I saw an article on Mother Earth News

[BarredBuff]

It was about homegrown chicken feed. The editors were going to make silage from their yards out of the grass, weeds etc. Ferment it and then feed it to their hens in the winter. Do you guys think that would work? Im thinking about trying it the winter after this one. I would supplement with corn and worms ( im going into worm growing this spring). Could the rabbits and ducks be fed silage to, with corn suplements? Whats your thoughts?

 

[~gd]

It was about homegrown chicken feed. The editors were going to make silage from their yards out of the grass, weeds etc. Ferment it and then feed it to their hens in the winter. Do you guys think that would work? Im thinking about trying it the winter after this one. I would supplement with corn and worms ( im going into worm growing this spring). Could the rabbits and ducks be fed silage to, with corn suplements? Whats your thoughts?

True silage is just fermented animal feed so if you ferment for yourself you can do it for animals. The one thing to look out for is mold, the mold can be toxic and the spores can be a health risk to both man and beast. When we had cattle and chickens the chickens weren't fond of silage, they really need more protein in their feed. Of course the cattle could digest silage but the chickens can only get the nutrients on the surface and pass the rest as fiber.

 

[BarredBuff]

I think I am gonna try it. I am going to feed the silage as the main food, plus corn, lots of worms, and any and all scraps. I think they could sustain on that, but if I notice any problems I will convert back to layer feed. And Im gonna make silage for the rabbits and supplement with corn and someother things. How long will silage keep?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Properly ensiled feed lasts quite a long time. It needs to have all the air out of it though, or else it will mold. When you open the bag (or whatever you store it in) to feed, you need to be mindful that the rest will then be exposed to air and will start molding. It might be helpful to make many small batches of silage so you feed each batch out completely within a couple days. Also, there is a risk of getting Listeriosis with silage that hasn't been stored properly or that's started to spoil. Silage should smell good. If it smells bad, don't feed it.

Just do lots of reading up!

 

[freemotion]

I make lawn hay with the spring growth, which has the most nutrition. The hens will eat it when the snow covers anything green, but if there is frozen grass anywhere, they will eat that first.