[Kuikentje]

How exactly do DEFRA plan to police this?

And what's the difference between throwing them your surplus veg peelings, and hanging up a bit of broccoli for them?     

Will I be arrested if I give them a bit of a leaf that would have otherwise been put in the compost bin?  I'm confused.  It's not even as though I plan to sell the eggs, and certainly not eat the chickens!

[CDave]

Think that any peelings etc must not have been in your kitchen. Its ok if the by-pass your kitchen. How will they police it? I don't know - but its the law.

[Kuikentje]

OK.  I'll peel them in the garden then.

[ANHBUC]

This subject comes up time and time again.  As CDave said it is the law.  It is there to hopefully stop things like mad cow disease and it is much easier to have a plain law without if buts and maybes.  Your kitchen has a chance of cross contamination with meat products.  Any food for your chickens including broccoli should not have been in your kitchen.   

You can store your vegetables in a garage and prepare them there for your hens, just not in your kitchen.

[Kuikentje]

As it happens I'm a nurse and probably somewhat obsessive about avoiding cross-contamination.  Which makes this slightly ironic, I'm one of the last people who should be told how to avoid cross-infection, as I have always called it.

However, I'd better be a good girl...

[pepsi100]

mmmm, very awkward, to get to my garden, I have to pass through my kitchen and as most of my veg is in the kitchen and along with all the food prep arewa and the washing up sinlk, its really going to be difficult, but my hens get any leftovers and so far, myself and the wife and the hens havent gone down with anything, but the council in their wisdom, gave us a bin for food scraps, they come around once a fortnight to collect it, now I dont have any food scraps, the hens eat them, but other people put these bins out (and leave them there for 2 weeks) the stink is incredible, and even the bin men wear a mask during collection

Most times they get raided by the foxes and of course there is rotted food scattered most mornings

Well I dont know how others here would approach this, but my hens get the scraps we leave, they get any peelings and we just cook them up and mix it with a bit of mash and they get that most mornings

I hate wasting food and if my hens enjoy it and I can give it to them I will carry on, I wash my hands, take my boots off before I go into the kitchen, and so far things have been fine, no bugs, no bad stomachs and the hens are still laying

Well I guess I may have 'my collar felt' at some time, but until then I guess I will carry on, but if the hens complain I'll stop giving them my scraps and left overs

[mumofstig]

What you do is up to you.
This site can only advise Defra rules.
The thread is being locked to stop further discusion on the subject.