Feed for chickens?

[Bettacreek]

Great idea! I bought a french fry scoop for them, lol. Unfortunately, it only caught the really big ones, and if they wiggled enough, they'd drop right out too. I'll have to try the slotted spoon idea when I get them going again. I had actually bought some to restart my culture, but the idiot at the petstore gave me superworms and they ended up freezing in my car because I forgot about them, lol.

 

[RobinL]

FD, you so funny!! Is it that time again? *devil horns are a-sproutin'*

Honey in small town TX you will find "yard bird" in everyone's front yard, heck even in the road!! I am almost positive they are all "on their own" too. My mother rarely bought chicken feed. They foraged the yard (about 1 acre), her gardens and ate scraps given out after dinner. (They helped themselves to the cat food as well.)No oyster shells, no grit. We had many chickens that lived a loooonnnng time too, they even produced eggs past their prime.

Its chickens, not rocket science! But don't tell BYC I said that.

What did you give your chickens during the winter when you can't let them free range? We have lots of coyotes, hawks, etc and they won't go out in the snow.

 

[Beekissed]

I plant white dutch clover as it grows native here anyway and the bees get benefit from it also. It has up to 22% protein and it germinates quickly, grows well and stays green all winter. It also reseeds itself if I'm careful about when I mow and it grows in shade or sun.

I usually frost seed it, no plowing necessary. I also replant our garden rows at the end of harvest back to clover so the soil doesn't lay bare...this new growth for the fall is the chicken's favorite forage.

I also provide places around the meadow for the other things they forage...I don't kill the snakes in the lumber piles because the chickens eat their offspring like spaghetti...same with the lizards. We have brush piles all around and leaf litter that encourages bugs of all kinds and rotting logs with grubs aplenty. The many ants and termites come in handy for broodies and chicks.

The deep litter in their coop is another source of nutrition, as it attracts all sorts of bugs and worms. I'll often pile some hay at the edge of the forest and flip it now and again so they can glean the worms there. Then later, I can flip it again with the same results.

I'd say the best feed for chickens is a variety of what they usually forage, so I make places for all of these things and encourage it all. I don't rake the leaves near the coop when I gather them for winter bedding, as I know those leaves will be turned again and again in late fall, winter and early spring for the bugs to be found there. I go further afield for my leaves so they won't have to go far when they forage in the winter.

I don't grow any grains for them, as they have those aplenty in their regular ration and I only use that as a supplement or winter feed. I do plant a big row of wildflowers that bloom clear until frost and attracts bugs for them all the while...also provides good hawk cover. I like using the insect, worm and reptile life around here as most of their protein source for most of the year, but the clover augments the grasses they find in the meadow as well.

All in all, I find they have some well rounded forage opportunities and plenty of variety. The fermentation of their feed also increases the nutrition to be found there, so that's a plus.

 

[tortoise]

I'm a little afraid of raising bugs, but I want to for winter!

For now, you've all inspired me to clean out my kitchen cupboards and feed the chickens the ickies in the back. Starting with 2-years-expired pasta I'll never cook. (Have you ever served long spaghetti noodles to a 7 year old boy? It's not pretty.) DS took out the scrap bucket, he said the chickens loved the cooked pasta.

I've 2 cans of pure pumpkin that I hate to admit are never going to open themselves and make themselves into a pumpkin pie. And I'm not going to either! So pumpkin for chickens today, maybe some mushy canned veggies DH doesn't like too.

 

[Britesea]

I bet the chickens thought the pasta was worms...

 

[ChickenMomma91]

I plan on sprouting some dry beans i have hiding in the cupboard. I have tons of beans lol. the article i read said soak for two days then start the sprouting process and in about 7 days feed to your animals

P.S. i found thid site through BYC too hehehe

 

[Britesea]

I'm interested in hearing if they will sprout when they are old?

 

[ChickenMomma91]

I hope they do. some of these are a couple years old

 

[eagrbeavr]

Grow fodder. Too easy

 

[tortoise]

We're experimenting with feeding our chickens dog food as part of their overall diet. We have a source for free dog food. So far, we boiled some, added crushed eggshell, and extruded it through a meat grinder. Looks like worms! DH said they went crazy for it. We would need to find out a way to process it into chicken-edible form faster. This first time, all we got was a 4# bag. Sometimes we'll get a 40#bag, so we need an efficient way to process it!

They are still free-fed layer pellets, oyster shell, crushed eggshell, kitchen scraps, and free ranging.