As I've mentioned before, I've started collecting rotten scraps from a produce stand, and, well, I'm in over my head. Just last week I collected 302 gallons of these scraps. I give them to the chickens on top of a bed of "browns" (wood chips and leaves), then after they enjoy them for a day, I pile them up and repeat. But ~43 gallons a day requires a lot of work, and so far I haven't been quite up to it.
There's no problem, really, since it'll all break down (and the skunks that come by to help out are super friendly), but be careful what you wish for. I'll absolutely keep taking rotten scraps like this for the chickens, but without machinery, ~43 gallons/day is a lot of never-ending work. But hey, the chickens are happy!
by c-lem
5 Comments
It will feel less overwhelming if you setup a few paddocks. Pour the food scraps in and cover it with a little leaf cover. If you run out of leaves. I use grass clippings and shredded paper.
All the spread out rotten food may be good for the birds. But it doesn’t look managed. You can do it. Setup 3 or more paddocks and build more as needed.
I did this for a few years. I was picking up up to 100 gallons of produce twice a week. I had about 80 hens. The biggest challenge I had was keeping enough browns on hand….between the large amount of food waste and the chickens constant scratching carbons didn’t last long.
That being said….I was producing massive amounts of compost, diverting tons of waste from landfills, and I never had happier or healthier chickens. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind doing something similar on a much smaller scale again.
i think you need another 3bin system. maybe even 5.
3bin to fill, two extra compartments to stock up large quantities of leaves and grass clippings this fall.
Or use the geobin for that.
And i like the idea of 3 seperate feeding grounds. shovel the oldest one in the pile, feed there.
You don’t have to add browns to the feeding every day, keep it as low effort as possible.
I have the slight suspicion you are gonna do the same thing with the produce stand again.
Building like 3 or 5 compartment boxes will at least keep everything in place sort of instead of having produce scraps spread out willy nilly. Today’s collection goes in box A, next one in box B etc. etc. Stuff spills out only from the side you open for the chicken so more contained and I imagine less work. I have no experience in these situation but I imagine, by leaving the boxes undisturbed for a few days until the next turn to add fresh “scraps” and open for feeding the piles will have produced a healthy colony of maggots and what not. More variety to the feed? How far to the chicken coop?
Oh hell I could watch these happy chickens on repeat, they’re adorable!!