Coffee Chaff???

[jsebean]

Hello Coffee Forum Members,
I come here probably to ask a somewhat dumb question. I run a discussion forum that discusses Backyard Poultry and a few of our members have been discussing using Coffee Chaff as bedding for their birds, mainly because it's free to get. The question that has arose is, does Chaff contain any caffeine at all? Caffeine is dangerous for the birds so I was wondering if anyone knew if the chaff contained caffeine, and if it does, is it an extremely small amount?

Sorry I don't follow coffee, nor do I hardly drink it so I don't know this. Thanks for the help.
-Jonah

 

[bprotsman]

There are some books like American Journal of Pharmacy (volume 92) that claim chaff has very small traces of caffeine in it. Definitely not enough to try and extract though. I know people who have been using it for years with no issues. Here is an article that covers some pros and cons.
Coffee Chaff Chicken Coop Litter

 

[jsebean]

Thank you very much!

 

[DirtyDave]

Some orchid growers also use chaff for their composting mix.
Apparently it contains some organic compounds only found equatorally, and is therefore beneficial