DIY Bone Meal?

[gtaus]

I have a garbage disposal on an old sink outside that last year I used to grind up kitchen scraps into a bucket that I poured onto the compost pile. The other night we had roasted chicken. I was thinking that it might be possible to grind up the leftover bones in the outside disposal unit and use that paste to feed back to my chickens. I know the garbage disposal will grind up chicken bones without much problem.

My question, would this DIY bone meal paste be a good idea to supplement the chicken feed, or should I just dump it on the compost pile? Thanks for any feedback.

 

[chkva]

It would be great to give them in addition to their other food. It has a lot of good stuff in it!

I'm not sure if I'd compost it in my location just because it would attract a lot of creatures I don't want near my chickens. If I fed it to my chickens I'd only leave it out for so long until I picked it up and disposed of it just so I didn't attract anything towards my chickens.

 

[gtaus]

Thanks for the response. I was thinking to myself that ground up chicken bones and bits of leftover meat would be good for the chickens. Much better than throwing it out in the garbage.

My current "compost pile" is just a garbage can buried into the soil out by the garden. I can throw whatever I want in the garbage can, toss some carbon on top of it, and then put the lid back on the can. I have not had any problems with critters trying to get into my compost. Also, if I use the garbage disposal to grind up the material with some water and dump it into a bucket, then it really does not smell at all and breaks down almost immediately when I put it in the compost can with some brown carbon material.

Also, on my property, my garden compost is far from where I plan on having my chicken coop. But good point in not leaving stuff out that might attract critters. In my case, I was just thinking of grinding up a few chicken leg bones, maybe a few wings, etc... So not like a whole bunch of anything and I expect the chickens would eat it down in minutes if they like it. If not, I'll just dump it out in the garden compost can.

This will be my first summer with chickens, and I hope to feed them most of our kitchen scraps and leftovers. What I can't feed them will still get dumped in the compost can.

 

[chkva]

Thanks for the response. I was thinking to myself that ground up chicken bones and bits of leftover meat would be good for the chickens. Much better than throwing it out in the garbage.

My current "compost pile" is just a garbage can buried into the soil out by the garden. I can throw whatever I want in the garbage can, toss some carbon on top of it, and then put the lid back on the can. I have not had any problems with critters trying to get into my compost. Also, if I use the garbage disposal to grind up the material with some water and dump it into a bucket, then it really does not smell at all and breaks down almost immediately when I put it in the compost can with some brown carbon material.

Also, on my property, my garden compost is far from where I plan on having my chicken coop. But good point in not leaving stuff out that might attract critters. In my case, I was just thinking of grinding up a few chicken leg bones, maybe a few wings, etc... So not like a whole bunch of anything and I expect the chickens would eat it down in minutes if they like it. If not, I'll just dump it out in the garden compost can.

This will be my first summer with chickens, and I hope to feed them most of our kitchen scraps and leftovers. What I can't feed them will still get dumped in the compost can.

I have an open compost pile so I can't throw any meat in it because I'm sure the neighbors free range dogs or a creature would find it quite appetizing!

I give my chickens rotisserie carcass after we pick off it and they absolutely love it. People say it'll turn them into cannibals, but last time I checked chickens don't know what cooked chicken taste or looks like. I actually get large double yolk eggs or large eggs after feeding them a rotisserie carcass.

 

[gtaus]

I have an open compost pile so I can't throw any meat in it because I'm sure the neighbors free range dogs or a creature would find it quite appetizing!

I have also done trench composting successfully, where I would dig a trench (or hole) about 1 foot deep and bury my leftovers, including meat, dairy, etc... directly into the soil and then covering it up. Never had a dog, or other creatures, dig it up. My compost garbage can is basically the same thing as trench composting, only I don't have to dig a hole/trench every time I have some material to compost.

I give my chickens rotisserie carcass after we pick off it and they absolutely love it...

The wife and I usually get a couple meals out of a rotisserie chicken. Then we make chicken soup with the carcass and get a few more meals out of it. At that point, the carcass is mainly bones, which I will be grinding up in the outdoor garbage disposal and feeding the "bone paste" to the chickens. There should be nothing left to throw into the garbage.