Healthier, homegrown options for hens

[Smccau3]

Hi all!

I am looking for healthier, homegrown or made ways to feed my chickens. They are currently on bagged chicken feed from TSC and our kitchen scraps. I have been doing a lot of research about healthier options for feed and just don't know where to start.

I don't think I'm ready to switch over completely from the feed, but I would like to supplement to round out their diet.

I just started experimenting with fodder, and was looking into mealworms as a possibility. I am looking for easy and cheap solutions.

 

[TheReadyBoys]

You should continue with the feed for now. Have you considered free ranging them? Another idea is to grow a garden, but don't use any pesticides and weed occasionally, and in the fall, let the chickens into that to eat. This all depends on where you live, how much space you have, if you're willing to do it and what time of year it is, of course.

 

[Smccau3]

They do free range. We have 3 acres of land, but they are inside our fence, with about a 1/2 acre of land to free range on. We have been doing a container garden on the porch that the chickens have access to. I am in MD so right now, they don't have that. Though, they still enjoy digging through the dirt in the pots.

I really want to let them into my garden beds in the front. They're natural weeders, I would think.

 

[Sweetly Silkies]

Grow a garden? We do a big one for the family, and there is usually TONS of rotten stuff the bugs picked at. this is a literal number, in the summer they get at least 5 gallons of garden junk a day, if not more. We purposefully grow extras so it reduces the feed bill.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Search the threads for growing fodder or fermenting feed. Also, farming your own meal worms is always a good, cheap option.

 

[TheReadyBoys]

Hmm, I'm not sure then.