 400 birds including the younger ones. Not enough scraps to go around. I started out with just a few birds but over the years, my flocks grew. I do sell some of the birds mostly the excess males. I also show birds at poultry shows and sell some potential show quality. Good luck and have fun...

 

[gtaus]

I agree that is my choice. I have currently around 400 birds including the younger ones. Not enough scraps to go around. I started out with just a few birds but over the years, my flocks grew. I do sell some of the birds mostly the excess males. I also show birds at poultry shows and sell some potential show quality. Good luck and have fun...

Yeah, 400 birds is a lot different than my backyard flock of 10 chickens. I guess you would have to own a restaurant in order to make feeding them scraps worthwhile. With only my wife and me, I have to save kitchen scraps for a few days in order to have enough to feed the chickens, and I only have 10 birds.