Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Greg and April" <gregandapril@earthlink.net>]

Thanks.

I wonder if the problem lays with how heavy the pelt/skin.    With a heavier 
pelt, it not like they are going to reach out and unfold it, if it's doubled 
over

The skin is not near as appetizing to the birds, and they get to a point of 
diminishing returns - more effort expended for less meat in each bite, and 
they are not interested in skin ( especially if full or moderately full of 
meat ).

Just a theory.

Greg H.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harvey Ussery" <huboxwood@earthlink.net>
To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 10:42
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Maggots as poultry feed


> That's been exactly my experience, with regard to dressed meats. Though
> now that I think about it, there's been a consumption problem with *any*
> carcasses with pelts I've tried feeding raw. I mentioned earlier feeding
> roadkill squirrels. Well, that's as thin a pelt as you'd find, I guess,
> but the birds wouldn't eat it well with the pelt on.
>
> As I think I said earlier, I don't have any idea why the birds don't
> "clean their plates" when served pelt-on entrees. It's
> counter-intuitive: Aside from scratching, what do chickens love to do
> more than anything? Pecking. One would think that the sheer
> entertainment value would lead to pelts and bones picked clean. But when
> feeding carcasses with pelts, I've always subsequently found funky
> chunks of carcass later, buried in the litter or abandoned out on the
> pasture.
SNIP
> Yes, with beavers, and they ate the meat. Have you ever skinned a
> beaver? I find putting the carcasses thru the buckets *much* easier.
SNIP
> No, I don't raise rabbits, and I'm not a hunter. As said, I've fed
> squirrel, with results noted.
>
> Joel Salatin's son Daniel has raised rabbits for many years, and it's my
> understanding that he always disposes of the heads, offal, and pelts by
> throwing to the chickens on a deep wood-chip litter. I guess he's gotten
> results that differ from mine if he's still using that method. However,
> I never saw any of the pelts he'd passed on to the chooks myself.