"Secret Ingredients" in Commercial Chicken Feed

[Perris]

I bet when the frogs hit that zapper it makes a hell of a pop.

 

[IndigoSkies]

Did you make any progress on this?

I'm curious myself. I did find several articles on "choice feeding" which just means you feed 3 containers and let them sort it out. One person here https://littleavalonfarm.com/garbage-can-chicken-feeder/#more-2047 does field peas, whole oats, and barley each in different containers. Then I found this https://www.gardenbetty.com/garden-bettys-homemade-whole-grain-chicken-feed/ she makes her own, but it seems like too many ingredients and she mixes. The point in the separate containers is that they dont pick out what they want, they just go to the container that has the item and eat it. That reduces waste. This guy has an article that goes pretty hardcore on reducing feed costs https://abundantpermaculture.com/how-to-feed-chickens-without-grain/ thats all i got though. Did you get anywhere?

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I haven't done a significant amount of "book research" since this thread went cold last fall, but I have been doing a lot of "field research".

I've been feeding my flock a significant portion of their daily intake in food waste and compost for the last several months (WAAAY more than 10% of their diet...GASP!). I still provide layer pellet free-choice, but when the scraps are coming in and the pile is really humming, they eat very little of the commercial feed.

Basically, I built a really big compost pile in my run. The chickens knock it down, I keep piling it up. I pick up a sizable load of food waste 1-2 times a week from a local food pantry that would otherwise have to throw it away. It gets thrown on the pile and whatever doesn't feed the chickens feeds the piles...which in turn bring in large quantities of worms and other crawlies, which feed the chickens.

The biggest challenges is that it's a lot of work, and that it's actually hard to source enough carbon for a setup this size at certain times of year.

My flock has never been healthier or happier, and are sufficiently productive.

I actually have 55 chicks showing up later this week to add to the roughly 30 I have currently, and have plans to build a larger compost area to increase operations.

The plan has a temporary kink - I broke my right forearms two weeks ago, which means no compost piling, food waste pickups, and composter building for a while...but based on the last 5 months, I think this is a viable and sustainable approach.

It is a LOT of work and messy work at that, but turning waste into chicken AND soil food is an amazing process I'm finding quite addictive.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I haven't done a significant amount of "book research" since this thread went cold last fall, but I have been doing a lot of "field research".

I've been feeding my flock a significant portion of their daily intake in food waste and compost for the last several months (WAAAY more than 10% of their diet...GASP!). I still provide layer pellet free-choice, but when the scraps are coming in and the pile is really humming, they eat very little of the commercial feed.

Basically, I built a really big compost pile in my run. The chickens knock it down, I keep piling it up. I pick up a sizable load of food waste 1-2 times a week from a local food pantry that would otherwise have to throw it away. It gets thrown on the pile and whatever doesn't feed the chickens feeds the piles...which in turn bring in large quantities of worms and other crawlies, which feed the chickens.

The biggest challenges is that it's a lot of work, and that it's actually hard to source enough carbon for a setup this size at certain times of year.

My flock has never been healthier or happier, and are sufficiently productive.

I actually have 55 chicks showing up later this week to add to the roughly 30 I have currently, and have plans to build a larger compost area to increase operations.

The plan has a temporary kink - I broke my right forearms two weeks ago, which means no compost piling, food waste pickups, and composter building for a while...but based on the last 5 months, I think this is a viable and sustainable approach.

It is a LOT of work and messy work at that, but turning waste into chicken AND soil food is an amazing process I'm finding quite addictive.

Yikes, sorry to hear about your injuries! Best wishes for a speedy and uneventful recovery . I was wondering if all this food waste/ composting brings in raccoons, skunks or other opportunistic feeders, or what you do to keep such varmints out of it. I used to compost when I lived in a more heavily populated area with no problems, but now I live waaaay out in the boonies and such critters are a definite problem. So much so, in fact, that one night I had a raccoon AND an opossum on my back porch at the same time raiding my garbage! Since then I keep all food trash in the freezer until trash pick-up day.

 

[Pullet Press]

I haven't done a significant amount of "book research" since this thread went cold last fall, but I have been doing a lot of "field research".

I've been feeding my flock a significant portion of their daily intake in food waste and compost for the last several months (WAAAY more than 10% of their diet...GASP!). I still provide layer pellet free-choice, but when the scraps are coming in and the pile is really humming, they eat very little of the commercial feed.

Basically, I built a really big compost pile in my run. The chickens knock it down, I keep piling it up. I pick up a sizable load of food waste 1-2 times a week from a local food pantry that would otherwise have to throw it away. It gets thrown on the pile and whatever doesn't feed the chickens feeds the piles...which in turn bring in large quantities of worms and other crawlies, which feed the chickens.

The biggest challenges is that it's a lot of work, and that it's actually hard to source enough carbon for a setup this size at certain times of year.

My flock has never been healthier or happier, and are sufficiently productive.

I actually have 55 chicks showing up later this week to add to the roughly 30 I have currently, and have plans to build a larger compost area to increase operations.

The plan has a temporary kink - I broke my right forearms two weeks ago, which means no compost piling, food waste pickups, and composter building for a while...but based on the last 5 months, I think this is a viable and sustainable approach.

It is a LOT of work and messy work at that, but turning waste into chicken AND soil food is an amazing process I'm finding quite addictive.

First of all, I'm sorry about your arms (will be praying for you), and secondly, would it be rude to ask how you are typing?

 

[Folly's place]

Unless Red has two right arms, it appears that he broke his right arm only. More than enough!
This food pantry cleanout operation sounds like lots of work, not happening here!
What, exactly, tends to come from the food pantry?
Mary

 

[Pullet Press]

Ok. I was just wondering.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

First of all, I'm sorry about your arms (will be praying for you), and secondly, would it be rude to ask how you are typing?

One bone in right forearm broken, so can type lefty a bit. 2 weeks in I can type a little with right too...but slow going (that lengthy post took 10x the time to write it usually would).

For work, where I’m at a computer, I’ve been using “speech to text” software instead of typing with some success.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Unless Red has two right arms, it appears that he broke his right arm only. More than enough!
This food pantry cleanout operation sounds like lots of work, not happening here!
What, exactly, tends to come from the food pantry?
Mary

It’s heavy, dirty, smelly work for sure!

It’s been a lot of fruit and veggies....greens, corn, lots of peaches, herbs, etc.

Occasionally some bread, never any meat/dairy to speak of.

A few times got boxes of crackers by the case, and still working through a pallet of expired baby oatmealI got a while back (broke my oatmeal stirring arm).

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Thanks all for the wishes for quick recovery! I’m a bit bummed about delayed projects and less compost time...but with so many worse off (and the chance I could have been hurt far worse) I really can’t complain.