Chickens are carnivores!?

[MrsE17]

After reading the thread on chicken treats I am quite confused. In all of my research into free range chickens and the awesome nutritional value, I had been under the impression that chickens were insectivores and herbivores. This thought supported the reason for chicken manure being a great addition to compost. Being that it is suggested that home composters not include dairy, grains, or meat products in their compost materials; I thought feeding chickens anything other than their feed and veggies would create poor manure for composting. I guess I thought that was why we did not include dog poo in the compost. I guess I've got a lot to learn. I welcome any insights. Thanks!

 

[SavageDestiny]

Chickens are omnivores. That means they can and do eat a little of just about everything.

 

[NEChickenNoob]

And they love mice!

 

[vahomesteaders]

Chickens eat anything just about. All bugs and insects and worms are on the menu. Field mice are done for. I have watched ours chase, catch and then fight over a mouse for hours. But it is not on a scale that will affect your compost pile. Poop is poop. And chickens break theirs down quite well.

 

[Thassa]

My Black Sex Link steals mice right from the cats!

 

[Sjisty]

Chickens eat almost anything that moves! I have watched young chicks playing tug of war with frogs and lizards. The mamas just swallow them down. The only thing I've noticed they don't eat (which I wish they would, just to control the population) is caterpillars.

 

[dheltzel]

After reading the thread on chicken treats I am quite confused. In all of my research into free range chickens and the awesome nutritional value, I had been under the impression that chickens were insectivores and herbivores. This thought supported the reason for chicken manure being a great addition to compost. Being that it is suggested that home composters not include dairy, grains, or meat products in their compost materials; I thought feeding chickens anything other than their feed and veggies would create poor manure for composting. I guess I thought that was why we did not include dog poo in the compost. I guess I've got a lot to learn. I welcome any insights. Thanks!

Almost anything composts well, the reasoning against meat products is the vermin it attracts, not the actual "food value" of the meat. Dog poop is a health hazard if the composting is not thorough enough. Done properly, even human waste is composted and used safely, but pathogens are a concern for home composters.

So, it's not what the dogs (or chickens) eat that is the problem, it whether any pathogens that might survive the composting are ok on your garden. I would compost dog and cat poop in a separate pile, below grade to prevent runoff. Switch every year and after a few years, it would be safe to use. That is the principle behind some commercial products that drop the dog poop into a deep hole with a cover.