Update on GROUNDS Coffee Ground Bedding for your coop!

[paintedChix]

I read that article, and then followed the link to one of their sources and read it, and I think either someone's using AI to write articles, or they don't actually understand the topic very well. For example, talking about the high "nitrogen" in coffee grounds is what you expect in a composting article, not an article about chicken feed.

Regarding coffee grounds as bedding, the article included this sentence:
"About Agriculture reports that coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, which is essential for chickens, and that they can help keep chickens cool in the summertime since they naturally release a lot of heat."

They included a link to the source (dead link), but that statement does not make any sense. Chicken poop already contains large amounts of nitrogen, so it works best to use beddings that are low in nitrogen. And I don't see how a bedding that releases a lot of heat would help keep anything cool in summer.

Regarding feeding coffee grounds to chickens, one of the sources was this:
https://thecoffeeaficionados.com/can-chickens-eat-coffee-grounds/
That one really sounded like an AI article to me. Part of it sounds eactly right for advice on giving chickens a mostly-harmless treat (don't exceed 10% of the diet), and part of it sounds just plain weird (mix coffee grounds with scratch grains and other treats for chickens? Really?) It did not seem to address whether chickens would actually WANT to eat coffee grounds.

That seemed weird enough that I went looking for actual studies on including coffee grounds in chicken feed. Of course someone has tried it, so I found one pretty quickly:
http://www.ijat-aatsea.com/pdf/v20_n2_2024_March/9_IJAT_20(2)_2024_Klompanya, A.(62).pdf
In case the link doesn't work, it's:
"Effects of partial substitution of feed with spent coffee grounds on growth performance and carcass quality in broilers"
by authors Klompanya, A, Mitchaothai, J and Thammakarn, C.

They mixed coffee grounds into commercial chicken feed and used it to raise broiler chicks. 5% coffee grounds caused the chicks to eat a little less and not grow quite as well. 10% coffee grounds had a larger effect. When they butchered the chicks, they found the ones who ate coffee grounds had enlarged livers. I didn't bother understanding the rest of the details, because at this point I was sufficiently convinced that mixing coffee grounds into chicken feed is a bad idea.

That study also mentioned the nutritional analysis of the coffee grounds used, and it was 12.8% protein. As a chicken feed, that is LOW protein, not high. So I'm even more suspicious of any article worrying about the "high nitrogen" content of coffee grounds as a chicken feed.

On the other hand, if the chickens lived & grew for a month with 10% coffee grounds in their food, I don't think we have to worry too much about chickens eating a nibble of coffee grounds here and there when it is used for bedding, which is the most common concern.





That sounds like what I've seen too, when I have tossed coffee grounds into a chicken run with other compostable or edible stuff. I think the chickens are smarter than some of the people or computers writing articles!

I love how you dig up more science/data & present it in understandable language!!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I read that article, and then followed the link to one of their sources and read it, and I think either someone's using AI to write articles, or they don't actually understand the topic very well. For example, talking about the high "nitrogen" in coffee grounds is what you expect in a composting article, not an article about chicken feed.

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Posts like this are why I come to BYC to help educate myself. THANK YOU.