Does anyone grow all their own feed?

[hillbillyreefer]

Good Lord..

My birds are fed almost nothing from the store. They eat screening from my grain cleaner(organic farm), and whatever the scrounge up around the yard. They have a coffee tin full of store bought layer supplement, 20birds will consume about 1 can a month. My growth is good and their egg production is aceptable to me. I don’t raise bugs for feed, they can find their own.

Ask yourself “Who works for who?”

 

[centrarchid]

My family came close it until I was roughly a teenager. Core property as about 114 acres managed as a mixture of row crops and pasture. Acreage further out, pasture and managed forest, did not directly impact poultry excepting we hunted it heavily reducing predator issues to point foxes and raccoons where not an issue for decades. We took our own soybeans and ear corn to mill, had it ground and added minerals and vitamin premix. Formulation was set up to support sow hogs used for farrowing (producing pigs). Confined chickens were given that plus table scraps and crushed oyster shell. Totally free-range chickens had a roughly 12 acre area centered on barnyard that supported 50 to 200 finishing hogs, 10 to 40 beef cattle (cow-calf herd), and sometimes a couple horses. Spilled grain and grain in livestock feces were particularly important during winter. Setup could support about 100 game chickens through even the worst of winters. During warm part of year chickens spread out busting into discrete flocks roosting in as many as five out buildings. During the warm season the importance of grains became much less important. Most years young birds were harvested heavily for use as fryers by the time they were 12 weeks old.

More typical setup had us overwintering only about half a dozen hens in spring plus a cock that would translate into about 100 harvestable young birds by time of first frost. Most people would be operating between the range of chicken populations I describe for optimal performance.

 

[centrarchid]

Does anyone grow all their own feed for their free range chickens? By this I mean planting your free range area with specific crops/grasses for starters. What do you plant? How long do you leave your chickens in what size area to "graze?" (ie 40 chickens 1/4 acre for a week before rotating or what?) Do you also "grow" black soldier flies, larvae, etc for them? Anyone grow sunflowers to provide seeds to the flock? I'm looking for a "formula" to scale/follow with as few outside inputs as possible and make it sustainable. Anyone use dairy goats to use their milk as more "feed" for the flock? If so, how many goats producing how much milk for how many chickens?

We also used whey for slopping hogs and even "watering" laying hens. Whey we picked up from local cheese factory rather than off our farm. I do not think it is the most economical approach to milk goats specifically to feed chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

Centarchid, your family farm was the sort of operation I was thinking of in my earlier post. Game type chickens, and varied feeds and fields, and in a warmer climate (than Michigan, anyway). Also a vitamin & mineral premix, so although it was meant for the hogs, it was still not only grains. Imagine, CHEMICALS!!!
Mary

 

[centrarchid]

Centarchid, your family farm was the sort of operation I was thinking of in my earlier post. Game type chickens, and varied feeds and fields, and in a warmer climate (than Michigan, anyway). Also a vitamin & mineral premix, so although it was meant for the hogs, it was still not only grains. Imagine, CHEMICALS!!!
Mary

My grandmother operated a flock of about 500 hens used to produce hatching eggs for a commercial hatchery (Shepherds Hatchery in southern Indiana) until I was very small. If my understanding is correct, then breeds used where White Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Reds and "Dominickers" and they had to tolerate a fair amount of cold when in run. I do not know if dominickers was used in reference to American Dominiques or Barred Plymouth Rocks, but suspect is was the former based on description. Nutrition came entirely from feed as runs were denuded. Quality of feed was not something the game chicken side of family would even consider using for maintaining confined birds.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Just because you like to poison yourself doesn't mean you should make fun of those of us who are more discerning. And while water (h2o) is a chemical somposition, I think most people realize that wasn't the type of thing I was referring to. I choose not to eat food that I know does not have man made chemicals sprayed on it. I believe in healthy biology of plants, animals and soils. Sorry if that's beyond you. I do not take pharmaceutical concoctions and I haven't been sick in over 30 years. I cook (almost) all my own food from single ingredients without using grains, soy or sugar. I choose not to eat these things and I prefer not to have these things fed to the animals I eat which is why we will be raising our own chickens in the near future as it's impossible to find and really know what goes into meat we buy.

*Edited by staff*

I wasn't making fun of you or anyone else, just stating what I've observed about the type of people who make those blanket statements and cracking a few jokes (yes, jokes can be made without targeting anyone). Lab produced supplements can have many benefits, ecologically and by way of preventing contamination (assuming QC is up to par) and providing consistency. One thing I learned as an environmental health student is that anything and everything is a trade-off, that's why it's called risk management not risk elimination. You can buy preformulated feeds backed my R&D and know that your animals' nutritional needs are covered, but face the possibility of potential manufacturing risks like contamination or unwanted ingredients, or you can homegrow your food and know most of their exposures but also not be sure there are no nutritional deficiencies unless you do careful formulation planning or see signs of health issues. You can say they will instinctively seek out foods that fill deficiencies but from my observation they are usually just happy to gorge themselves on what tastes best.

I also cook using primarily whole ingredients, cooking from scratch rather than boxes or cans, the exception being things like spices. I don't use pesticides but I can't say my birds aren't exposed since we're surrounded by farm fields but there's nothing I can do about that. I also rarely use pharmaceuticals (I'm not opposed to an Excedrin if I really need it, though) and have never been very sick with the exception of pertussis in my early 20s. Maybe the occasional sniffle. I think my lifelong nail biting had helped my immune system (there goes that risk-vs-risk in action lol).

I am not trying to talk down to or one up you, just have a discussion. But I've also just gotten off of night shift so i can't be sure I'm making much sense. I will say, I fully appreciate your decision about wanting to raise your own meat. My driver for wanting to do the same is more for the sake of welfare and environmental concerns but the end result is the same. I'd like to cut our overall meat consumption and limit it to what we raise or hunt or buy locally (I do like beef on occasion but don't want to raise and butcher a steer) but i have to work on getting my husband onboard. With that being said, though, I don't think I will ever not buy preformulated dog, cat, and chicken food.

Time for a nap.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I wasn't making fun of you or anyone else, just stating what I've observed about the type of people who make those blanket statements and cracking a few jokes (yes, jokes can be made without targeting anyone). Lab produced supplements can have many benefits, ecologically and by way of preventing contamination (assuming QC is up to par) and providing consistency. One thing I learned as an environmental health student is that anything and everything is a trade-off, that's why it's called risk management not risk elimination. You can buy preformulated feeds backed my R&D and know that your animals' nutritional needs are covered, but face the possibility of potential manufacturing risks like contamination or unwanted ingredients, or you can homegrow your food and know most of their exposures but also not be sure there are no nutritional deficiencies unless you do careful formulation planning or see signs of health issues. You can say they will instinctively seek out foods that fill deficiencies but from my observation they are usually just happy to gorge themselves on what tastes best.

I also cook using primarily whole ingredients, cooking from scratch rather than boxes or cans, the exception being things like spices. I don't use pesticides but I can't say my birds aren't exposed since we're surrounded by farm fields but there's nothing I can do about that. I also rarely use pharmaceuticals (I'm not opposed to an Excedrin if I really need it, though) and have never been very sick with the exception of pertussis in my early 20s. Maybe the occasional sniffle. I think my lifelong nail biting had helped my immune system (there goes that risk-vs-risk in action lol).

I am not trying to talk down to or one up you, just have a discussion. But I've also just gotten off of night shift so i can't be sure I'm making much sense. I will say, I fully appreciate your decision about wanting to raise your own meat. My driver for wanting to do the same is more for the sake of welfare and environmental concerns but the end result is the same. I'd like to cut our overall meat consumption and limit it to what we raise or hunt or buy locally (I do like beef on occasion but don't want to raise and butcher a steer) but i have to work on getting my husband onboard. With that being said, though, I don't think I will ever not buy preformulated dog, cat, and chicken food.

Time for a nap.

Very well said. I understand those who want to take a more natural approach to raising their own meat and fully support that. I cannot do that so I buy organic meat or meat from the local farmers co-op. I am also not a poultry scientist or nutritionists. I treat my birds the same way as I threat my cats. Since I cannot even with my best efforts supply my cats with all the micronutrients that they need, (which will cause serious health problems if I don't) I buy the top of the line cat food. I buy a brand that I trust. The same is with my birds. I cannot supply all the nutritional needs that they need, since my girls are pets and not for meat, I want them to live long happy lives. This is where I trust the poultry scientists who have put much testing, money, and time into formulating a poultry feed that will meet all the nutritional needs of my girls. Chickens do need a complete nutritional balance, if you are able to do that then more power to you. However, since I am not poultry scientists or nutritional expert I leave that to the professionals and just enjoy my girls lives as long as they are here on my farm.

 

[HarleyRoland]

There are heavy oppositions to every side. Natural as possible is best. There are ones that think man can formulate a petri dish concoction that will make everything Super healthy and strong. There have been plenty of cases that have linked manufactured feed to sicknesses and cause of deaths in all the domesticated animals. Scientist and the rich producer do not have your best interest at heart. It has been proven time and time again. Purina has been sued so many times it's not funny on chemical deaths. The earth can provide everything needed when managed correctly. Joel Salatin is a great source of doing it right. Most want it the easy way. So stores are the answer. If you want to do it yourself to insure it's right, it will always take hard work. The lazy and the motivated is all it is. Just do your research and keep motivated. My rule of thumb is, if you can't pronounce it then it is not natural. Most is filler and preservatives. Both are not good.

 

[hillbillyreefer]

There are lots of naturally occurring chemicals that aren’t pronounceable. Some of the deadliest chemicals known to man are naturally occurring. Just an observation.

 

[Folly's place]

I AM NOT LAZY! But, I can't produce a balanced diet for my birds at home, without buying many ingredients, at greater cost, than buying that bag of prepared feed. Vitamins and minerals have long chemical names, and when they are listed individually on the package, it does look impressive.
Mary