Grain-free chickens?

[Kelly's Chickens]

I'm experimenting with feeding my chickens primarily mashed potatoes and comfrey leaves. They also get a lot of garden goodies. They are on pasture everyday being moved behind my cows so they get whatever they find in the cow manure along with pasture grasses/legumes/herbs. So far they look and act healthy and the egg count hasn't dropped.
Kelly

 

[mellyrn]

Hi, Olive Hill. If your chickens roam all over, how do you find your eggs?

 

[Eva76]

@ Olive, i am looking for exactly that here in CA. Any leads that you may have? Thanks, Eva

 

[joshsinfo]

I have heard of people around here doing that. We actually have more grass available in the winter here than in the summer. Anyway, their reason has to do with allergies. Apparently some people are so allergic to grain that they can't even eat animals that eat grain. Sounds miserable to me--for the people I mean. I imagine chickens in our climate at least can live fine without grain.

yea, well i am one of those people. I can't eat any animal foods that eat any form of grain. Severe allergy. I wondered what it was for the longest time. And it kicks in within minutes of eating some grain-fed animal product. Doesn't take long. I have been eating grass-fed , soy-free organic eggs lately and not only do they taste way different (better) but they don't make me sick...yet . Someone else commented they are "skeptical" about 100% grass-fed chickens, I have to agree. They are little foragers and eat whatever. I have been informed (since I have bad allergies) to stay away from chicken, poultry and pork products - even if they are "grass-fed" and "organic." I have been better off. PS - I don't eat turkey either, it makes me tired and ears ring (??). I have health issues to say the least.

 

[Toosocs4]

What about no grain but grass and veggies planted for the chickens to eat, as well as table scraps and other fresh fruits and veggies? If they have all that variety in foods can they live with no grain food, or would their diet be deficient? Thanks!

 

[lintrezza]

I've read that chickens have been bred to require more grain in their diet, and that's a fairly recent adaptation. Anecdotally I've heard Barnevelder chickens require little or no grain. I'm keen to find a heritage breed that does well free-ranging, but also hoping to raise black soldier fly larvae to supplement their diet. Buying grain is, as Olive Hill says, environmentally detrimental to feed them. But its also a level of vulnerability to external shocks, eg grain availability due to floods, droughts, disease etc, all of which are on the rise. To futureproof I'm keen to reduce the grain to bare minimum of what we can grow ourselves. Currently growing sunflower seed and oats.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Chickens have been bred to have higher nutrient needs, YES! and have higher production as result. But those nutritional needs need not be met by grains - though corn + soy + "stuff" remains the most cost effective solution for meeting those needs in the US, for most.