Wasted Chicken Treats
One thing we are cultivating here at the corner lot is food waste-both in making it (my kids are great at having eyes bigger than their stomachs) and in trying to find ways to put food waste to work. This particular chicken snack comes from a local brewery's spent grains-the leftovers in the beer making process. We have a friend that owns a brewery and fills our buckets with the spent grains for our girls. We always share a dozen eggs with them to spread the joy of our chickens. The grains will spoil quickly so I process them the same day, especially when it is hot. I have two different methods for preserving them for the girls. The first is to keep them damp and fill our reusable zipper bags with it and freeze them. This has been great for the heat of the summer to give them a way to cool down, plus it is super easy and only requires me to fill up the bags and toss them in the freezers. The second way I keep them is by drying them in the oven. Personally I do it hot and quick-the chickens aren't picky if they are a little extra toasty. I bake them at on lined cookie sheets at 350 degrees (convection bake if your oven has it) and stir every 15-30 minutes until they are dry. I generally get 10 gallons worth of wet spent grains. I fill up all my containers and have enough to share with my neighbors' chickens, along with using some to round out the composter and the Black Soldier Fly Box to keep that chicken snack farm going strong for the summer.
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