Grow your own! (Food for chickens)

[PatS]

I am new to chickens, my dozen buff orpintons turned five weeks-old yesterday.

I decided to raise chicken because I wanted more control over my own food supply. But what about what I feed my chickens? I know, that bagged stuff is supposed to be nutritionally perfect, but I have my doubts. And I live waaaay out in the country, what if I weren't able to get my supply of feed -- what would my chickens do then?

If I wanted to grow food for my little chickens, what should I plant? Does anyone here "grow their own?"

Thank you!

 

[henryetta]

hope you get some response on this one!! im vERY interested as well

 

[poultryhaven]

I'm curious too!

 

[GrannySue]

Due to the lack of acreage around my house, there's no way I could grow enough food for my chickens. Oh, and I don't have any farm equipment either - I think a mower and thresher might take up the rest of my 1/3 acre that isn't already covered with my house and the birds' area.

Anyway, Storey's book does have a formula for mixing your own feed, with amts of grain, supplements needed etc.

By the way - a friend of mine feeds whole grain wheat to all her birds, who freerange. They're perfectly healthy! Not that I'm suggesting this.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Chicken nutrition has had many long books written on it, and there can be some nasty deforminites and health problems if there are certain deficiencies.

You cannot rely on a free range chicken to eat what they need to get peak nutrition. After all, they will happily eat styrofoam.

To keep a chicken alive in a pinch is relatively easy, free-range and kitchen scraps (if you have enough for your number of chickens) will do it.

I'm going to try to grow a "row for the chickens" in the garden. I will have extra pumpkins, melons, broccoli (freeze for winter) specifically to augment their winter feed.

Otherwise I am pasturing with commercial feed available if they want it. Trying to be careful in my choice of feed.

 

[GardenWeasel]

I am trying to grow as much as I can to supplement the purchased feed. This year I planted oats from the feed store in 50 lb lot. Big surprise they love them at the stage when formed but still green, another big surprise were not so fond of the 50 lbs of ripe whole oats. I also planted a forage mix of clover, flax seed, oats, fenugreek, mustard, buckwheat and radish. Since I can only free range when I supervise due to predators I use it as a cutting garden. They love the buckwheat at every stage. I planted millet from a bird seed mix and they liked that too. Also loved the trimmings and spent plant remains from brocolli and cabbage plants. Have 300 sunflower plants and noticed sunlower sprouts in my yard from the scratch mix I feed when I free range, I hope they grow to like them. Plan on trying wheat and mangels next year.

 

[PatS]

Thank you for your responses.

GardenWeasel, I have some buckwheat seed I was planning to plant, and I ordered some millet this morning. I have grown a little buckwheat in the past, when yours was at the seed stage did they just eat it like that, or did you have to do anything to it? With millet, just throw in the whole plant and they pick out the seed?

I guess it is time to experiment. Thanks!

 

[GardenWeasel]

They loved the buckwheat at every stage and stripped stems of all foliage too. I think they ate more in the seed formed but still doughy stage than fully dry. Millet- whole plant - only stems left. They even ate the roots. Will be planting my third crop of buckwheat soon it is such a fast grower.

 

[animal nut]

I planted several rows of squashes, pumpkins, lettuce and spinach for my girls. I plan on winter over the acorn, spaghettl and pumpkins so that I can feel them to the girls in the winter.

 

[daisy_dukers]

I planted extra squash, lettus etc. for mine.

I am also going to freeze all the overgrown cukes etc. as they really really like cukes..