Hi All, I have been putting scraps on the chicken coop floor for my chickens--the run part, not the roost part (if i have my terminology right). Anyway, I have noticed lots of flies because of it. Is there a better way to give scraps. Keep them in a bucket somewhere outside of the coop? I guess that would attract flies, too. I am just trying to keep our coop as neighbor friendly as possible! Maybe it's because my chickens are still young and not eating the scraps as much so they stay around longer? Thanks for any insight! Lisa
i only put what they can consume in a short time. if the flies blow and maggots get started it could be fatal to your chickens. at least that is what i have been told so i never took the chance. Jan
Hi, I put scraps in the run part, because if I put it in the "roost part" the scraps get shavings stuck all over them, and I'd rather have the chickens ingest the dirt from the run than the shavings from the house. And I, too, only give the amount they'll eat in about ten minutes. Except when I put in greens, which don't attract flies. Every morning they get a handful of spinach, escarole, romaine, and a few beet greens from the garden, along with a handful of tall grass and any clover, mullein, dandelion leaves/ flowers - stuff they'd get if they free ranged in my yard. It keeps them occupied while I get their waterer out, cleaned, and refilled. Otherwise, three or four of my girls try to follow me out of the coop! If I have strawberries, melon, banana, etc, I cut it up small and put it on an old metal pizza pan and just stand back and watch the fun. The pizza pan won't tip, it's big enough that they can all get some before it's gone, and it's easy to bleach between times. Cutting the goodies up small means that they can eat it quickly, which reduces the scuffles of trying to steal from each other. This week I want to get some crickets from the pet store, the girls have pretty much depleted the bug population in their run. Can't wait to build the new coop and the bigger run!
Quote:I never put food in the COOP area . I throw small amounts of scrap outside in the Run area . COOP is for laying , roosting and sleeping only . They run and eat all day in the run area . I ONLY put water in the coop area for them at night . My whole coop , nesting boxes and all have pine shavings .
I wanna see the scaps go quickly. They are put in a pan that can then be pulled out and rinsed. I'm not a big fan of raking out lots of uneaten and pooped-on greens. They will attracted flies as they decompose. The chickens will get just a few leaves of lettuce or weeds at a time. If there is more, I will tear them up, put in a plastic bag and nuke 'em for a minute. If there's something additional, like left-over breakfast cereal or meat scraps, it will go in the bag with the greens/weeds. The hens will usually see this as a real treat and it will be gone in a New York minute !! Steve
I attached a suet cage to the side of the run. It keeps stuff off the ground and gives the hens something to tug against when they can't swallow a huge piece.
Quote:Whomever told you that has never seen a maggot bucket set up specifically to feed chickens free protein. You take a bucket with a loose lid and punch holes around the top about 3 - 4 inches below the lid. Fill the bucket with whatever you have. as it rots and the flies swarm and lay eggs - the maggots crawl up the inside of the bucket and out the holes. they drop to the ground and your chickens feast. Chickens are omnivors. They eat meat. One source is just as good as another. Hang the maggot slop bucket as far away from the hen house out in the run as you can. Also away from your house. So you can't smell it. It works and it is used by chicken breeders the world over. Not much different than farming meal worms or fishing wigglers.
Quote:that looks and sounds good , but with several chickens , they would be killing themselves to get to the scraps or treats . LOL