Back in the day, chickens were pretty much left to forage on their own. Unfortunately, most of us aren't set up for that scenario today. We have a 1/4 urban lot so ours are in a portable coop/run which we move every 3 or 4 days. They always have fresh grass but that only goes so far. They definitely need greens to keep themselves healthy and the yolks gold and tasty; need protein and calcium for good eggs, and all the other nutrients all living critters need. We didn't get our chickens till July, so I didn't plant for them (I'm definitely going to next year!) but even so, we've been able to replace about 20% of their food with things that are "free".
This spring, I'd planted a few patches of oats, clover and comfrey to use in herbals, and discovered that the chickens love it...so it goes to them. They like most of the weeds we have growing in our yard, so I pull those and put 'em in the run. I cook pinto beans for them which they love and are great protein; give their ground shells back to them for calcium. They get goodies from the garden as well...they LOVE grape tomatoes and zucchini (they like the big ones with lots of seeds), They get pretty much all the veg scraps from the house, and meat scraps too...more protein. I make yogurt for them from powdered skim milk...it's inexpensive if you make it yourself. You can even ask friends and neighbors to save their kitchen scraps for you.
Next year, I'm putting in more oats. I cut just the tops off to feed them, then cut and store the straw for bedding and will till the roots back into the soil. I also got some winter wheat and rye I'll be getting planted in another month or so. We also got some alfalfa to put in come spring...it's absolutely the best! Lots of nutrients and protein, it's a perennial if you don't let it flower and go to seed, it's a nitrogen fixer, so it also conditions the soil. Usually I just grow parsley and basil in pots in the kitchen, but next year I'm planting quite a lot outside...they particularly love parsley. I also plan to put in drying beans and sunflowers (the beans can use the sunflower stalks to climb on) Beans are excellent for them but do need to be cooked first. DH is building us a cold frame so we can grow greens for them (and us) through most of the winter...chard, kale, spinach.
I attended a lecture yesterday where the speaker said he keeps a "compost pile" just for the birds. He doesn't build it for actual composting, but just tosses stuff there and lets it lie. It becomes a magnet for worms and various kinds of bugs. He periodically lets the chickens into it and they scratch and turn and grab up all those yummies. We have a pile of mostly grass clippings, cuz there's only so many we can use in the compost bin. We'll start adding other stuff to it and let it sit...as long as it doesn't get really wet, it won't stink the neighbors out, LOL
We don't have enough room to grow everything they need, but I'd like to get to where we can produce at least 50% of their feed...that'll help a LOT, especially since we all know feed prices are just going to keep going up and up. The other huge benefit is that you KNOW what they're eating...no GMO's, no chemicals.
This spring, I'd planted a few patches of oats, clover and comfrey to use in herbals, and discovered that the chickens love it...so it goes to them. They like most of the weeds we have growing in our yard, so I pull those and put 'em in the run. I cook pinto beans for them which they love and are great protein; give their ground shells back to them for calcium. They get goodies from the garden as well...they LOVE grape tomatoes and zucchini (they like the big ones with lots of seeds), They get pretty much all the veg scraps from the house, and meat scraps too...more protein. I make yogurt for them from powdered skim milk...it's inexpensive if you make it yourself. You can even ask friends and neighbors to save their kitchen scraps for you.
Next year, I'm putting in more oats. I cut just the tops off to feed them, then cut and store the straw for bedding and will till the roots back into the soil. I also got some winter wheat and rye I'll be getting planted in another month or so. We also got some alfalfa to put in come spring...it's absolutely the best! Lots of nutrients and protein, it's a perennial if you don't let it flower and go to seed, it's a nitrogen fixer, so it also conditions the soil. Usually I just grow parsley and basil in pots in the kitchen, but next year I'm planting quite a lot outside...they particularly love parsley. I also plan to put in drying beans and sunflowers (the beans can use the sunflower stalks to climb on) Beans are excellent for them but do need to be cooked first. DH is building us a cold frame so we can grow greens for them (and us) through most of the winter...chard, kale, spinach.
I attended a lecture yesterday where the speaker said he keeps a "compost pile" just for the birds. He doesn't build it for actual composting, but just tosses stuff there and lets it lie. It becomes a magnet for worms and various kinds of bugs. He periodically lets the chickens into it and they scratch and turn and grab up all those yummies. We have a pile of mostly grass clippings, cuz there's only so many we can use in the compost bin. We'll start adding other stuff to it and let it sit...as long as it doesn't get really wet, it won't stink the neighbors out, LOL
We don't have enough room to grow everything they need, but I'd like to get to where we can produce at least 50% of their feed...that'll help a LOT, especially since we all know feed prices are just going to keep going up and up. The other huge benefit is that you KNOW what they're eating...no GMO's, no chemicals.
I have a very bad habit of falling asleep in my recliner (when did I get "old"??) which is right next to the front door. Anyone could walk in and probably never even wake me, though our dogs would probably set up a holler, trying to see who could get petted first!
