Farm life can be hard, and often it involves death.
I guess that life in general involves death, but on the farm it can happen a little more frequently. When a family living on a homestead harvests an animal for food, that is one thing, but other deaths happen too.
Whether it is disease, accidents, or an attack from a wild animal, livestock and pets may not exactly be around as long as people wish they would be. Recently, an animal killed a rooster and a chicken that my neighbors had. As it happened, they asked me if I wanted the dead animals.
MAKING USE OF EVERYTHING
Now, @papa-pepper is not exactly a collector of dead animals, but I actually had some uses for the dead chickens. Recently some raccoons or possums have been raiding chicken flocks in the area. We still have all ours, but one of the neighbors lost their entire flock. I am working on a raccoon trap made out of shopping carts, so I took one of the carcasses and loaded it in there.
As for the other dead chicken, @mama-pepper, who does most of our research, had shared a story with me about a video that she saw on YouTube. A homesteader put a dead animal into a bucket with holes drilled in the bottom. As the flies laid their eggs and the maggots hatched, they would drop out of the holes in the bottom and the chickens that were still alive would eat them. @mericanhomestead - Did you guys make a video like that?
Anyway, you wouldn't want to do that with an animal that died from disease, but I thought that I would try it with the remaining carcass.
Yup, the supply of maggots showed up pretty quickly. I was kind of amazed. Thankfully, they fell out of the bucket through the holes just fine too!
DINNER IS SERVED!
Everyone one of the chickens really liked this treat. They would sit there for very long periods of time just eating the maggots as they fell out of the bucket.
When I put the poultry away for the evening, I left the bucket up. In the morning, there was a long line of maggots on the ground. Thankfully, the chickens and muscovy ducks made their way over right away for breakfast, and quickly pecked them all up.
I fully understand that this may be my grossest post ever, but at least it allowed me to find some purpose for the dead animal. It was a creative and peculiar way to recycle the dead chicken, and it worked out very well. Sure it was a little strange, but it did work and my chickens and ducks were very happy about it.
Have any of you ever done anything like this? If not, would you?
My Short Video About It
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-bucket-of-maggots (I wasn't angry, the sun just made me squint)
Until next time…
Don’t waste your time online, invest it with steemit.com
This post reminded of before we moved onto our boat, when we lived in an old irish cottage. We kept chickens and rabbits for food and as avid fishermen we always had to "breed" our own maggots for bait as there were no shops for miles around.
Needless to say, our hens had their share of these maggots also and would sit on the highest rail of our fence every morning where the bucket of maggots where kept, waiting til i came out and took the lid off. Once they saw the lid was off, it was bedlam almost to the point of fighting. They loved those maggots..
Hens are a funny bird too, great entertainment at times.
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This is great, bucket full of maggots for chicken feeding. I remember when we would cut the grass we would take the clippings and put it in the chicken cages.
We actually had mobile cages that we moved from one spot to another every few days to a week. Depending on the season and weather.
Glad to see a happy Papa Pepper hope you have an awesome evening,
~ @Timbo
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Congratulations @papa-pepper!
Your post was mentioned in my hit parade in the following category:
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What a genius solution, mabye you could also use maggots to try to catch some fish!?
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I thought of that, but I still prefer worms!
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I remember reading an old copy (I mean old) of a magazine that suggested hanging a small piece of rancid meat by a string above the chicken feed.
Same principle without the bucket.
Maggots are an awesome source of FREE protein for your chickens and ducks.
BTW, Johnny Depp should play you in the movie of your life story.
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Hey @papa-pepper how is the little pepper? You always inspire me and YOU inspired me to start posting here, you are doing very well and you deserve it. Nice post. :))
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Our little one is excellent. Slept four hours straight the other night.
Thanks for your support and encouragement!
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anytime papa and thanks for yours :)
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Hey @papa-pepper,
You may find this book interesting: "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. It's a often brought up whenever children's sleep habits are discussed. I heard testimonials of children sleeping up to 20 hours a day. Tough to go to wrong for the $4 it will cost you on Amazon used.
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Thanks! I'll let @mama-pepper know.
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Yeaaaah no. Not watching that video! Lol!
I have read about that method of generating high protein chicken feed online years ago. I don't think I'd be on top of it enough to keep from generating huge clouds of new flies though.
Do you think you'll keep it up?
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Now THAT is how recycling is done !
Nice post.
As a biologist, I found it very interesting.
Don't forget to tell us of how effective your racoon trap is !
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Trust me, I'll keep you posted.
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Waste not, want not! This is a creative way to find a use for something that many would see as garbage. Always important for creating sustainable farming/homesteading techniques. Those maggots are basically made of chicken though...so its just 1 step removed from cannibalism when other chickens eat them lol
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One step away is enough. Lol.
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You could also eat the maggots, but feeding them to the chickens and eating those seems a better way of going about things 8-).
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Yeah, I've heard of that too. Haven't tried it yet, have you?
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No. I thought it was useful information when I read it, but I prefer chicken 8-). I have eaten roasted grasshoppers, though. That also will never be a hobby of mine, but the taste was surprisingly good.
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The closest I got to grasshopper, was the cricket flour muffins someone baked for church one day and only remembered to tell the consumers of the muffins after they were consumed.
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How were they? 8-)
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Actually not bad, I wouldn't want to eat them whole, but the flour was not bad.
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I think I'll be trying crickets soon, but maggots only if I really need to, and not for fun...
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Not to out-gross you, but I read you can mash them up a bit and bake them into an omelet. I am not going to try ...
I prefer the chicken-and-egg way.
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Now that sounds great... just add a little pepper and some cheddar.
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=D
I'll just have the cheddar.
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if you get the travel channel watch andrew zimmern's bizarre foods program. as the title implies he eats some strange stuff all over the world. he's done a number of episodes about raising and/or consuming insects 😝
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Turtles like to eat maggots also
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The circle of life! Amazing how that works!
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That's really inventive. The chickens must have loved it!
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YUM!
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Hi @papa-pepper I enjoyed your post thank you for sharing! On another topic- I don't know if this follows Steemit protocol but I was wondering if you could help me. I'm trying to spread awareness about what may really have happened in London on June 3rd. Please check out my brief post and if you think it is worthy please resteem it to your beautiful loyal followers. I do not believe in coincidence. I believe in Gods Hand at work at all times. https://steemit.com/steemit/@struggles/you-can-change-the-world-and-save-lives-please-share-to-save-the-world-from-corruption
God bless.
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Yeah, I have a can in my garden where I 'grow' black soldier fly larva. Gonna get a maggot bucket going too. Waste not want not!
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Indeed! Glad to hear it!
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@papa-pepper, how is the baby doing? nice post by the way, hope you are ready for your steem cosmo edition coming out this sunday? upvoted and resteemed! I love the title
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Thanks, I am ready and thanks for featuring me!
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I also heard maggots are high in protein content
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So I hear... Who wants more protein?
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the poultry i guess
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@papa-pepper really cool post, it just give me lots of ideas, thanks!
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Have fun with those ideas!
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Does the smell of the rotting carcass get out of the bucket? Or does the bucket sequester the smells?
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Not so much. Once the maggots get to work it disappears pretty quickly.
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excellent post ! so many people are freaked out about maggots, they eat infection man, they are awesome ! btw, ran across a page you might like IF you don't already use/know it. Worth a mention imo. Some decent pics. Just a thought. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1581880572083249/
Read More, Reason More ... JTS
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Thanks man! I appreciate it!
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Well done ,good post 😉
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Glad that you liked it! I thought that it worked out well and I was impressed with the results.
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I like your post very much ! It is so interesting to read :D
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Glad to hear it.
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Very nice trick !
Never heard about it !
great you test it !!!
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Hmm! This is strange. I'll tell my friend who has a poultry to try it out. Thanks for sharing @papa-pepper.
I saw your donation to @darthnava. I'm humbled.
Steemians like you deserve some tap at the back.
I sent you a message. Please check your wallet.
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I remember the video you're referring to, but I can't recall if it was Zach and his family that posted it. It may have been that Justin guy. Anyway, very good way to use everything available to you.
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Yep, it was Justin Rhodes
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Sorry, that seemed to lose my text in the comment...
"Yep, it was Justin Rhodes. Thanks for the post though, love to see how different people do things"
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Hated to call him that "Justin guy", but his last name would just not come to me LOL
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I only just found him on youtube a few days ago, been binge watching some of his videos.
There's 1 guy he meets all across the country with a big red pickup who's name I'd love to know, that man can grow stuff like no-one's business...
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Cool, I'll have @mama-pepper verify that this was the one she saw. I only heard about it, but still got enough info to make it work!
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@mama-pepper said that's the guy!
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the chickens looked happy and having a feast,that's the main thing,there is lots of vitamins in maggots like worms,so they will feel good to.
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I don't find it a gross post. Real life stories are always the best. :)
Resteemed.
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It was real! I'll give it that. Thank you!
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Wow, amazing..
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Kind of makes me feel better about our dead chickens. Not warm fuzzy feelings, but better ;)
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Hello @papa-pepper. I'm your subscriber and I like your posts.
Recently I have release a small web app and I think it will not be noticed as always )
Only if it's not too much trouble for you, please resteem my last post https://steemit.com/steem/@elviento/whale-sonar-v1-0-beta-release-new-web-app-presentation. If not I'm sorry to disturb you.
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wow that's disgusting but awesome and useful at the same time lol hey @papa-pepper could u read my article on my page and tell me what u think its about being young and being a father it would really help out a lot thanks
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I"m still not very good at dealing with the inevitable barnyard deaths, so it'd be hard for me. But I appreciate it in principle, very intelligent.
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When life gives you decaying chicken carcasses... harvest maggots.
..that's a new one. Very green!
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that is just an awesome idea , great feed, all natural . It really is one of those slap to the head" DOPE !! " moments . Thanks for steeming
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That is actually a brilliant idea, then you can grind the remaining bone into a bone-meal and compost it! Digging your posts brother, even if the chickens are on a soylent green diet ;)
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That's inventive, for sure, and it looks pretty effective.
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I love this idea. So much good protein for the Chooks!! If you are in a Survival situation, you can always fry up then grind up Maggots (Eww don't even like writing that word) and sprinkle that goodness over whatever. Goes for worms and suchlike as well :) Thanks so much for the great idea
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Brilliant. Sounds like it would work just as well with carcasses after butchering. Should clean them down to the bone.
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I have a great idea for the next @papa-pepper family BBQ - Tequila shots with a live maggot 👍🏽 😉
And someone good at math should do a calculation of how many maggots manifest from the average dead chicken. I'm guessing it's in the thousands!
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Do you have a river near your place, @papa-pepper? 😊
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A stream, a lake, and a pond.
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Great. Here is a hint what to do with a bucket of maggots! 😊
https://steemit.com/comic/@lighteye/b-c-stands-for-blockchain-may-08-2017-cliche
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interesting technique i'll pass on to my poultry raising friends that don't already know about it
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maggots have been used to 'clean' burn victims' wounds which turns out to the best way to fight infection and aids faster healing- amazing!
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Great story, I'm a Canadian homesteading in Panama, not much goes to waste here. things get recycled till there is nothing left to use hehe.
This story has earned you your newest follower, I'm looking forward to many more. In fact, next stop is your blog to peruse past stories :-)
Steem on my friend
I'm blogging about Panama, homesteading and a mishmash of whatever.
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you really are clever finding ways to use nature :)
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Interesting way to feed the chicken and also, good luck with the racoon trap.
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Maggots are really disgusting but not for the chicken. This is a great idea for recycling. There are no remaining garbage, this is a circle of life.
We are vegans, so we compost every green waste. Many small worms do their job, and the result is excellent soil in a year.
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Nice post! Followed and upvoted. Do visit my article as well:
https://steemit.com/interesting/@archerized/the-most-spoken-word-on-the-planet-earth
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They may be gross, but they sure are useful! Very cool that you are making use of everything :) and just so you know @papa-papper, I mentioned you in my most recent article !
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OK, I'll check it out.
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We have been doing this for a year now! it works and is a great protein source for the chickens. Nicely done!
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Yes that is genius! I want to get some chickens as well. We cleared a spot last year just have to build a coop and get the chickens. I know my kids would enjoy feeding them guys.
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My grandfather used to feed maggots to the chickens. He would occasionally unleash the chickens to eat other bugs plaguing the crops.
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Yeah, it is a good way to use them!
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We really love this idea. Actually we are going to use this approach as one of the way how to improve livelihood of local farmers in NW Cameroon to save the mountain forest. We have just lunched new approach how to get funding for our effort with steem. Check this out: https://steemit.com/nature/@kedjom-keku/do-it-for-forest-upvote-comment-resteem-to-save-the-abongphen-highland-forest-in-cameroon-11usd-10x10-m-forest-saved
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I want to tell you you are genius my friend
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Brilliant! I can surely appreciate repurposing and recycling, even if it is a little gross. The chickens didn't seem to think it was gross!
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They sure didn't. They may have even preferred them over one of the tasty treats that you feature. (though I would prefer some of your cooking)
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I guess I could come up a good maggot recipe, what do you think?
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