Dense nutrional things to plant / raise ...chicken feed keeps going up

[Kassaundra]

I raise b. dubia roaches for my girls. I started w/ a small colony of 75 in oct. so I won't start feeding them until this winter when they don't have as many bugs naturally. They are grown in a fish aquarium, can't climb (smooth surfaces) fly and don't bite. They also cannot survive colder then about 60' f. They eat veggie and fruit scraps and cat food. They are a breeze to raise and almost escape proof.

I have just made a homemade "biopod" for raising black soldier fly larva outside. The adult's have no mouth or digestive system, only live for a few days just long enough to mate and lay eggs. The larva basically self harvest by climbing out of the food bin when ready to feed to the chickens, they also live on scraps and poop.

I also feed restaurant scraps to the girls.

I have started this year a rotating garden/chicken run system that when it is up and running they will rotate into a new garden area every 3 weeks or so to clean it up and prepare it for the next planting.

 

[Arielle]

THis is a subject dear to my heart.

I'm considering red wrigglers to convert garbage in to protein.ANd mealworms. Our compost piles grow zillions of earthworms. Planting for summer crops to feed chickens and us: summer squash,tomatos, peas, and more. DH is doing the three sisters this year: corn, beans and squash. THey all grow together to maximize production from a smaller space.

I'm struggling with which foods to help during the winter months.Many crops really take a lot of work to put up for the winter. I remember having to wait for the bean vines/pods to dry sufficiently to shell by hand and store. Most grains will be cheaper to buy than to produce my own; a huge amount of vegetative waste results when harvesting grains. I'm not up to making silage.

We grow winter squash very easily (butternut). Kale still in the ground holds up to winter freezing. I'll consider potatoes, and carrots. Carrots are easy to store thru the winter;Can or put in moist sand in cool room.

I'm looking to supplement the purchased grains.Save money over the summer and fall to buy more grain for the winter.

OP thanks for bringing this topic up again.

 

[Mek]

I went to a family get together and told my uncle that I got chickens, he reminisces about his dad having turkey and ducks and chickens.
They use to feed them all the scrap from their restaurant and any left over meals that their customers did not eat (which probably made up the protein factor).
I was told that they were fat turkeys (asian greens, rice, off cuts of vegetables, meat from unfinished meals).

when my parents had chickens they will give gains and any kitchen waste (which is prolly why they had less eggs).

with me I got cockatiels and I would grow their bird seed for sprouts. I would collect old seeds and plant them in the garden somewhere.
and sometimes let them seed (cos green seeds are very nutritional but they take a while). But you are still buying grain which defeats your purpose.
Seeds that are collected from near their poo is left to seed and not given as shoots.

Chick weed is a good thing to grow it grow wild in my garden.
dandelion is apparently high in iron.

I also grow spinach for myself.
Basil and mint also attract grasshoppers.

You can also leave out logs on your coop and let the bugs hide under there.

But I prolly suggest seeing a restaurant for scraps that they cannot use. remove what they cannot eat into a scrap heap to attract more bugs.

One book I have read suggested mixing in bone meal (plant fertilizer made from animal parts) for protein but its an old torn book (it doesnt sound too nice and you would probably need to check if its safe to feed I wouldnt do it personally).