[suziequeue]

Veggie Scraps For Chickens

Any advice on this? Do we simply scatter it in the orchard or will it need to be prepared in any way?  Can the chickens cope with a large-ish potato peeling for example?

Thanks!

 


S

[joyofchicks]

I am not an expert but I believe you are meant to cook veggie peelings into a mash for the chooks.  I keep a pot (old Mackies ice cream container) on the kitchen worktop and pop in bits of fruit (eg apple cores) and cooked food leftovers (minus the meat) plus bottom of the cereal pack the kids don't like etc etc and give it to my hens in the afternoon.  I swear my chickens can read "Mackies" as they come running!

[doganjo]

You don't need to cook veggies for hens, but there are certain ones that either aren't good for them or they don't eat.  I wouldn't give mine raw potatoes in any form - whole OR peelings.  Mine get a steady supply from a friend but I check what's in the bag before tipping it on the ground for them - they like pecking around so I just scatter it and anything that isn't eaten in a couple of hours gets lifted and composted.

[CameronS]

Why do you not feed raw potatoes?

Mine get raw peelings almost daily with no ill effect, am i causing internal problems   

[harry]

are the hens eating it all or are you feeding the rats? i hang any scraps in a onion sack or hay net out of reach of rats

[sagehen]

Taters belong to the nightshade family, and the highest concentration of the alkaloids occur just under the skin of the potatoes, so you do have to cook them before you feed them to chooks.