Growing fodder for chickens

[Lacy Blues]

Hi,
Yes I am giving it 2nd daily at present and have to say that quite a bit did get eaten by the end of the day. My crew are all let out to forage after lunch till dusk so that part of the diet remains the same. The silkies liked it the most and there was very little left. I had a small container of sprouted scratch mix that I had trialled and put that it in with the 3day old chick and her Mum and they went berserk. Very funny watching the little one dive in head first.
As for whatusie, ......... U know, a type of dance!!!!! Lol. Ok, the samba then!!!

Oh, I understood whatusie. I just hadn't considered it in connection with a chicken!

 

[TheChickenHill]

Does fodder replace chicken feed? I know it's in here somewhere just don't have time to read it all.

 

[loanwizard]

Strangely enough, I have been planning to do this, not just with my chickens, of which I have around 100 that free range, but was considering doing for my hogs as well.

I was hoping to find, figure out, or know if this would work for my 3 hogs and their piglets at various times or more specifically, in what amounts.

I am already convinced that the nutrition is at it's peak with fodder, which makes it most efficient economically. I am just wondering how much I would need, and the cost of buying seed vs. buying mixed crushed feed bags. I currently pay around $350.00 a ton for 16% hog feed. If I could supply my animals with quality feed for less, I would be all over it.

 

[h4farms]

Ok, I have 35 chickens, 2 ducks, and 20 bobwhite quail. The quail are seperate from the chickens. How many pounds of dry wheat should I soak to make up a big part of the chickens diet, and then how much for the quail?

 

[BlueMouse]

I don't know about feeding only fodder because it doesn't have any animal protien. I know that's big for chickens, but don't know anything about hogs. Certainly I think it could make up easily 50% of a chicken's diet when they didn't have acess to free range. I'm only feeding it to the chicks in the brooders right now. Everyone else can rustle up their own food!

 

[pawtraitart]

Does fodder replace chicken feed? I know it's in here somewhere just don't have time to read it all.

Fodder isn't a total replacement, but it can cut the amount of processed feed you have to use. Processed feed usually has soy and corn in it which is GMO and not good for any living creature in my opinion. Anything which allows me to cut back on GMO's and gives my birds some added entertainment is a plus in my book.

 

[pawtraitart]

Strangely enough, I have been planning to do this, not just with my chickens, of which I have around 100 that free range, but was considering doing for my hogs as well.

I was hoping to find, figure out, or know if this would work for my 3 hogs and their piglets at various times or more specifically, in what amounts.

I am already convinced that the nutrition is at it's peak with fodder, which makes it most efficient economically. I am just wondering how much I would need, and the cost of buying seed vs. buying mixed crushed feed bags. I currently pay around $350.00 a ton for 16% hog feed. If I could supply my animals with quality feed for less, I would be all over it.

A study was done that determined that swine put weight on better with ground feed as opposed to greens high in fiber (fodder). I would consider green feed as a supplement for growing out pigs.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I've always considered green feed as part of the diet for my chickens.

 

[icukeisha]

That is how everyone looks at me, too. And I just started. And I only have 6 chickens. LOL

 

[loanwizard]

Sorry, I wasn't meaning a feed replacement. I was meaning winter green replacement and maybe 30% of the hags feed, the other 70% being grain. Chickens, same way, they only get fed in summer if I have mercy..... which is normally some tossed their way in the morning or a good feed every 3 days or so.... I must not be as hard up as I profess to be.....