Update on GROUNDS Coffee Ground Bedding for your coop!

[dirkandlorie]

How did you dry them?

Did the birds react to the change in color?

I mix my coffee grounds with the dry sand in my coop. Been doing that every other day for years (usually just 4 or 5 coffee filters worth) and they still freak out every time over the change in color in that one spot. Lol They do the same thing when I add shred paper, dried leaves, etc in their deep litter in the run. Silly girls, lol

 

[RebelEgger]

How did you dry them?

Did the birds react to the change in color?

I was originally just dumping them in a wheelbarrow and waiting… not the best.

Then I started spreading them out on a tarp which was better but still took a while if there was any amount of wetness to them, which there usually was.

Then hubby made me a frame with hardware cloth (for strength) and screen. This allowed any liquid to drip out of it, usually for a day or so. After that, we spread it out on a tarp and it takes no time at all to dry!

I can post of pic of the frame he made later on.

The birds were very intrigued by the change, not affected negatively at all (which I read could happen). They all went about their normal business once they all inspected it.

 

[paintedChix]

I'm interested in the Starbucks thing too, as I've been following your February post for a little over a month.
After reading your post, I started getting my co-workers to save our coffee grounds and filters for me. Just throwing them in the coop and run with pine shavings, grass clippings, leaves, and shredded paper to build matter. Then when the chicks are done, I find the dried paper filters and rip them up by hand before adding new materials. So not the same as what you're doing but it does add a nice smell for a day or two.

I've done same.

All of our personal, various coffee filters (removed from kuerig k-cups, filters in electric brewer, kuerig filters in steel coffee holder, regular Mr Coffee & small round ones? French press?) go out to compost. When chickens access it, they will tear up the filters.

I haven't been to work since 2/22 (broke & dislocated ankle, had surgery, rehab, @ home now still non-weight bearing...) but before that brought home regular coffee filters till got a kureig, then only bring home filters from steel cups (don't deal w/ all the plastic k-cups everyone brings in).

 

[paintedChix]

Mine stinks something awful because I’ve had no browns to add.

Bale of straw can be put next to compost area, shake a flake over added compost as needed.

Shredded paper/cardboard works for this as well.

 

[paintedChix]

Hmm. I think in that situation I'd look at paper-type things. Cardboard boxes, newspaper, junk mail, envelopes, maybe used kleenexes, used paper napkins, paper bags... Some of them would need to be ripped or cut before putting them in, of course. (My household produces plenty of paper-type waste, so that's where I'm getting my ideas. Of course yours might be different.)

It's corn-on-the-cob season, so you might have corn husks and corn cobs. They can be dried in the sun if you want them less wet-- the husks in particular should be about as good as hay, after drying.

Here's a picture of the under the tarp ortion of an 8x16 hoop coop/run. We'd already had a ton of rain, I didn't have already bagged leaves ready & no time to collect semi- dry leaves from forested areas...

 

[paintedChix]

Coffee grounds are good or not? I have heard conflicting ideas... I have quite a few daily that I could save if they are good for the run!

If you've read the whole thread, it's time to try it.

If it works for you, great! If it doesn't, stop using it. That's great, too, as now you will know.

I haven't been able to get bags of it at TSC or other feed mill stores here in NC.

Doesn't matter - all of our coops/tractors are open air style & on/open to the ground. I dont have poop boards under the roosts. Coffee grounds, filters & all, get tossed in. No problems, whatsoever . But then, I seem to be the "black sheep" here on BYC, as I also throw in many items people go "apey" about - saying no way, no how, toxic (onion peels, citrus - whole & peels, avocado peels & pits, etc. What is toxic they dont eat since they have access to appropriate feeds. They do, however, scratch & tear it up, mix it in w/ other bedding/compost & manure it - prepping it for use on all our sandy pastures & raised garden beds).

Personally after reading this whole thread through, if I had an enclosed coop, I would use used coffee grounds after drying. Getting them dry here in sandhills of NC a bit of an issue... too hot here already to use oven to dry them. BUT using the oven in the winter would work, as would setting next to our fire place when in use.

 

[RebelEgger]

@aart

Here is the frame hubby made for drying my grinds

He made it to fit our wheelbarrow

 

[Joanna-Isobel]

This is a good explanation.

https://skarpari.com/journal/lifest...ounds contain caffeine,and kidney failure [2].

Worth a read - I suppose as long as the grounds do not contain too much nitrogen and they don’t consume a lot it may be ok.

May depend on the breeds too? As to how it affects their digestive system and Liver, Kidneys etc

 

[paintedChix]

This is a good explanation.

https://skarpari.com/journal/lifest...ounds contain caffeine,and kidney failure [2].

Worth a read - I suppose as long as the grounds do not contain too much nitrogen and they don’t consume a lot it may be ok.

May depend on the breeds too? As to how it affects their digestive system and Liver, Kidneys etc

The 1st part of the article i did find concerning. Dont think id actually offer in as part of their feed. If i did, maybe in a filtered cup like you would offer grit in.

I've found our chickens don't consume the grounds. I don't have poop boards & coop open to ground. Coffee grounds, even wet, get scratched into other litter. All good!

When I've processed chickens that have coffee grounds in coop/run, I've never found coffee grounds in crops - I've checked.

 

[NatJ]

This is a good explanation.

https://skarpari.com/journal/lifest...ounds contain caffeine,and kidney failure [2].

Worth a read - I suppose as long as the grounds do not contain too much nitrogen and they don’t consume a lot it may be ok.

May depend on the breeds too? As to how it affects their digestive system and Liver, Kidneys etc

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.

I've found our chickens don't consume the grounds. I don't have poop boards & coop open to ground. Coffee grounds, even wet, get scratched into other litter. All good!

When I've processed chickens that have coffee grounds in coop/run, I've never found coffee grounds in crops - I've checked.

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!