http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Tag: chicken hen pet - Recent Posts en Fri, 22 May 2026 10:18:59 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165418 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 14:14:31 +0000 Baldcyclist 165418@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>And if you would like to adopt some friends for your newly acquired hen...</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WingAndAPrayerRescue" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/WingAndAPrayerRescue</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165415 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:57:04 +0000 Min 165415@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>From a friend who works in a bakery. Unsold/excess produce is collected by a local pig farmer.</em></p> <p>Ah okay. Yes there are some things like bread that can be fed to pigs but actual swill (any old food waste) can't. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165411 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:33:29 +0000 ARobComp 165411@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Prion disease (BSE) is spread via nervous tissue, so basically any meat that has nerves where the prions could have spread. So mincing up old dead cow bits and feeding it back to cows is really not a great idea. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165409 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:30:06 +0000 acsimpson 165409@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>From a friend who works in a bakery. Unsold/excess produce is collected by a local pig farmer.</p> <p>I guess the restrictions on contamination mean that most waste food producers (supermarkets, restaurants, etc) are unsuitable.</p> <p>I may be over simplifying it but was BSE not caused by feeding cows to cows? The worst possible animal protein to feed and animal is the same species as it. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165405 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:16:08 +0000 Min 165405@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Pig swill is still regularly collected on a commercial scale. As long as the food comes from an environment which has minimal risk of contamination by animal protein then it's fine.</em></p> <p>It definitely is not although there is a move (controversial) to get it so again. Where did you get that from? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165398 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:01:25 +0000 chdot 165398@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"Pig swill is still regularly collected on a commercial scale"</p> <p>Glad to hear it (though it's perhaps a pity there is still much to be collected). </p> <p>I forgot BSE in my previous list...</p> <p>Pigs will eat anything, but better if it's 'safe'... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165390 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 12:48:34 +0000 acsimpson 165390@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2013/dec/18/feeding-kitchen-scraps-chickens">http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2013/dec/18/feeding-kitchen-scraps-chickens</a></p> <p>Pig swill is still regularly collected on a commercial scale. As long as the food comes from an environment which has minimal risk of contamination by animal protein then it's fine.</p> <p>The same is true for domestic animals. Although much like riding on the wrong side of a segregated path when it's empty I don't suspect you'll be prosecuted for feeding your non meat kitchen waste to the chickens. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165378 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 12:32:03 +0000 chdot 165378@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Foot and mouth</p> <p>Swine fever</p> <p>Bird flu</p> <p>"European red tape"</p> <p>Paranoia</p> <p>Can't remember</p> <p>Certainly a long time since stuff was collected for "pig swill". </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165376 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 12:29:46 +0000 SRD 165376@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Can anyone explain why giving kitchen waste to birds is illegal? Is it also illegal to give scraps etc to other animals? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165374 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 12:26:20 +0000 Darkerside 165374@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Amazing what you learn here. Thanks both!</p> <p>(just to clarify, I wasn't intending on acquiring some on a whim and then using them as a kitchen hoover than also clucks. I should probably have swapped "likes the idea" for "finds intriguing" in the post above) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165370 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 11:58:18 +0000 sallyhinch 165370@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I read somewhere that a chicken is the pet with the lowest carbon footprint (although I've never been able to find the link again), presumably because they're vegetarian non-ruminants.</p> <p>As Min says, you can't feed them anything that's been intended as human food (technically, the same goes for wild birds so stop putting out breadcrumbs for them now, you scofflaws). If you're harvesting veg you can give them the offcuts as long as you've not prepared them in your kitchen. Besides, if you actually want eggs from them you have to feed them layers pellets and proper mix so any eggs you get will be quite expensive but back garden hens' eggs are amazing. </p> <p>You really need a minimum of 3 birds to keep them happy. Hens can't count so as long as they see two other hens they think they're in a flock and are fine. If they see none or only one, they get a bit nervous. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165350 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 10:34:40 +0000 Min 165350@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Disposing of kitchen waste via chickens is illegal. They require feeding, housing, cleaning and de-miteing so are not free to keep either in terms of money or time. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165335 Wed, 17 Sep 2014 09:11:36 +0000 Darkerside 165335@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>As someone who likes the idea of keeping hens (although impossible where I live at the moment); how does it work?</p> <p>Is it basically free eggs and a way of disposing of kitchen peelings? Or more like an expensive pet with an edible bonus?</p> <p>Yours</p> <p>Ignorant of the City. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165300 Tue, 16 Sep 2014 20:38:34 +0000 le_soigneur 165300@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@Bruce Sent you a PM of deets of someone interested </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13435#post-165235 Tue, 16 Sep 2014 13:50:52 +0000 bruce_mcadam 165235@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Due to a recent death (old age), our once grand flock is down to its last hen.</p> <p>We're not in a position to restock at the moment. Would anybody here who keeps chickens like to adopt her so she doesn't get lonely?</p> <p>She's 2 1/2 years old, and some sort of brown hybrid. Still laying, but not everyday. Very friendly: likes hand feeding and happy to be picked up.</p> <p>PM me if you can help.</p> <p>Thanks! </p>