Home Feeding Ideas and Solutions Discussion Thread

[ShortAnda]

This thread has really inspired me. (So much that I had to become a member so I could post!)

I'm a fan of amazon so I started looking on there for bulk organic grains and came across Quinoa which is a grain high in protein (16%) and the greens of the plant are supposed to be super nutritious and also high in protein. Has anyone tried or thought about growing Quinoa or it's cousin Amaranth for feed? I found an article the said hand harvested Quinoa can produce up to 5000 lbs of grain per acre! I'm thinking about giving it a shot but I'm not sure how it will do here in SE Arizona. We are currently moving to a small farm we bought last year and I'm getting tons of ideas on how to set up my coops and runs.

Here is the very interesting article I found: http://www.saltspringseeds.com/scoop/powerfood.htm.

 

[gg706]

I have 2 Pecan trees in my front yard. Can chickens eat pecans if I broke the shells open. The pecans taste good but it takes ALOT of effort to get them out for human consumption. Would the pecans flavor the eggs in a negative way? I would have alot of free high fat high protein feed if I could use the pecans. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[ShortAnda]

We have pecan trees also and my grandpa has about 20 or more. He uses a big cracker and runs the nuts through it. It looks like this:

I don't see a problem feeding pecans to them except maybe issues with them eating shells maybe? I doubt it would make much difference on egg taste. Do a search online for 'feed pecans to chickens' and see if you come up with anything interesting. I would deffinately do a search for something like 'feed pecans to chickens safe?'

 

[RaZ]

This thread has really inspired me. (So much that I had to become a member so I could post!)

I'm a fan of amazon so I started looking on there for bulk organic grains and came across Quinoa which is a grain high in protein (16%) and the greens of the plant are supposed to be super nutritious and also high in protein. Has anyone tried or thought about growing Quinoa or it's cousin Amaranth for feed? I found an article the said hand harvested Quinoa can produce up to 5000 lbs of grain per acre! I'm thinking about giving it a shot but I'm not sure how it will do here in SE Arizona. We are currently moving to a small farm we bought last year and I'm getting tons of ideas on how to set up my coops and runs.

Here is the very interesting article I found: http://www.saltspringseeds.com/scoop/powerfood.htm.

Welcome to BYC, I think you will like it here.

 

[ShortAnda]

Thank you! I've been pouring over BYC pages for months now. I'm on here at least a couple times a week getting ideas and it's just so addicting!!! It was about time I signed up.

 

[Kassaundra]

quinoa likes cool weather you may have a little difficulty w/ it, but amaranth is a heat lover and quite drought tolerant, I'd bet you would have more success w/ it.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

This thread has really inspired me. (So much that I had to become a member so I could post!)

I'm a fan of amazon so I started looking on there for bulk organic grains and came across Quinoa which is a grain high in protein (16%) and the greens of the plant are supposed to be super nutritious and also high in protein. Has anyone tried or thought about growing Quinoa or it's cousin Amaranth for feed? I found an article the said hand harvested Quinoa can produce up to 5000 lbs of grain per acre! I'm thinking about giving it a shot but I'm not sure how it will do here in SE Arizona. We are currently moving to a small farm we bought last year and I'm getting tons of ideas on how to set up my coops and runs.

Here is the very interesting article I found: http://www.saltspringseeds.com/scoop/powerfood.htm.

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1008/grain-preparation-guide.asp
Your article may state this already, but here is a link to information on cleaning quinoa for human consumption if you decide to eat some, too.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have 2 Pecan trees in my front yard. Can chickens eat pecans if I broke the shells open. The pecans taste good but it takes ALOT of effort to get them out for human consumption. Would the pecans flavor the eggs in a negative way? I would have alot of free high fat high protein feed if I could use the pecans. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

You can put some in the yard and run over them with your car. This will break the shells open so they can eat them. They will be very good for them.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have a link in my signature line to my BYC page for the grains and seeds I like to feed if anyone is interested.

 

[RaZ]

I have a link in my signature line to my BYC page for the grains and seeds I like to feed if anyone is interested.

Thanks for the link. Good info there.
A question...are your peanuts and BOSS already shelled? I buy in bulk and they are entire. I've watched my hens but can't tell if they are eating the BOSS shell and all or not.
My peanuts are unsalted in the shell and are primarily for the squirrels but the chickens seem to "play" with them and I'm not sure they are getting the peanut out or not.