Well, I think as long as the food is clean, hasn't gone bad, etc, why not? I mean, they'll eat worse themselves (especially the chickens) so why not fruits and veggies that are still good? I think this is a good idea, actually.
Would like your thoughts on salad greens and other veggies/fruits
Ok I know this is going to bother some, so 1st of all I ask to please keep in mind I have lil $ and doing the best I can with what I can.
Years ago I had a friend who's family ate out of garbage bins. They could barely make it by due to ill health on the parents side ie. working with asbestos, and coal mines etc. Anyway that's how they got there food. Nights that I would stay over, they would take me along with them on there "treasure hunting trips" ( you would be AMAZED what you can find in a dumpster specially BEFORE freecycle/craigslist/internet) Anyway I found that there is a surprising amount of items the get tossed that has NOTHING wrong with them.
SO this past lesson came in handy, I also have chickens and as we all know who enjoy chickens they loves greens and etc. SO I frequently go to the grocery stores dumpsters now. In the last week I have found 5 cases of unopened boxes of bagged salads, 5 spinach,5 lettuces good ones not iceberg , 2 boxes iceberg. as well as cases of tomatoes, apples bananas strawberries and etc. that was "expired" the use by date is that day even though NOTHING is wrong with them. I bring trunk loads of it home and while yes I still feed my hens a good layers pellets and scratch and oyster shell, they also get this produce that I find, they LOVE IT!!! SO I had the bright Idea of giving some to my girls, Oh they was in heaven , ate it all down and bleated for more. They enjoy the apples and bananas as well as Brussels sprouts and sugar snap peas and broccoli. ( don't feed tomatoes to them only the hens) Now I don't give them much, but they do ask for it every time they see my hens get some. Would it be ok to give them more of this? Not as a main diet by no means, just as a supplement of fresh greens? Would this hurt them? They don't get anything that has touched the sides of the bin, all items are wrapped individually so if it did touch the sides of the bin, it still didn't get on the foods. Would like to know what you think about this, want to know the pro's and Cons of it, other then being careful not to give them "bad" food, or contaminated food. We even make sure we check to see if there has been any recalls on any veggies for any reason too cause we don't want to take chances with our hens, let alone our girls. Thanks in advance and look forward to the response's!
Years ago I had a friend who's family ate out of garbage bins. They could barely make it by due to ill health on the parents side ie. working with asbestos, and coal mines etc. Anyway that's how they got there food. Nights that I would stay over, they would take me along with them on there "treasure hunting trips" ( you would be AMAZED what you can find in a dumpster specially BEFORE freecycle/craigslist/internet) Anyway I found that there is a surprising amount of items the get tossed that has NOTHING wrong with them.
SO this past lesson came in handy, I also have chickens and as we all know who enjoy chickens they loves greens and etc. SO I frequently go to the grocery stores dumpsters now. In the last week I have found 5 cases of unopened boxes of bagged salads, 5 spinach,5 lettuces good ones not iceberg , 2 boxes iceberg. as well as cases of tomatoes, apples bananas strawberries and etc. that was "expired" the use by date is that day even though NOTHING is wrong with them. I bring trunk loads of it home and while yes I still feed my hens a good layers pellets and scratch and oyster shell, they also get this produce that I find, they LOVE IT!!! SO I had the bright Idea of giving some to my girls, Oh they was in heaven , ate it all down and bleated for more. They enjoy the apples and bananas as well as Brussels sprouts and sugar snap peas and broccoli. ( don't feed tomatoes to them only the hens) Now I don't give them much, but they do ask for it every time they see my hens get some. Would it be ok to give them more of this? Not as a main diet by no means, just as a supplement of fresh greens? Would this hurt them? They don't get anything that has touched the sides of the bin, all items are wrapped individually so if it did touch the sides of the bin, it still didn't get on the foods. Would like to know what you think about this, want to know the pro's and Cons of it, other then being careful not to give them "bad" food, or contaminated food. We even make sure we check to see if there has been any recalls on any veggies for any reason too cause we don't want to take chances with our hens, let alone our girls. Thanks in advance and look forward to the response's!
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
That's my thoughts on it, its a free food, healthy, and keeps waste out of the dumps. My concerns are while most everything but the iceberg has nutrients' in it, what would I need to watch our for as not to over feed. Now I was just reading on another link that cabbage isn't good for goats, but mine LOVE it, It did taint the milk so that had to be trashed but other then that have had no issues with eating it. (lesson learned, don't feed milk does cabbage) The one negative thing I read about Cabbage is that its HOT, but wouldn't that work great in winter temps? We get below -15 several times a year during winter.
Not necessarily. "Hot" is usually a reference to a foods energy level, not an indication of heat produced through digestion. Digestion is the main source of heat in cold weather, so a food has to be harder to digest - grass hay is a good example - in order for it to to contribute to the warmth of said animal over a long period of time.The one negative thing I read about Cabbage is that its HOT, but wouldn't that work great in winter temps? We get below -15 several times a year during winter.
I think it's great! They're happy, you're not spending money, less is going to landfills. Clearly, you pay attention to the condition of the food and safety.
in my teenage years, I worked as at the salad bar in a grocery store. at the end of the closing shift, everything in the salad bar that day went into the bin. pains me every time I had to do it. many of the foods tossed were still edible, especially those in the packages.
in saying that, I would say that as long as the foods have not started to rot, I don't think it would be bad to feed them to your animals, as long as you pick through to make sure there's nothing in there that you don't want you animal babies to eat.
in saying that, I would say that as long as the foods have not started to rot, I don't think it would be bad to feed them to your animals, as long as you pick through to make sure there's nothing in there that you don't want you animal babies to eat.
My goats get some left overs too. I also feed a lot of my garden cleanings to them. Nothing wrong with it at all.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
The Goat Spot Forum
A forum community dedicated to goat owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
