Where to find veggie/fruit scraps for the hens?

[FlyingtheCoop]

Has anyone had luck finding a source for leftover scraps? Grocery stores are now fined for giving produce away, even though they just put them in the trash. Any ideas?

 

[grendel]

Try asking chinese resturants,they might enjoy the occasional chicken for that service.They like them with the head still on.Bok choy.carrot tops ,bean sprouts,cabbage ends.

 

[FlyingtheCoop]

Oops, I should clarify. I don't want to trade the girls for scraps. I just want scraps to feed to them, haha.

 

[heather112588]

what about eggs? Ask neighbors- I give the neighbors a few eggs in exchange for leftovers...and putting up with roo crowing.

 

[EggNoob]

I buy cabbage.. very cheap. My hens love it.

 

[DelcoChix]

My local Meijer grocery store has a lovely display rack for 'reduced produce' that I check out every time I go there---great prices and the fruit and veggies I find are in good shape, just on the 'edge' with maybe a few bruises, or past their 'sell by' date...I've found a lot of lettuce, apples, squash, etc. and feel a lot better about giving the girls some fresh stuff especially this time of year. Our other grocery stores (Kroger, Buehlers, Walmart) might have a few items marked in orange at a reduced price, but when I asked the guy at the Kroger said the folks they get the produce from sort of buy the old stuff back....I love Meijer.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Oh is that why they told me no!!! Thanks for the thread, OP! I'm subscribing!

 

[Ariel301]

No one here will do that.

The grocery store used to give a friend of mine all the old produce that was being thrown away, her husband worked there so they sent it home with him, she fed it to her sheep. They stopped doing it, now they destroy it so that no one can even take it from the dumpster. The other grocery store donates theirs to the homeless shelter.

Restaurants and schools won't give anything out. I guess it's a liability, they are worried you will eat it or your animals will, and get sick, then you will sue them. I've also been told no because they didn't want me to eat their garbage instead of eating at their restaurant.

And the health department will get them for storing the stuff overnight, if you don't pick it up daily. I found one restaurant that was ok with the idea, but they are half an hour away across town and I'd have to go every day to pick up the food. At that point, it's too expensive to do and takes too much time.

Good luck finding someplace....I sure haven't had any!

 

[churchx3]

What my girls and I now do is bring home every single bit of food left over when we go out to eat....This weekend my girls had leftover beans and rice from a mexican restaurant, a neighbor gave me sweet potatoes, spinach, mashed potatoes leftover from Christmas. If you just put the word out to your family you will get alot of free leftovers for the chickens. I too tried to get my local grocery store to give me produce but was told they were not allowed due to the liability.