Anyone NOT feeding commercial pelleted/mash feed to your layers?

[shortstaque]

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Absolutely, in fact maybe someday I'll get around to doing a vermiculture bin for worms to feed my chickens and garden and maybe mealworms to supplement in the winter when there are not so many bugs present. Watched one of my chickens eat a snake the other day. That was interesting, all down the hatch at once. Today while double digging a new garden bed I scored a cicada. The rooster that got it was happy!! I love to see them hunt their own protein.

 

[shortstaque]

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Thanks. I've seen Food Inc, I'll have to check out the others.

Some reading along the same line, Omnivore's Dilemna is a must read. While on the topic of books, Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Lawn into a Garden and Your Neighborbood into a Community and Toolbox for Sustainable City Living are lighter, less complex reading on things everybody can do to tread lightly on this earth and becoming more sustainable. Good books for introducing the novice. Not particularly in depth, but inspirational none the less. Every step moving towards sustainability is a step away from the "LONG laundry list of other crooks that are all in profit sharing- bed together" as you say. I've got a ways to go, but I can add chicken, eggs, and fertilizer to the list of things I can provide for myself now.

And while I'm at it, The Transition Handbook provides instructions for a grassroots effort to help your community become energy independent. Got all of these from the local library.

 

[SeattleChickenHead]

shortaque:: I havent heard of FOOD NOT LAWNS, but it brings up a rant Ive had for awhile, since age 5 or 6 actually when I was told to mow the lawn.....why isnt our lawn edible? Why do we spend so much money and time growing a worthless piece of green monoculture? Why cant I empty the mower onto a plate with some ranch dressing?? Did you know the hated dandelion is more nutritious than spinach or kale? Ive been eating more and more of them as the 'taboo" of eating them fades my body says 'yum' !

Who made our culture HATE dandelions so much?? 1 guess......

Thats right! MONSANTO! With thier demonizing commercials and "news" reports, they have made us hate the most nutritious thing in our yards! Why? to sell us round up of course! And then more spinach and lettuce......and then medicine from subsidiary Phizer.......Most of all to destroy and forget our knowledge and ability to care for ourselves.... Killing them or even trying is an excercise of futility! "GOD" or Mother Nature put those pretty yellow flowers everywhere for vitamins for the landwalkers...Think about it, they never need work to make them grow, they multiply when you try to remove them by breaking roots off or scatterring seed...my chickens are even smart enough to figure it out, or bears or deer, they dont watch TV (usually) so they instinctively go for whats good for them!

One of my favorite things to do with dandelions so far:: boil a handful of greens for 10 minutes, then strain and fry with onions and bacon or similar THEN save the green water you boiled them in, while its still hot, mix in enough honey or sugar or agave to balance it out till it tastes like sweetened green tea...store in a glass container in the fridge, drink a big glass or 2 every day or whenever youre thirsty! Better than any pressed sawdust, chemical filled multi-vitamin!

for maximum benefit dont use tap water use either from a well or spring, distilled, or reverse osmosis....because fluoride and chlorine are known poisons! Drinking fluoride does nothing good for you...

 

[Cluckn Crazy]

Monday, I buy my supplies. Heres my feed ingredients (organic when available):

6 parts rolled oats
6 parts red winter wheat
6 parts boss

4 parts alfalfa pellets
4 parts lentils and peas
2 parts pumkin seeds

.05 mineral salt
.05 cayenne, cinnamon and spices

millet, flax, peanuts (when I feel like it)

Kelp, grit and oyster shell free choice, and fresh veggies almost daily.

What do you all think... would love input. I only have 6 to feed, and they're not laying yet.

 

[SeattleChickenHead]

i know of the benefits of cayenne but cinnamon and spices? do they like that?

 

[Organics North]

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You are on the right track indeed.. Their is more to it than just getting the correct protein level, one needs to see what amino acids come from what sources.

I am on the fence with fish meal yet personally, I like it for the omega 3's and the Methionine and the fact that it is 60% protein. I do not like the price, and the fact it is a poor environmental choice.

ON

 

[Organics North]

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Congrats!

I know corn is good for lysine. Just be sure you are getting some in the other grains. The millet should have it.
Have you ran numbers yet on the Protein level? Generally looking for 17-20% or so.
Also I recently weighed my parts and converted them to pounds. For a bit more accuracy in calculating protein levels.

ON

 

[kduncan51]

Ok, so I was told that the egg shells from my chicken's eggs should go back to them, and then they won't need any oyster shells. Is that true?

Also, is it ok to feed them dog food? They start hollerin' when I feed my dogs and expect me to give some to them too.

 

[Cluckn Crazy]

Thank you for the heads up ON, my protein is somewhere between 15 - 19%. I'll play with the numbers and look more closely at additional seeds or peanuts once I know exactly which ingredients I can pick up Monday, and take it from there. Protein estimates seem to be quite varied depending on the source. Thank you for the inspiration!

 

[shortstaque]

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Don't know if you have a tool like this or not. This link is courtesy of Chris09. Be sure to erase the space before com
ultimatefowl. com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4973&p=36032&hilit=Protein+Calculator#p36032
It will take you to another message board with a protein calculator that's easy to use with multiple ingredients. If your ingredient is not listed, just type over one that you aren't going to use and insert the percentage protein listed on the packaging.

Just for the record, courtesy of Olive Hill, nutrient requirements of Chickens (Leghorns) for reference. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2114&page=23

And nutrient information, including protein http://www.lionsgrip.com/nutrition.html from the same site CMV pointed us to at the beginning of the thread. Careful, Sunflower seeds for example, have a different percentage per weight if they are hulled vs unhulled so pick accordingly. Could be some of the descrepancy you are seeing in protein. Good general nutrition info in simple laymans terms at this site too.