Feeding your flock amidst of feed shortages

[Rangergord]

Thank you.


So is this actually a measurement of how much grain is in storage from previous years, measured when the new crop of grain gets harvested this year? That's not nearly as scary as what I thought it meant.

Yes it clearly is a situation of ebbs and flows according to harvests and consumption. It’s not always smooth and trouble free as soybeans and even corn indicate. It also does not count what grain farmers and grain consumers might stockpile. I have sometimes thought that because I live in a grain producing area, that maybe feed supplies are a bit more secure here. But what if the farmer is living on credit? He would have to sell grain in the short term to pay debts. The grain would flow to world markets and be gone.
As poultry keepers if we can rationalize consumption of grain and afford to keep a small store of grain then together we add to the overall resilience. Same with a grain farmer who lives within his means can store grain harvests and sell when it suits them.

 

[Pippin quail]

I have a good sized garden; this week we are closing up 2 greenhouses this fall for year round use - mostly greens.
I loosely cultivate amaranth, lamb's quarter, chicory, sassafras, comfrey and burdock. Those get foraged by ducks and chickens. 31 tree orchard (little known fact, fresh peaches can turn back the evolutionary clock in chickens to BAM hungry dinosaurs) and a large number of berry plants feeds everyone something.
i can always get hay locally thank goodness.
The forage and cover cropping (Siberian peas) i grow translates to feed-able protein in the form of duck eggs. I cannot eat them (cant digest. My hub can).
The ducks are EXCELLENT foragers; a lot of value in the free ranging. I chose chickens who are good at it too.

The chickens get duck egg yolk, dog gets the whites. And we get chicken eggs.
I look at that as a good payoff, as those chicken eggs then provide high quality human food.
Why i will never be without ducks. My building block.
I can hunt rabbit on my own land and saltwater fishing is close by. Animal protein for the birds.
Next project is to sow some wheat (hard red spring i think) and oats to have on hand.
i am going to look into O2 absorbed 55g barrels for feed mixes. Never thought of doing that - i have plenty of other things stored that way, it makes perfect sense.
Cricket breeding is something i did long ago for reptiles - i love the idea of making a bug farm for my birds...
GREAT THREAD IDEA
Mostly when i talk about this in RL ppl get glazed eyes or suddenly have to take a phone call.

Your setup sounds amazing! How much land do you have? I'm on 6 acres and only been here for 6 months. So I don't have everything I would like to have, in place yet. But I dream of greenhouses and orchards. Though I can't grow peaches here... But I'm sure I can implement some similar methods in the future. I have already ordered $600 worth of veggie, herb and flower seeds for next year (plus sprouting and microgreen seeds for winter) Fruit trees and bushes will hopefully be available to buy in the spring. And hopefully my husband will still have a job and we'll have money to buy said trees!

 

[Pippin quail]

Yes I was wondering also, but might be a supply chain thing in some locales. Here we have no shortages of anything, (including rain hahaha).

Of course here we have grain aplenty, and most feed is produced locally (or provincially I should say) even the big brand names are produced locally. Prices r up a bit, but I expect that to increase due to fuel price increases.

I find it hilarious I live in an oil rich nation and pay a fortune for fuel...

It's because we have the worst Prime Minister ever who won't let us build a pipeline to get the oil cheaply to other provinces. I live in oil country and even here prices are ridiculous. Which is good for our province, but horrible for it's residents.
And I just bought feed last week from a local guy and he informed me prices were up a dollar a bag. Not a huge deal... But if it continues it won't be cool. Time to get rid of my 7 extra cockerels!

 

[Pippin quail]

Another relatively low input option for some is a root cellar. Well, low input option once it is built, anyway. My family didn't have one but I remember fully stocked root cellars at some of neighbors and a little about the nuances - bury carrots in damp sand, keep the apples in a different room than the onions, ect.

Question about burying carrots in damp sand. Are they supposed to sprout?? Because we did that and they are sprouting like crazy... Which the chickens like. But I was surprised by it! They are in a Rubbermaid bin with a lid on in a cold room...

 

[saysfaa]

I don't think so, at least for the first several months. Did you let them cure for a few days before putting them into the sand? Keep just above freezing (colder than most refrigerators)? Store in a different room than apples? Those are the things I don't see on some of the website directions on how to do it. Possibly, some varieties store better than others - like apples, onions, squash, tomatoes, ... maybe most fruits and veggies.

 

[Minister Marc C]

What should we switch to feeding the flock if shortages become even worst and there isn't any feed in your feed store? Mine are almost 3 month old but am thinking forward. Obviously, feeding what we have as leftovers. What did people feed their chickens back in the great depression?

We usually feed kitchen scraps to the birds on a daily basis.
(potato peelings, carrot peelings, tomato, squash, melons...)
You can put it out in a dish or feed pan and let the birds pick out what they want, or scatter it with their scratch. Our birds routinely get a variety of feeds. They seem to enjoy the variety and hunting for their favorite things. Just remember to pick up uneaten scraps and move them to the compost pile or discard them so you don’t attract rodents or end up with a moldy mess.
We have 3 cats, and a Chinese crested (dog) all are great "mousers" & rodent deterrents,
but ~ keep uneaten scraps cleaned up.
We (don't have a mouse problem) - and we don't intend on starting! We have a lot of (ground predators), Raccoons, fox, Bobcat - there are black bear, so we keep the temptation for attracting rodents under a watchful eye..

You can also feed them "alfalfa hay". They like to scratch and dig and eat up the leaves.
It keeps them busy and happy and is a nutritious supplement. Alfalfa typically has 18% protein which is higher than many commercial brands of chicken feed.
If you only have a few birds, one bale of alfalfa is going to last a long time.
They typically weigh between 45 - 75 lbs., depending who baled it.
* AND ~ Believe it or not, chickens are "cannibals" If your hens are laying lots of eggs, then you can always feed any extra eggs back to the birds.
Eggs are super-nutrition for people and birds alike. even the shells. They supply much needed [calcium] back to egg-laying hens.

 

[SusanMc]

Trying to stay out of the way of the censorship. Inside joke I guess, the only kind allowed here.

Ok thanks

 

[Pippin quail]

I don't think so, at least for the first several months. Did you let them cure for a few days before putting them into the sand? Keep just above freezing (colder than most refrigerators)? Store in a different room than apples? Those are the things I don't see on some of the website directions on how to do it. Possibly, some varieties store better than others - like apples, onions, squash, tomatoes, ... maybe most fruits and veggies.

We didn't cure them first. Maybe that's the problem. We left them out overnight and they started feeling a little rubbery already, so my husband put them in sand the next day. The carrots are still fine, just have some extra carrot tops. We'll see how long that keep that way I guess.

 

[Minister Marc C]

We usually feed kitchen scraps to the birds on a daily basis.
(potato peelings, carrot peelings, tomato, squash, melons...)
You can put it out in a dish or feed pan and let the birds pick out what they want, or scatter it with their scratch. Our birds routinely get a variety of feeds. They seem to enjoy the variety and hunting for their favorite things. Just remember to pick up uneaten scraps and move them to the compost pile or discard them so you don’t attract rodents or end up with a moldy mess.
We have 3 cats, and a Chinese crested (dog) all are great "mousers" & rodent deterrents,
but ~ keep uneaten scraps cleaned up.
We (don't have a mouse problem) - and we don't intend on starting! We have a lot of (ground predators), Raccoons, fox, Bobcat - there are black bear, so we keep the temptation for attracting rodents under a watchful eye..

You can also feed them "alfalfa hay". They like to scratch and dig and eat up the leaves.
It keeps them busy and happy and is a nutritious supplement. Alfalfa typically has 18% protein which is higher than many commercial brands of chicken feed.
If you only have a few birds, one bale of alfalfa is going to last a long time.
They typically weigh between 45 - 75 lbs., depending who baled it.
* AND ~ Believe it or not, chickens are "cannibals" If your hens are laying lots of eggs, then you can always feed any extra eggs back to the birds.
Eggs are super-nutrition for people and birds alike. even the shells. They supply much needed [calcium] back to egg-laying hens.

Also, (provided you have the room) try raising some corn. We have 1 garden plot that is
about 20 feet x 20 feet, that we generally raise corn in (just for the chickens).
It's not a huge yield, but it is an additional supplement for them. And given the direction this
Country is headed, EVERYONE needs to be seriously looking into raising crops, food gardens, and learning self-sustainability. It just makes SENSE. Being caught off-guard in a
food-shortage or depression is no way to be. Try to stay ahead of the curve at ALL TIMES !
GOD Bless !

 

[saysfaa]

Did you cut the tops off before the curing time?