Score! Free chicken bedding!

[freemotion]

Here's something I never thought of.....one of the big, fancier boarding stables I go to every other week to massage horses has a small pile in the back aisle near the hay/shavings storage that looked like aisle sweepings. It never seemed to go away much, so I asked the manager if they threw it out or what they did with it. She said she lets it pile up and sometimes someone comes to get it for their chicken coop.....So I put some lawn and leaf bags in my trunk and yesterday came home with 6 stuffed bags, enough to definitely bed my new turkey pen quite thickly, and hopefully I'll get more for my spring coop cleaning.

I usually have to buy bagged shavings when I run out of fall leaves. It kills me to spend the money on "trash!"

If you find a stable near you that you can glean from, just be sure to ask if the farrier (horse shoer) sweeps his trimmings, including the tips of the nails he cuts off when shoeing, into the pile. You won't want to take that.

My score is a mix of hay bits from throwing bales down, and shavings from the bulk load they get. In the fancier stables, the stalls are always kept "white," so they wouldn't use these clean but darker mixed shavings and hay.

I have another stable I go to that I am going to ask for their hay scraps, too. They should compost nicely with the chicken/food scrap system I am considering, as Vermont Compost Company mixes food scrap with hay.

 

[patandchickens]

Neat! Good idea

I feed the chickens some of my hay sweepings (my hay is mostly a mix and so you get that nice dark green alfalfa-leaf-y fine stuff coming out of it). They seem to like it and I assume it has some reasonable protein content since it's mostly alfalfa.

I wonder whether chickens would get any nutrition out of hoof trimmings? Not the big chunks that dogs like, but you know, the shavings from the rasp? All mine are barefoot so there is no concern about nail points here. Hm, never thought of that til you brought it up... I may try saving some of the fine sweepings next month and see what the chickens think of it palatability-wise. Anyone know anything about this? I know hoof trimmings give dogs FIERCE gas...

Pat

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Congratulations!!!!!! That's awesome!!!!!!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Neat! Good idea

I feed the chickens some of my hay sweepings (my hay is mostly a mix and so you get that nice dark green alfalfa-leaf-y fine stuff coming out of it). They seem to like it and I assume it has some reasonable protein content since it's mostly alfalfa.

I wonder whether chickens would get any nutrition out of hoof trimmings? Not the big chunks that dogs like, but you know, the shavings from the rasp? All mine are barefoot so there is no concern about nail points here. Hm, never thought of that til you brought it up... I may try saving some of the fine sweepings next month and see what the chickens think of it palatability-wise. Anyone know anything about this? I know hoof trimmings give dogs FIERCE gas...

Pat

My chickens and dogs wait patiently for the farrier to leave and then they are in there--dogs taking their chunks, and chickens scratching around.

The dogs will walk around with the hoofs in their mouths drooling for about 15 minutes before they start chomping.

Good idea on the scrap shavings. One man's trash is anothers treasure. My chickens also leat the fines from the hay that are left on the ground. They don't go for the long pieces, though.

(ETA--the long pieces that end up on the ground go to the rabbits. Very efficient barn I have....)

 

[freemotion]

When I had my horse, retired, the farrier did the trims in the paddock with all the chickens hanging around. They would pick at the fine raspings, but did not seem to be too excited about them.

My dog is on a raw diet, and the trimmings don't give him gas or worse, as many other dog owners helpfully warn me when he steals a big chunk....or I toss one to him.....when I am doing farm calls. I think it is because his digestive system is used to it, with the raw wings he eats. But he barely eats them, mostly plays with them, tossing them like a cat would. I think that is also because he gets what he needs from the diet, so no longer craves hoof trimmings or poop.

Or it could just be this particular dog. I've only owned one, and this is the one!