Kitchen Garden Forum

Does anyone know if I can use the bones of chickens, rabbits etc for bone meal, and if so how do I do it? It sounds odd I know, but bones are about the only food-stuff that get's thrown away in our house, the rest is eaten by us, or the dogs or shoved on the compost heap. The bones are the only thing I can't find a use for and I will NOT be defeated!
Cheers,
Wolf.

I remember reading an article (can't remember where or when, though) featuring Bob Flowerdew using bones which he burnt to produce a high phosphate (I think) plant fertiliser. Maybe someone else can be a bit more specific on this.
Regards, Lyn

Just grind them in your teeth and spit them out. Do you find paws easy to type with?

I think bonemeal is one of those things that's the by-product of another industry (glue-making?)

However, you could use a heavy-duty chipper or something... perhaps. I'd guess it'd have to be ground up pretty small for it to mix into your soil and have any beneficial effect... but that's a guess.

I think bone may be too hard for a shredder , bit too much like stone. Wood remember is fibrous.

Probably better to burn them in a wood fire.
Perhaps save for a while in a fox-proof container where the ants can clean them and then when you have a good load, have a proper wood fire in the open and when the first load becomes a barbeque, add the bones and cover with a fresh layer of wood, repeat the fresh layer until the bones are no longer visible amoungst the coals.
Hopefully whats left will be wood plus bone ash.