BYC food to emulate grass fed

[Carpe DiHen]

My hens live in a run, and my property consists mostly of pine needles. I would like the health benifits of grass fed livestock and I am wondering if anyone has any resources of what is best to feed to emulate a pasture raised chicken (for healthy eggs).

I don't like the idea they are eating corn and soy as their primary diet....not natural.

I give them kale, cabbage, green beans, watermellow...etc. as treats daily.

I would like a '"menu" that I can use to substitute the petllets of corn and soy that will be healthier for my chickens and give me healthier eggs. Or is their a healthier comercial feed?

I don't want my eggs to cost me $100/dz. Actually, they already do after building the coop and run.

This is a Back Yard Chicken conundrum...

I'm jealous of all you folks on the farm...

 

[AnnainMD]

I give them our leftovers and stuff in the freezer we'll never eat. Since we eat well, they eat well. I've given them freezer-burned asparagus, split tomatoes, watermelon rinds, overly browned bananas, you name it. You can grow collards and kale and lettuce for them. You can plant cover crops too. I plan to make a wire-covered, open-ended box that I can use to protect cover crops that I will plant in their run. The wire will allow the greens to grow through but protect the roots from chicken scratching.
That's the plan this weekend.

 

[spoggy]

Go to your local supermarket or Farmer's market and look around back, a lot of "useful" stuff gets tossed just because it doesn't look good.

 

[WildflowerJLH]

This is what we plan to feed during the winter. Depending on where you are, or how far you are willing to drive, you can get it from Azure Standard. I know routes K-3 and K-4 go into Sacramento. Here is the feed ingredients and nutritional info.

Magill Ranch layer Feed

Corn & Soy Free!

Product of Oregon.

Ingredients: Organic Peas, Organic Triticale, Organic Wheat, Organic Barley, Calcium Carbonate, Crab Meal, Fish Meal, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dehydrated Seaweed Meal, Salt, Organic Wheat Middlings, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Menadione Nicotinamide Bisulfite, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrchloride, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Dried fermentation product of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Dried fermentation product of Lactobacillus casei, Dried Fermentation product of Lactobacillus plantarum, Dried fermentation product of Enterococcus faecium, Dried fermentation product of Bacillus coagulans, Dried fermentation product of Bacillus Licheniformis, and Dried fermentation product of Bacillus Subtilis, Dried Asperfillus Niger Fermentation Extract.

Guaranteed Analysis Nutrient Name: Amount Crude Protein - min 16.10% Lysine - min 0.78% Methionine - min 0.33% Crude Fat - min 5.14% Crude Fiber - max 4.95% Calcium - min 4.55% Calcium - max 5.00% Phosphorus 0.93% Salt -min 0.43% Salt - max 0.47%

 

[vatterpa]

they have alfalfa cubes at our TSC. i have heard of soaking them in warm water and feeding them those

 

[Baymule]

What about sprouting seeds? anybody doing that?

 

[mdbokc]

Mine won't touch alfalfa cubes unless they are starving.

 

[Carpe DiHen]

Quote:
Wow, that looks GREAT!

I will drive far to find some, thank you!

Edited to say I am on a K-4 route (what is that and how do you know about it?) and can pick it up in Sacramento without shipping!

Thank you!

 

[kingdr85]

Ask for other's grass clippings!!! - I would LOVE TO GIVE YOU SOME OF MINE....trust me, have the time I dont even know what to do with it.

 

[carrlr]

Quote:
Yes, I sprout grass seeds. They tear them up. Until this thread I never considered putting wire over the container I grow them in. But, I'll be doing that now.