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- #11
Growing Chicken Feed?
- Thread starter Rin
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PurpleChicken
Rest in Peace 1970-2018
There are several types of worms and insects people grow as a protein source. Various wheats and barleys do have some protein.
Several people on here grow meal worms for their chickens and it sounds quite easy. Others give them worms (red wigglers) from their worm bins. I am going to probably grow some fava beans or similar legumes as these are easy to grow and high in protein. You could also look into giving them "leftovers" from other people's gardens such as fallen or wormy fruit, wormy cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, etc..just put the word out. I'm able to supply mine with greens all winter just from weeds in my garden and a few other "no chem" gardens.
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- #14
My birds would also get a few rats tossed their way from time to time. I currently keep ball pythons and one of them has problems with identifying F/T rats making it so I have to heat them up every time. Every now and then I accidentally cook them. Making them unusable to a snake - but a tasty treat for a chicken. Cooked rat safe for birds too? I read somewhere here someone bred mice for their birds as well.
I too am interested in growin gmy own feed, and I have plenty of room to do it. Are y'all planning on letting them forage on the plants in the field, or picking and feeding in the pen?
Quote:
Be aware that beans are toxic to chickens unless they are cooked! Cooked beans are fine.
I free-range my flock extensively in 3 seasons.
As of 1 year ago, I only feed whole grains, with no formulated feed at all.
In the cold months, I do supplement protein a few times a week with things like ground turkey meat, kitchen scraps and cooked legumes. I also give them alfalfa hay for bedding, which has protein in as well as many other great nutrients. I will eventually start raising mealworms for them, but have been a little squeamish to get going with that!
Interestingly, I've kept a flock of a couple dozen chickens, give or take, for 11 years, but this year, on the whole grains, is the first time that I've had eggs (coming out of my ears!) all winter so far. I am at high altitude, with severe winters, so this is quite an achievement for me.
Be aware that beans are toxic to chickens unless they are cooked! Cooked beans are fine.
I free-range my flock extensively in 3 seasons.
As of 1 year ago, I only feed whole grains, with no formulated feed at all.
In the cold months, I do supplement protein a few times a week with things like ground turkey meat, kitchen scraps and cooked legumes. I also give them alfalfa hay for bedding, which has protein in as well as many other great nutrients. I will eventually start raising mealworms for them, but have been a little squeamish to get going with that!
Interestingly, I've kept a flock of a couple dozen chickens, give or take, for 11 years, but this year, on the whole grains, is the first time that I've had eggs (coming out of my ears!) all winter so far. I am at high altitude, with severe winters, so this is quite an achievement for me.
- Jan 27, 2010
- 4
- 1
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what about sprouted beans?
Alpinefarm--I am very interested in how you are feeding your chickens, as I would like to move in that direction. Right now mine get about 1/2 their diet in whole organic grains, cracked peas, alfalfa hay, etc...and the other half is still crumble. Do you feed any fish meal or vitamin mix such as Fertrell? If I could figure out how to get their entire diet into a "scratch" type formula (that can be fed on the ground), that would be great, but I'm not seeing how to guarantee enough protein and vits without a meal or crumble. Do you formulate your grain mixture to meet certain specs as far as protein, carbs, and fat?
clubforgrowth: I have understood that sprouted beans are ok for chickens, that the growth process negates an enzyme (? I believe) that is toxic to poultry. There is some information here on BYC somewhere, a thread, that gives info about beans.
Quote:
Nope to all the above. I don't feed fish meal (expensive/impossible for me to buy in my remote mountain town), don't add synthetic vitamins, or put a huge effort into judging exact ratios of protein/fat/etc. My experiment or my philosophy-in-the-making is that, although whole grains are lower in fat and protein content than meat, the protein (and other "raw" nutrition in the grains) is high quality, more readily accessible/more appropriate for birds than is the soybean protein of most prepared chicken feed.
I began this path for health reasons, to help my son with ADHD, whose board certified pediatrician, who specializes in ADHD, told me that synthetic vitamins exacerbate symptoms. And I am allergic to soy. I decided to see what would happen if I tried to create a designer egg that didn't use either of those elements in its make up.
If I could, I would like to be using all organic grains, but can't easily get them in my area, so I use human-grade red winter wheat and brown rice as the bulk of the mix. The rice is their all time favorite grain! I add black oil sunflower seed (high in protein and oil) and rolled oats. Then other grains or nuts as I feel like it/find them/can afford them/want to experiment with, like millet, buckwheat, amaranth, cracked corn, quinoa, sesame (the smaller grains I give only to my tiny chicks, unless I add them to my "slew" 2 or 3 times a week)...too pricey to waste underfoot/lose in the bedding.
During the cold months, when they aren't able to pick up rock, they need grit, of course, to grind their grains.
The slew-mix is a wet mixture I start in a bucket a day ahead of feeding:
yoghurt or buttermilk (I would give fresh cow or goats' milk if I had it! And will soon.)
vinegar (few tablespoons)--with active culture
garlic (fresh, bottled, or dry)
crushed eggshells
olive or coconut oil (1/2 cup maybe)
brewer's yeast (1/2 cup-ish)
oats and other grains to make it "spoon-able"
Spinach, lettuce and other green, leafy veggies throughout the cold months. Sometimes I sprout mung beans and I give them trimmings from my potted herbs.
I give table scraps when I have them. This includes meat occasionally (we actually eat very little meat and have little left over for chickens) and fresh trout occasionally, raw or cooked (my husband fly-fishes part of the year) and whatever else...cooked or raw cabbage, potatoes, squash, cooked beans. Sometimes, in the depths of low winter temperatures, I buy them a pound or two of ground turkey meat and give it to them raw.
And they free range enough in the warm months (in the forest around our home) that they use very little grain for months at a time then. They are especially crazy about going thru my garlic beds and eating all the tops off.
What I've been doing, really, is following my two grandmothers' footsteps. They had healthy, beautiful chickens that laid well all or most of the year in a cold climate. Processed feed had not been invented yet. I just decided I would not be dependent on the idea of processed/baked/formulated nutrition. I've raised almost 3 dozen layers and mille fleur cochins (from eggs or purchased chicks) this past 9m-1year entirely on this diet and now feel like I'm gaining confidence, given that they are beautifully feathered, hale and hearty, and laying better than I've ever achieved in the wintertime.
Anyway, that's my story. I humbly think it is working well for me. Beware, though, that once a chicken gets going on a whole grain/fresh greens diet, there is no turning back. Mine, at least won't touch crumbles anymore. And my husband bought a huge bag of enriched white rice on sale last week, thinking the birds would eat it? Nothin' doing...I'm sure it is probably all in what they are used to, but you also gotta wonder if they don't also know instinctively what is good for them....
You are on the right track, chookchick. Have confidence in the wisdom of nature's ways and in your good, common sense...
Quote:
Nope to all the above. I don't feed fish meal (expensive/impossible for me to buy in my remote mountain town), don't add synthetic vitamins, or put a huge effort into judging exact ratios of protein/fat/etc. My experiment or my philosophy-in-the-making is that, although whole grains are lower in fat and protein content than meat, the protein (and other "raw" nutrition in the grains) is high quality, more readily accessible/more appropriate for birds than is the soybean protein of most prepared chicken feed.
I began this path for health reasons, to help my son with ADHD, whose board certified pediatrician, who specializes in ADHD, told me that synthetic vitamins exacerbate symptoms. And I am allergic to soy. I decided to see what would happen if I tried to create a designer egg that didn't use either of those elements in its make up.
If I could, I would like to be using all organic grains, but can't easily get them in my area, so I use human-grade red winter wheat and brown rice as the bulk of the mix. The rice is their all time favorite grain! I add black oil sunflower seed (high in protein and oil) and rolled oats. Then other grains or nuts as I feel like it/find them/can afford them/want to experiment with, like millet, buckwheat, amaranth, cracked corn, quinoa, sesame (the smaller grains I give only to my tiny chicks, unless I add them to my "slew" 2 or 3 times a week)...too pricey to waste underfoot/lose in the bedding.
During the cold months, when they aren't able to pick up rock, they need grit, of course, to grind their grains.
The slew-mix is a wet mixture I start in a bucket a day ahead of feeding:
yoghurt or buttermilk (I would give fresh cow or goats' milk if I had it! And will soon.)
vinegar (few tablespoons)--with active culture
garlic (fresh, bottled, or dry)
crushed eggshells
olive or coconut oil (1/2 cup maybe)
brewer's yeast (1/2 cup-ish)
oats and other grains to make it "spoon-able"
Spinach, lettuce and other green, leafy veggies throughout the cold months. Sometimes I sprout mung beans and I give them trimmings from my potted herbs.
I give table scraps when I have them. This includes meat occasionally (we actually eat very little meat and have little left over for chickens) and fresh trout occasionally, raw or cooked (my husband fly-fishes part of the year) and whatever else...cooked or raw cabbage, potatoes, squash, cooked beans. Sometimes, in the depths of low winter temperatures, I buy them a pound or two of ground turkey meat and give it to them raw.
And they free range enough in the warm months (in the forest around our home) that they use very little grain for months at a time then. They are especially crazy about going thru my garlic beds and eating all the tops off.
What I've been doing, really, is following my two grandmothers' footsteps. They had healthy, beautiful chickens that laid well all or most of the year in a cold climate. Processed feed had not been invented yet. I just decided I would not be dependent on the idea of processed/baked/formulated nutrition. I've raised almost 3 dozen layers and mille fleur cochins (from eggs or purchased chicks) this past 9m-1year entirely on this diet and now feel like I'm gaining confidence, given that they are beautifully feathered, hale and hearty, and laying better than I've ever achieved in the wintertime.
Anyway, that's my story. I humbly think it is working well for me. Beware, though, that once a chicken gets going on a whole grain/fresh greens diet, there is no turning back. Mine, at least won't touch crumbles anymore. And my husband bought a huge bag of enriched white rice on sale last week, thinking the birds would eat it? Nothin' doing...I'm sure it is probably all in what they are used to, but you also gotta wonder if they don't also know instinctively what is good for them....
You are on the right track, chookchick. Have confidence in the wisdom of nature's ways and in your good, common sense...
Last edited:
Quote:
Nope to all the above. I don't feed fish meal (expensive/impossible for me to buy in my remote mountain town), don't add synthetic vitamins, or put a huge effort into judging exact ratios of protein/fat/etc. My experiment or my philosophy-in-the-making is that, although whole grains are lower in fat and protein content than meat, the protein (and other "raw" nutrition in the grains) is high quality, more readily accessible/more appropriate for birds than is the soybean protein of most prepared chicken feed.
I began this path for health reasons, to help my son with ADHD, whose board certified pediatrician, who specializes in ADHD, told me that synthetic vitamins exacerbate symptoms. And I am allergic to soy. I decided to see what would happen if I tried to create a designer egg that didn't use either of those elements in its make up.
If I could, I would like to be using all organic grains, but can't easily get them in my area, so I use human-grade red winter wheat and brown rice as the bulk of the mix. The rice is their all time favorite grain! I add black oil sunflower seed (high in protein and oil) and rolled oats. Then other grains or nuts as I feel like it/find them/can afford them/want to experiment with, like millet, buckwheat, amaranth, cracked corn, quinoa, sesame (the smaller grains I give only to my tiny chicks, unless I add them to my "slew" 2 or 3 times a week)...too pricey to waste underfoot/lose in the bedding.
During the cold months, when they aren't able to pick up rock, they need grit, of course, to grind their grains.
The slew-mix is a wet mixture I start in a bucket a day ahead of feeding:
yoghurt or buttermilk (I would give fresh cow or goats' milk if I had it! And will soon.)
vinegar (few tablespoons)--with active culture
garlic (fresh, bottled, or dry)
crushed eggshells
olive or coconut oil (1/2 cup maybe)
brewer's yeast (1/2 cup-ish)
oats and other grains to make it "spoon-able"
Spinach, lettuce and other green, leafy veggies throughout the cold months. Sometimes I sprout mung beans and I give them trimmings from my potted herbs.
I give table scraps when I have them. This includes meat occasionally (we actually eat very little meat and have little left over for chickens) and fresh trout occasionally, raw or cooked (my husband fly-fishes part of the year) and whatever else...cooked or raw cabbage, potatoes, squash, cooked beans. Sometimes, in the depths of low winter temperatures, I buy them a pound or two of ground turkey meat and give it to them raw.
And they free range enough in the warm months (in the forest around our home) that they use very little grain for months at a time then. They are especially crazy about going thru my garlic beds and eating all the tops off.
What I've been doing, really, is following my two grandmothers' footsteps. They had healthy, beautiful chickens that laid well all or most of the year in a cold climate. Processed feed had not been invented yet. I just decided I would not be dependent on the idea of processed/baked/formulated nutrition. I've raised almost 3 dozen layers and mille fleur cochins (from eggs or purchased chicks) this past 9m-1year entirely on this diet and now feel like I'm gaining confidence, given that they are beautifully feathered, hale and hearty, and laying better than I've ever achieved in the wintertime.
Anyway, that's my story. I humbly think it is working well for me. Beware, though, that once a chicken gets going on a whole grain/fresh greens diet, there is no turning back. Mine, at least won't touch crumbles anymore. And my husband bought a huge bag of enriched white rice on sale last week, thinking the birds would eat it? Nothin' doing...I'm sure it is probably all in what they are used to, but you also gotta wonder if they don't also know instinctively what is good for them....
You are on the right track, chookchick. Have confidence in the wisdom of nature's ways and in your good, common sense...
Oh WOW alpinefarm!!
Thanks for sharing. Well written, inspirational!! The rhythm of your path comes through well in your post.
I have been feeling that when moving away from commercial mixes to a whole grain diet, that a traditional mash or slew fed daily is the right way to balance the nutrition of the grains.
Thank you again................................
ON
Nope to all the above. I don't feed fish meal (expensive/impossible for me to buy in my remote mountain town), don't add synthetic vitamins, or put a huge effort into judging exact ratios of protein/fat/etc. My experiment or my philosophy-in-the-making is that, although whole grains are lower in fat and protein content than meat, the protein (and other "raw" nutrition in the grains) is high quality, more readily accessible/more appropriate for birds than is the soybean protein of most prepared chicken feed.
I began this path for health reasons, to help my son with ADHD, whose board certified pediatrician, who specializes in ADHD, told me that synthetic vitamins exacerbate symptoms. And I am allergic to soy. I decided to see what would happen if I tried to create a designer egg that didn't use either of those elements in its make up.
If I could, I would like to be using all organic grains, but can't easily get them in my area, so I use human-grade red winter wheat and brown rice as the bulk of the mix. The rice is their all time favorite grain! I add black oil sunflower seed (high in protein and oil) and rolled oats. Then other grains or nuts as I feel like it/find them/can afford them/want to experiment with, like millet, buckwheat, amaranth, cracked corn, quinoa, sesame (the smaller grains I give only to my tiny chicks, unless I add them to my "slew" 2 or 3 times a week)...too pricey to waste underfoot/lose in the bedding.
During the cold months, when they aren't able to pick up rock, they need grit, of course, to grind their grains.
The slew-mix is a wet mixture I start in a bucket a day ahead of feeding:
yoghurt or buttermilk (I would give fresh cow or goats' milk if I had it! And will soon.)
vinegar (few tablespoons)--with active culture
garlic (fresh, bottled, or dry)
crushed eggshells
olive or coconut oil (1/2 cup maybe)
brewer's yeast (1/2 cup-ish)
oats and other grains to make it "spoon-able"
Spinach, lettuce and other green, leafy veggies throughout the cold months. Sometimes I sprout mung beans and I give them trimmings from my potted herbs.
I give table scraps when I have them. This includes meat occasionally (we actually eat very little meat and have little left over for chickens) and fresh trout occasionally, raw or cooked (my husband fly-fishes part of the year) and whatever else...cooked or raw cabbage, potatoes, squash, cooked beans. Sometimes, in the depths of low winter temperatures, I buy them a pound or two of ground turkey meat and give it to them raw.
And they free range enough in the warm months (in the forest around our home) that they use very little grain for months at a time then. They are especially crazy about going thru my garlic beds and eating all the tops off.
What I've been doing, really, is following my two grandmothers' footsteps. They had healthy, beautiful chickens that laid well all or most of the year in a cold climate. Processed feed had not been invented yet. I just decided I would not be dependent on the idea of processed/baked/formulated nutrition. I've raised almost 3 dozen layers and mille fleur cochins (from eggs or purchased chicks) this past 9m-1year entirely on this diet and now feel like I'm gaining confidence, given that they are beautifully feathered, hale and hearty, and laying better than I've ever achieved in the wintertime.
Anyway, that's my story. I humbly think it is working well for me. Beware, though, that once a chicken gets going on a whole grain/fresh greens diet, there is no turning back. Mine, at least won't touch crumbles anymore. And my husband bought a huge bag of enriched white rice on sale last week, thinking the birds would eat it? Nothin' doing...I'm sure it is probably all in what they are used to, but you also gotta wonder if they don't also know instinctively what is good for them....
You are on the right track, chookchick. Have confidence in the wisdom of nature's ways and in your good, common sense...
Oh WOW alpinefarm!!
Thanks for sharing. Well written, inspirational!! The rhythm of your path comes through well in your post.
I have been feeling that when moving away from commercial mixes to a whole grain diet, that a traditional mash or slew fed daily is the right way to balance the nutrition of the grains.
Thank you again................................
ON
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