Growing fodder for chickens

[Chaneys Ranch]

I also had looked into mice, it seemed like more work and space then I was wanting to do and you still have the food issue, pregnant and nursing rodents need quite a bit of nutrition, bedding needs to be changed very regularly, they need seperate living quarters (think 3-5 gall buckets one for each female)

I have not been as happy w/ mealies my colony hasn't been to successful, but they require much less in living accomodations then dubias.

Dubias are super easy and the colony gets big enough to feed out sooner, however they require 80ish degree temps year round. Any insect colony used as total protien for a flock of any size will need to be seriously large, anytime you have such large colonies of ANY insect there will be odors, I don't care what nonsense you read online about no odor, they are lying. I am happy w/ my dubia colony and use it as treats, but I have had a colony almost 2 years and I couldn't use it as total protien. My colony is now in a remodeled chest type freezer w/ a red heat light linked to a thermostat.

I still admire you for the dubias, i just can't get past the ick factor on them, ugh can't even look at them.. I do mealworms too, have a 3 drawer, a 1 drawer and 4 small shoe boxes. I am finally at feedout stage, and i have GOBS

of beetles too, i get a lil grossed out when they pile onto the carrots when i toss em in. We use them for all the birds, and my daughter raises sugar gliders, so they are part of their food too. Thought about crickets, but they escape too easy have tried them in the past.

 

[groverlvchx]

Well, I got started today! I bought a 50lb bag of rye from the feed store for about $15. I poured it into three five gallon plastic buckets with lids. I washed 2 cups and now it's soaking. I bought four totes to drill holes into and another larger one to catch the runoff. I still have to figure out a shelf system unless I can just stack them on each other kattywampus. We'll see...This is fun! On a sad note, one of our little hens died today. She didn't look traumatized at all. It didn't get above freezing out but the heat lamp is on in the coop, so I don't think that's it. Hubby found a bare wire so maybe she electrocuted herself. She would have been culled in January because she was kinda runty. I'm still sad, though. Weird, huh? This is so new to me!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Well, I got started today! I bought a 50lb bag of rye from the feed store for about $15. I poured it into three five gallon plastic buckets with lids. I washed 2 cups and now it's soaking. I bought four totes to drill holes into and another larger one to catch the runoff. I still have to figure out a shelf system unless I can just stack them on each other kattywampus. We'll see...This is fun! On a sad note, one of our little hens died today. She didn't look traumatized at all. It didn't get above freezing out but the heat lamp is on in the coop, so I don't think that's it. Hubby found a bare wire so maybe she electrocuted herself. She would have been culled in January because she was kinda runty. I'm still sad, though. Weird, huh? This is so new to me!

Awesome, be sure to take pictures with your progress!! So sorry for your loss.

Sometimes its something internal you can't see. I loss my little crippled guinea hen who was about 5 months and just never grew well. Ate well, but her left foot was badly twisted. She was given to me at 4 weeks with her sister, so she stayed. I felt she got to have a few good months with lots of love and treats before she passed. I went to let everyone out one morning and she was curled up in the nest box. I think she passed in her sleep.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: http://tuckermilling.com/

You could call them and find out where you can get it close to you.

 

[DMRippy]

I agree that chickens need animal protein (bugs, etc...) but be careful buying food with meat & bone meal or other non-specific protein sources (animal digest, animal fat, etc..) These are know to be from rendered animals (often 4d) or containing traces of pentobarbitol as well as other chemicals. Even the FDA will say so ==> LINK

I think fish meal would be ideal but all fish meal is treated with ethoxyquin in the USA and if it is shipped in from china then it was probably fed some kind of toxic cr@p too.

I wonder if I can grow my own fish??- LOL. I have about 10 feeder gold fish in the stock tank right now, hmm.....

DMRippy- you should check with the local farmers markets & such. I get boxes of bruised greens/tomatoes for free that they are just going to throw away. My guys LOVE tomatoes & grapes the best, & apples.

I have thought about it, but my time is limited and I already spend time drying the spent barley I get for the chickens. I don't know of a farmers market close to me. Next year, if things work as planned I will plant a chicken garden for 3 seasons..... unless the fodder works better.... might be less time consuming than a garden.

 

[DMRippy]

From what I can find, it appears that freshwater fish are high in fat and not that high in protein. Insects look to be a better option for poultry, but I don't know a way to produce them efficiently enough to make it worth it on the farm. Ideas?

I grow mealworms and sell them to buy chicken feed

I could never keep up with how many mealworms a chicken eats.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I grow mealworms and sell them to buy chicken feed

I could never keep up with how many mealworms a chicken eats.

ugh no kidding! I have similar plans, our summer camping lot is across the road to a bait store, he wants to start buying mine this spring, can't wait! But a good portion will go to the chickens etc this winter, and the fodder. At least a little to supplement while the snow flies.

 

[Kassaundra]

Someone asked for a link to the sprouting thread here it is https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/425134/anybody-raise-sprouts-to-feed-the-chickens

This thread concentrates on sprouting rather then growing to fodder size.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

From what I can find, it appears that freshwater fish are high in fat and not that high in protein. Insects look to be a better option for poultry, but I don't know a way to produce them efficiently enough to make it worth it on the farm. Ideas?

Crickets and roaches can be bred at home. Crickets are a bit more labor intensive tho

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

hmmm, hadn't read that before.

About insects, Kassaundra raises mealworms and dubia roaches. I don't know how satisfied she is with their reproduction rate.

Crickets seem to carry little tiny worms. So do earthworms. We had a lovely Mountain Horned Lizard. I didn't put the powder on the crickets or earthworms that you can get to treat for the worms and he ended up dying. I think they were thread worms. So... I'm leary of using either of them as a regular input to the diet.

Most commercially produced crickets do not carry a large worm load, if you used them as your breeders you would keep them clean. What dust are you referring to? Calcium/vitamin d powder is what you should have been dusting the insects with, other dusts would most likely be poisonous. Pet reptiles should be wormed with panacur twice a year anyways. (reference - My own experience breeding reptiles for many years