Feeding your flock amidst of feed shortages

[U_Stormcrow]

Hydroponics is nutrient intensive, the sort of thing modern society makes posssible, impractical to impossible if things go badly. Skip that step, go straight to aquaponics where waste from fish becomes nutrients for plants which are then eaten by the fish. We then cull from either the fish pool or the plant pool to keep things in balance.

 

[saysfaa]

... I can't understand the charts and numbers what they mean,

The concepts, explanations, definitions, and what the abbreviations stand for are in the chapters of the book. The charts are just the data tables in the back of the book. They give the amount (percentage by weight or the weight of the component per given weight in ingredient usually).

Kiki linked to a textbook with better explanations than mine - it is on this page https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/making-feed-at-home.1495914/page-6

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The concepts, explanations, definitions, and what the abbreviations stand for are in the chapters of the book. The charts are just the data tables in the back of the book. They give the amount (percentage by weight or the weight of the component per given weight in ingredient usually).

Kiki linked to a textbook with better explanations than mine - it is on this page https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/making-feed-at-home.1495914/page-6

I'm about 60 pages into that link right now - while its not very "deep", what is offered is almost entirely useful. Call it valuable, not dense - and a remarkably easy read (mostly).

i was amused, maybe 20-30 pages ago, when they briefly mentioned the problems of potential Methionine Toxicity at levels above 1.5% using synthetic L-Methionine. Not mentioned was that L-Methionine is expensive, natural plant sources of Methionine tend to be quite poor, and that its rare to find even a good poultry feed commercial mix with a methionine level above 0.5%. In their defense, L-Methionine addition to feeds is now somewhat restricted (not just by cost) - so while its a frequent (and needed) addition, ranges closer to 0.3% (the typical minimum recommend) are much more common. Still, one sentence of largely irrelevant in several paragraphs of very useful is a good ratio.

 

[alwaystj9]

As for the selenium: I keep 50# selenium blocks out for my goats. Would there be any way to incorporate that? Does it maybe pass through the goat?

 

[alwaystj9]

Another selenium thought: Black oil sunflower seeds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

As for the selenium: I keep 50# selenium blocks out for my goats. Would there be any way to incorporate that? Does it maybe pass through the goat?

My thinking (based on nothing but "common knowledge", so BE WARNED!) is that chickens might "self medicate" from your block, but be aware that its also very high salt, not necessarily a net benefit - so likely only in extremes.

Better, I would think (same warning), if green sprouting things the birds would eat were growing in the area, where uptake might be less nutrient dense, and less prone to potential overdose.

I can't think of a single book, article, or study I've read contemplating these issues, however. If its not of commercial concern, it tends to be poorly documented. Thankfully, commercial concerns are still of tremendous use to us backyard keepers for optimizing our bird's health - but the closer you get to the edge, the less likely information is out there, even information focused on assisting with poultry production in developing countries.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Canned mackerel (fish) is very cheap here (3 tins for $1 USD is not uncommon) and since I suffered from feed shortages when Covid lockdowns affected everything in March 2020, I have laid in a handsome supply of this canned fish as backup protein for all members of my family (even the feathered and furred members). It's a simple matter to open a can and serve it plain (I do this with newborn chicks & their momma to hasten the recovery of the mother's condition) or stretch it out by tossing it in with your choice of leftovers, pasta, cooked rice and/or a can of mixed veggies.

 

[TooCheep]

Microgreens is another option for this thread to consider as well. I grow onions and cilantro, but the chickens eat the sprouts, which are very healthy. You would have to set up an indoor hydroponic microgreen garden if winter was too cold to grow. A lot of people do grow hydroponic plants to feed animals, grass for example in very arid climates.

This is what I want to store grain for. It is actually rather easy to sprout many whole grains. You will end up with many times the volume of food with better digestibility and nutrition profiles. I'm putting up some wheat and barley, but black oil sunflower seeds, oats and other grains apparently work well too.

Here is an very good 12-min video on the basic process. There are a lot of variations. They use flat trays in the video, but you can use buckets and I will be using mason jars since I only have 3 birds to supply

 

[Banana01]

Hydroponics is nutrient intensive, the sort of thing modern society makes posssible, impractical to impossible if things go badly. Skip that step, go straight to aquaponics where waste from fish becomes nutrients for plants which are then eaten by the fish. We then cull from either the fish pool or the plant pool to keep things in balance.

I agree aquaponics is better, but for a first time builder, maybe hydroponics is better experiment. I have been building towards an aquaponics system for a couple of years, but i don't even have a working hydroponics system yet. I have a natural pond built, and natural filters built, and have a design for the fish tank of 50 sq m. It is going to take me 5 years at this rate to get it built. Don't forget chicken droppings can also be used in place of the fish droppings. Even a very small scale hydroponic system can produce trays and trays of microgreens, enough to continuously feed a flock.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I agree aquaponics is better, but for a first time builder, maybe hydroponics is better experiment. I have been building towards an aquaponics system for a couple of years, but i don't even have a working hydroponics system yet. I have a natural pond built, and natural filters built, and have a design for the fish tank of 50 sq m. It is going to take me 5 years at this rate to get it built. Don't forget chicken droppings can also be used in place of the fish droppings. Even a very small scale hydroponic system can produce trays and trays of microgreens, enough to continuously feed a flock.

Yes, we've done hydro in 5 gallon buckets with a fish tank aerator and a mini pump for circulation - but if this is about what do do if things go bad, buying those 5 gallon jugs of nutrient solution to adjust the water once weekly isn't really a practical long term survival strategy.

I've an (approximately) 20,000 gallon "duck pond" which needs a solar powered (or efficient wind powered) way to move water and a "bog filter" of equal square footage (about 30x30) so I can give it a try - but even with that start, 900 sq ft isn't that much growing space. and I still need a way to float the trays in the water, and a root medium. Its not a small commitment in time or funds to get things started.