HYPOTHETICAL DISCUSSION: What to feed your chickens when we can't buy chicken feed anymore

[Missa Chickabee]

I wonder the same thing, RBF. Ours absolutely LOVE dandelion leaves, but when we move the run and there are dandelions growing, they seem to pretty much ignore them. If I pull them and toss them in the run, they go nuts. Spoiled critters! LOL

It's kind of like dogs that will not eat their dog food unless they think you're eating first off a human's plate. At least that was my Hannah.

 

[PekinBantam]

It's kind of like dogs that will not eat their dog food unless they think you're eating first off a human's plate. At least that was my Hannah.

Yeah, my lab Gypsy won't eat her food until my rottweiler Roxy starts to steal it from her bowl...

 

[coopscritters]

Great thread. We've really been struggling with what to feed. The more you learn the more difficult it gets. We stopped feeding the mash because no one can tell me exactly what is in it. No ingredients listed ( that is in Canada) We have been feeding straight grain with lots of grit along with veggie scraps and whatever can be scrounged free ranging and everyone seems fine. Are we crazy? Does anybody know what is in the mash? What about the chick feed that is supposed to have something to protect them from some chicken ailment. Help......... We just want to keep it as chemical free as possible

 

[LilyD]

I think for where I live which right now is 9 degrees and under snow the trick to keeping chickens and any other animals would have to be growing food spring summer and fall and then collecting and saving it to ration out through the winter. Right now we have access to staples like rice and whole grains through our local feed store but on 2 acres of land there really isn't enough space to grow large field crops such as barley, rye or wheat. If we could use that as part of the regular yard where we live as well that would be great. Thinking about it though from a survivalist standpoint we would need to learn things like how to collect and cut the grasses for drying without the use of a lawn mower (who knows if we would have gas or any other things we normally buy). Now canning we can do with or without electricity since we have a wood stove and a pressure cooker so I can see planting large crops of different fruits and vegetables and then canning them each year. We would also need to learn how to be foragers as well and collect things from areas around us. For instance I have large patches of my yard that are covered in garlic chives or peppermint. Both are things that we could eat. Plus we can collect mushrooms, fiddleheads, dandylion greens and a million other things from the woods and fields around our house as well as what we grow. Pretty much anything you grow or find can be canned and stored in a root cellar and the chickens can eat any of it as long as it's cut up small enough.

Right now in winter, I am feeding a mix of whole grains that I buy from an organic seller (wish I had room to grow it myself.) and I add to that meal worms or hard boiled eggs crumbled up for added protein plus they get veggie, fruit and meat scraps from in the kitchen each day to help balance it out. It's probably not a balanced diet but we all make due with what is left in the pantry through the winter. Chickens have it a bit easier because they only need to wait for the grass and bugs to come back out and they have a ready food supply.

I agree with the poster who mentioned saving heirloom seeds. We are going that way too. Seeds from different plants last for different amounts of time and canned food from each type of veggie or fruit can last 3 to 5 years so you don't have to grow each veggie each year. Saving the seeds gives you a way to be self sufficient without having to order and ship seeds or go to the store to get them.

Another good idea is definitely to have a green house but I would have mine attached to my house if I had the ability. That way it stays a little bit warmer in the winter so you have the opportunity to use it in spring to start plants and to bring some plants inside to grow in the winter so you have fresh veggies and fruits in winter as well.

Definitely a great question and one I have been giving a lot of thought to.

 

[bj taylor]

Wonderful thread i've just become interested in growing own grains. I live in Texas. I'm going to have to see how alfalfa grows here. I just bought some dent corn to grow. I need to find a grinder for a good price. I'm trying to grow some cover crops to use as feed as well. I just heard how peanuts are very high in protein. A little bit goes a long way. I have so much to learn

 

[limhyl]

I have not read all the replies but I would recommend perennial plants for chicken fodder to reduce the work needed every year. A little know plant that is excellent is Australian Pea Shrub. It's a legume and produces pods high in protein for the birds, is thorny to provide good deer protection and possible predator deterrence and is a nitrogen fixer allowing other plants to grow better. It will seed itself a fair amount so has to be watched but could be a valuable long tern asset to the chicken keeper.

 

[Chucklecluck]

I have found that the bread store is a very cheep way to go I buy a truck load for 15$ and and feed the chickens all the multi seed seed, fruit and grained breads, and everything else gos to everyone else, dogs cats horse odds exex. I also have planted sunflower and passion fruit and river plums next to the coop to help ou

 

[coopscritters]

Silage could be a good way to go if you have a small space. It's basically collecting any green fodder, grasses clover, grains (whole plant) grinding them up and storing them. Wickipedia has a pretty good description. The old farmers say they did this during the war because the couldn't buy feed.

 

[SunnySkies]

I've been planning a huge garden for us people, and I have space left over. I found this http://sustainableseedco.com/heirloom-seed-collections/poultry-package.html Looks interesting. I might give it a go.

ETA: I would need to have 4 of these though to feed my flocks.

 

[NYREDS]

If we were to experience a complete societal collapse or major calamity I suspect feeding chickens won't seem quite so important.