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Who started the lie that you could raise animals on scraps?

1K views 16 replies 17 participants last post by  fantasymaker 
#1 ·
I see it mentioned all the time, raise a pig on scraps, raise chickens on scraps, well shoot, at our place those animals would be starving if all I fed them where our scraps. My wife and I have a large garden and fruit trees, yet there wouldn't be enough scrap to keep a chicken alive. Not to mentioned these huge compost heaps people talk about...often times it looks to me like they are just wasting food because they were too lazy to preserve or prepare it before it went bad. We are so darn frugal that our "scraps" are rarely more than a few egg shells and stems. We try to use everything, including leaving the peels on things like potatoes and apples. Not to mention saving money, all of the food value of our scraps totaled up would probably only equal $2 worth of corn a month! Anyone else ever noticed this?
 
#2 ·
for myself I use scraps and peels and egg shells to add to feed not as the only feed.
I am sure the people who free range their chickens use a lot less feed but I don't know of anyone who feed their animals on scapes alone.

I do like the idea that I throw very little away and every pound of scrapes I feed my pigs and chickens is a pound of feed I don't have to pay extra for.

I give them the ends of celery, onion skins, egg shells, chicken bones, chicken skins, tips of squash, trimings of tomatoes, broth off of roasts some days it is a small bucket full some days it is only their normal feed.
 
#4 ·
you sound very frugal. that can be good but you might consider that giving the animals the less choice food might enabel you to increase your standard of living. meaning turn that leftover bowl of refrigerator marinated pasta that nobody really wants to eat but would choke down anyway into a nice juicy pork chop or roast chicken. I don't think its a lie that you can raise animals on scrap. it depends on your definition of scrap. the two hogs we raised last year were well worth my leftovers and not so tasty homemade kitchen experiments, we also got all the over date bread from a local charity, most of it was actually fine and fit for human consumption and I could have froze it and kept it to use throughout the year. but I preferred to feed it to the pigs and have THEM to eat all year. yum.
 
#5 ·
Go to your local brewery for leftover cooked grain and expended yeast.

If you drive into the city, hang out by the local buffet deli. At about 8PM each night, they're tossing out trays of shrimp, sweet and sour chicken, ribs, steamed broccoli, tofu, bread, salads, etc.

The local Dunkin Donuts tosses out trays full of donuts every 12 hours in clean trash bags.

Restaurants in the city will also toss out bags and bags of day old bread.

Supermarkets have to toss out wilted veggies and fruits as well.
 
#7 ·
When I was a young kid, just 14, one of my first jobs was cleaning dishes at the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Kansas City Airport terminal, downtown KCMO. I used to always thing that the waste from the dishes from a single night would feed half a dozen hogs.

As the busboys brought in tubs of dishes cleared from tables, I would scrape everything off of them into a trough before loading them into the dishwasher. This garbage was then pushed into 50 gal trash cans and eventually loaded up and hauled out to the dumpster. We would fill 5-6 barrels a night. And it was everything from salads, meat, and baked potato skins to desserts. An incredible amount of food. :1pig:
 
#9 ·
I have a neighbor that uses scraps to feed four hogs. He get the scraps from a resterant and a bakery. That is the way do it but he also feeds wheat shourts also but not as much as he would have to without scraps.
 
#10 ·
When my DH and I were still full time dairy farmers we raised many a calf to weaning and many a hog to pork chop heaven largely (although not exclusively) on throw away milk that had to be tossed due to cell counts from injury, antibiotic milk out times when clearing hot mastitis cases and colostrum or blood traces from swelling of the bags at calving. To this we often added peelings, damaged fruits and veges from our own and others' gardens. Saved alot of much needed cash we could then recommit elsewhere into the operation.
 
#12 ·
waste food is a great idea but must be cooked too destroy pathogens, also helps pigs digest the food better . we used to raise up pigs on scrap, would feed apples as part of the ration say 1/4 rest was corn, bread(doughnuts would do ), vegys, milk , would still but our baby pig source dryed up, will only sell too the big guys now!
 
#13 ·
Matthew Lindsay said:
I see it mentioned all the time, raise a pig on scraps, raise chickens on scraps, well shoot, at our place those animals would be starving if all I fed them where our scraps. My wife and I have a large garden and fruit trees, yet there wouldn't be enough scrap to keep a chicken alive. Not to mentioned these huge compost heaps people talk about...often times it looks to me like they are just wasting food because they were too lazy to preserve or prepare it before it went bad. We are so darn frugal that our "scraps" are rarely more than a few egg shells and stems. We try to use everything, including leaving the peels on things like potatoes and apples. Not to mention saving money, all of the food value of our scraps totaled up would probably only equal $2 worth of corn a month! Anyone else ever noticed this?
I know what you're sayin' Matt. It's the same with me.

My GF will sometimes give some of her 'garbage' (usually when she cleans out the 'fridge) to me for my chickens and pig.

Most of it never makes it the barn (I eat the 'good' stuff', really spoiled things end up in the compost). After all, if it's not safe for me, is it really safe for my livestock?
 
#14 ·
Like the others said, if you have enough scraps, then it is VERY possible to raise chickens/ goats and even - God forbid - hogs on them. I feed my free range chickens a small bit of grain, but they thrive on scraps and what ever they find. They are doing great and their crops are always full. I do like to give them dry bread "chunks". They follow me everywhere expecting them. The goats don't really need the grain, but I give them a SMALL amount every day. They get veggie scraps and bread also. They'd sell their mother to the mob for an apple or turip. It's all in how you train YOURSELF.

As far as "it's not good for me, is it good for my animals? Animals have different digestive systems then humans. Remember - a dog, cat or chicken will eat roadkill and do well on it.
 
#15 ·
I worked in a restaraunt in Montana that saved plate scrapings for a local farmer to feed to his pig. I don't know if he fed other feed or not, but we did used to fill a trash can almost every day.

hollym
 
#16 ·
When I worked in a hospital kitchen in the 50's, the dishwasher put all of the "good" scrapings into a special barrel that he would take home for his pigs. I believe in some areas that is now illegal, due to the danger of disease. Heck, I can't even get fruit and vegetable throwouts from the supermarkets. They say it is a state law. The livestock loves the stuff from my kitchen. They get the overripe tomatoes, and any peels, or leftovers. The sheep even enjoy used lemon slices. But those are treats. There isn't enough for even one chicken to live on.
 
#17 ·
The pass through from a herd of cows will feed a lot of chickens or a few hogs! The scraps from an old fashioned feeding pattern for a familey of 12 will keep a hog well fed or a few chickens. and compbine the two and viola! A lot less waste!
 
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