Chickens of yesteryear....

[xyresicchick]

"The domestic chicken is believed to have descended from the Red Junglefowl and hence shares the scientific name Gallus gallus."

"Diet
Junglefowls are omnivorous by nature. The staple diet is insects, especially termites and winged ants which emerge at dawn and dusk. It also rakes the ground in search for invertebrates and seeds. They forage in large parties which may consist of more than a single family group."

gotta love the internet

 

[columbiacritter]

My great grandmother raised chickens to feed her 11 kids after her husband died. A lot of them free ranged, but they also fed a mix of grains they bought from the local silo dirt cheap because it was basically what was on the silo floor. The chickens also got all the innards and non people food bits whenever they butchered game.

My grandfather said the neighbors horse died and they drug the carcass home to feed the hogs and chickens.

Desperate times.

 

[Country_Gal@Heart]

My mom was raised on a farm in rural Oregon (she was born in 1933) and they would order 500 chicks (RIR and White Leghorns) every spring. They let them forage and fed them some of the grains from the crops they raised. They were the main source of meat for the family for the year.

 

[tdgill]

Quote:
and in the REAL jungle there are lots of good bugs to eat! Maybe not so much on my half acre lot.