[webwahm]

   I'm stunned.

Apparently since 2001...

"It is illegal to feed chickens with waste food from your kitchen, including vegetable scraps"

Over the past couple of months I've been making them some glorious home made concoctions as they absolutely love it...then I read this and can't believe I've never read about it before?!?!  Thought one of the benefits of chickens is to recycle veg scraps?!

Found it in a Beginners Guide to keeping chickens from DirectGov, and it refers to Defra laws on using catering waste (which includes domestic kitchens) after foot and mouth outbreak in 2001...
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Smallholders/DG_189309


 

[arugula]

That's right.

[webwahm]

I can't believe it.  All that boiling of potato peelings...

Not feeding meat to your chooks I get, but no veggies?  Cooked or uncooked...so no feeding your allotment 'scraps' either then? 

Truly astonished - surely am not the last to know?!?!?!

[joyfull]

so long as the veggies from your allotment have been no where near your kitchen - so not cooked then they should be ok.

[Dominic]

Not feeding meat to your chooks I get, but no veggies?  Cooked or uncooked...so no feeding your allotment 'scraps' either then?

Can you provide evidence that the vegetables were not contaminated with meat whilst in your kitchen?

Its a stupid law, but its the law.

[joyfull]

I thought this law was introduced after mad cow disease was discovered from feeding meat and other wrong feed to cows.

[webwahm]

"Can you provide evidence that the vegetables were not contaminated with meat whilst in your kitchen?"

...I've been a vegetarian for 35 years?  

I'm just dumb founded that I've never come across this, only recently I did a search to see what chickens could (or couldn't eat) and starting making stuff for them accordingly.

[webwahm]

I thought this law was introduced after mad cow disease was discovered from feeding meat and other wrong feed to cows.

Defra website says "Following the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in 2001"...

[dugless]

I though this only applied to commercial and above a certain number not to domestic chickens.

 it is silly because how are they going to know I feed my hen with cooked vegetables

I would not dream of feeding her meat, although I did  see when I had four of them catch a baby bird and eat it.

[webwahm]

I though this only applied to commercial and above a certain number not to domestic chickens.

Afraid not...

'Farmed animals' includes any pet animals that belong to a farmed species, such as
pet pigs, goats and poultry"

[joyfull]

it also covers domestic kitchens. I never feed my birds kitchen scraps anyway  .

As for being vegetarian the law also covers cooking oil - which I'm sure most vegetarians use sunflower, vegetable and olive oils 

[arugula]

It makes perfect sense that they mustn't have prepared meat, but when you consider some of the mice, frogs, lizards, slugs...... that they eat whilst foraging.....

[dugless]

it also covers domestic kitchens. I never feed my birds kitchen scraps anyway  .

As for being vegetarian the law also covers cooking oil - which I'm sure most vegetarians use sunflower, vegetable and olive oils 

Mine are not kitchen scrape but cooked veg straight from the garden

[webwahm]

I haven't been giving them 'waste' cooked in (olive) oil, but I take the point.

Mostly it has been fruit and veg peelings, boiled potato skins, porridge, tapioca etc.  All stuff I found online after running out of layers pellets, and wondering what I could give them.  They loved it so much I carried on.  More for the wormery now then!

[joyfull]

it also covers domestic kitchens. I never feed my birds kitchen scraps anyway  .

As for being vegetarian the law also covers cooking oil - which I'm sure most vegetarians use sunflower, vegetable and olive oils 

Mine are not kitchen scrape but cooked veg straight from the garden

if the veg goes into your kitchen at any time then technically they are illegal.