Will this harm hens?

[dustcover]

This might be an off-the-wall question, but here goes. I have a large jar with a funnel type lid that works great as a fly-catcher. I use the scraps from shrimp or crawdad boils as bait in the bottom of the jar. When the dead flies accumulate in the jar to being 1/2 to 3/4 full, I dump it, clean out the jar and start over. It really does a very efficient job of keeping the coop and run relatively fly free.

Now my question. If I just dump the contents in the run, would the hens eat the remnants, and would it be detrimental to their health and well-being?

 

[lazy gardener]

I would not do so. The contents of that jar could be anaerobic, and grow botulism. And even if they don't grow botulism, there are probably a host of other nasty bacteria there. I'd bury those contents DEEP in a compost pile that the chickens couldn't dig up.

 

[azygous]

I totally agree with LG. Only I wouldn't even contaminate a compost pile with that putrid mess. Some chickens are such dedicated excavators that they could unearth it and become very sick, especially since those pathogens could continue to multiply into a toxic time bomb.

My number one rule is: If you wouldn't eat it, don't feed it to your chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

Sick chickens won't lay healthy eggs either. Mary

 

[dustcover]

I was of course hesitant, but now thanks to all of your informed thoughts on the issue, I am in total agreement. The ugly, and as one put it 'putrid', contents of my fly-catcher jar will be disposed of in a safe manner that will neither affect my hens nor contaminate my yard.

Thank you for your earnest responses.

 

[Folly's place]

Chickens are good at eating fly larvae, and do catch bugs on the fly too. It does help. Baited traps attract flies, so it's better to set them away from the coop, rather than in it. Mary