Can I raise baby roosters on corn and table scraps only?

[Debbie09011970]

I have raised chickens off and on for 20 years. Just a few breeds most of the time. I have either always let the mother hatch and raise them or else raise them by the book: chick starter, chick grower, laying pellets, etc... It used to be really cheap years ago. Now, I think it is costing me $20-25 per bird to raise it to laying age.
I have the chance to use a hatchery (Cackle if anyone is interested in some) to purchase baby roosters for $1.55 each plus shipping. They would be ate but they are not fast growing broilers. Rather than raising them with expensive chick starter, I would be feeding them corn and table scraps to save money. Has anyone done this and will it work or will I stunt their growth and make them inedible not raising them how they are suppose to be raised.

 

[Debbie292d]

I have raised chickens off and on for 20 years. Just a few breeds most of the time. I have either always let the mother hatch and raise them or else raise them by the book: chick starter, chick grower, laying pellets, etc... It used to be really cheap years ago. Now, I think it is costing me $20-25 per bird to raise it to laying age.
I have the chance to use a hatchery (Cackle if anyone is interested in some) to purchase baby roosters for $1.55 each plus shipping. They would be ate but they are not fast growing broilers. Rather than raising them with expensive chick starter, I would be feeding them corn and table scraps to save money. Has anyone done this and will it work or will I stunt their growth and make them inedible not raising them how they are suppose to be raised.

I know longevity is of no concern since these will be culled when of culling age, but I'd still want them to have proper nutrition so their meat will probably be better. Instead of buying starter, how about a big bag of All Flock as chicks can have that, as well as adults. It's better for roosters too as it has not as much calcium as layer feed does.

 

[Debbie09011970]

I know longevity is of no concern since these will be culled when of culling age, but I'd still want them to have proper nutrition so their meat will probably be better. Instead of buying starter, how about a big bag of All Flock as chicks can have that, as well as adults. It's better for roosters too as it has not as much calcium as layer feed does.

but it's still expensive and I will not get away with paying around $20 per chicken to raise them--even with this feed. It's not feasible to raise a chicken paying $20-25 just to eat it. I was hoping to find a cheaper route.

 

[aart]

Go for it, see how it works out.

 

[Penpal]

I buy whole grain at the feed mill. Corn, oats, wheat, sunflower seeds. The whole wheat cost me $5.70 per 25#. That's 22.8 c per pound. The oats were 24.4 c per pound. The corn was even cheaper. You can also grow red wiggler worms in a box so the chickens have them over the winter when they can't forage. The worms will eat your table scraps, so once you buy a box you never have to buy them again.

If you soak the grains for 3 days before feeding, the fermenting process will destroy the anti-nutrients, making the grain higher in digestible nutrients.

 

[Penpal]

Also, if you grow your own you can choose corn, oats, and wheat that have the highest nutritional value, which commercial feed does not have. The oldest varieties have the highest nutritional value. For instance, blue hopi corn.

 

[lomine]

Commerical feed has only been around for like the last 100 years. Before that, chickens just got whatever was available. My Oma used to live in the German countryside. Folks had little plots along a back road that they used for gardens or animals. One lady had chickens. They were feed via a huge compost pile. The owner and friends/neighbors would just toss whatever they had on the pile, veggie bits or leftover bread, I'm sure the compost attracted a lot of bugs and worms, too. I told my Oma that chickens like meat too, so we gave them a little leftover lunch meat and they went nuts. My Oma got a real kick out of it. Those chickens looked really good, and they laid lovely eggs.

That being said, I'm not sure corn would be the best filler to use. I would look around and see if you can buy whole seeds and grains in bulk. You can also check with local restaurants or grocery stores to see if they might give you the veggies/fruits they might otherwise toss. I also knew a guy that got spent grain from a local brewery for his goats and pigs. That might work for chickens too. I think the most important thing will be to make sure they get a decent amount of protein, so they don't grow too slowly.

I agree with Aart. Just go for it and see what happens.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

If you have access to fish, it is good food to raise chickens….use fish which are deemed not suitable for human consumption ( too many bones ect) , just run them through the meat grinder, perfect chicken food, I get free fish from my neighbor who doesn’t like fish with many bones, I just boil them ( they sometimes have worms ) throw them in the meat grinder and the chickens love it

 

[Debbie09011970]

Go for it, see how it works out.

The point of this post was advice and not simply to just go for it and see what happens. Nobody wants to pay $2 per bird after shipping, feed them for months, and then fail and be out all that money. Just blindly going for it makes no sense and defeats the purpose of the post.

 

[Debbie09011970]

I buy whole grain at the feed mill. Corn, oats, wheat, sunflower seeds. The whole wheat cost me $5.70 per 25#. That's 22.8 c per pound. The oats were 24.4 c per pound. The corn was even cheaper. You can also grow red wiggler worms in a box so the chickens have them over the winter when they can't forage. The worms will eat your table scraps, so once you buy a box you never have to buy them again.

If you soak the grains for 3 days before feeding, the fermenting process will destroy the anti-nutrients, making the grain higher in digestible nutrients.

Thank you!