Home Feeding Ideas and Solutions Discussion Thread

[kimfeatherfriends123]

Love these posts...My husband just bought me 50 pound bad of rice at SAMS.....I add it to my grain and the chickens love it. It helps stretch the feed a bit. Don't rinse the rice it washes off the trace minerals and vitamins....

 

[CluckyJay]

How much was 50 pounds of rice??

 

[triplepurpose]

I am intrigued by your compost run system. How is it working out for you? I noticed my chickens always head for the compost pile in my yard, if I let them out of their run; but I have trouble keeping them in my yard and not going to my neighbors. So I had to limit their "free range" access. But the idea of moving my compost to them never occurred to me! I already place my excess red worms into my compost heap in the spring, so they are there too for added protein for the chickens.

I'd love to hear how the duel system has worked out for you.

To be honest, the idea never occured to me either until I got the book Small Scale Poultry Flock, by Harvey Ussery for Christmas and read about similar ideas, and it seemed like a no-brainer. I'd say it's still in the R and D stage, but so far so good. They tend to rip the pile apart and spread it out more than actually turn it, obviously, but in the process they are aerating it and they are eating a lot of bugs, and it's taking them days to get through the whole pile (the pile is a modest four feet wide and maybe three feet high and I have a dozen chickens on it). I'm starting to build a second pile in the empty run now and when I switch over, I'll probably re-consolidate the old pile that they have torn apart (probably move it outside the run) and let it finish breaking down completely. Three runs, really, would be ideal--but we work with what we have. I envision the cycle of an individual pile being something like this: building phase, heating-up-and cooking-and-attracting-insects phase, chicken-feeding phase, consolidating and finishing phase. We'll see if it actually works out like that... Right now I'm heavy on theory and light on practice... But it looks promising.

I don't know that it will make better compost or save labor, but it certainly makes happy and healthy chickens!

I've also been "seeding" the piles with soldier grubs when I'm building them for an added insect boost, although the soldier flies are pretty well established around my area already...

Before this I used to occasionally herd the chickens out of their coop and let them forage in the compost before I turned it. Once they lost interest and headed for the garden though, it was back inside...

In his book Harvey Ussery mentions a company in Vermont that makes compost commercially and also keeps laying hens, that supposedly get ALL their feed from what they find in the compost heaps. That in itself was enough to catch my interest!

 

[dandydoodle]

Thanks, I would look back later tonight to find your past posts. How do you find seed as stuff in bulk to make homemade feed? Is the stuff you put in it organic? Do you know where to get get the stuff organic and in bulk?

 

[Debbie Hooks]

I am totally new at raising chickens and the only experience I have is when my mother raised chickens. I remember her feeding them hen scratch. I saw this recipe on facebook (I by no means am claiming I came up with it) I am trying trying it with my chickens.

10 parts layer crumble
1 part shelled sunflower seeds
1 part cracked corn (more in the winter)
1/2 part whole flax seed
1/4 part garlic powder
1/4 part food-grade diatomaceous earth
1/8 part powered milk
1/4 part pro-biotic powder

It is a little expensive when you first start buying the ingredients in bulk but after the initial purchase it is pretty cheap. My chickens seem to love it.

Debbie

P.S. I found most of the ingredients on AMAZON.COM

 

[dandydoodle]

Where do you buy your organic feed from. I really want to start feeding mine organic and supplement with a lot of natural foods I grow and free ranging. I haven't found a good place to buy organic food though.

Thanks,
Michelle

 

[Debbie Hooks]

I would try AMAZON.COM first. They have a lot of things and it is mailed right to your door. No running around trying to find this and that.

 

[MollyG]

if you hook up with th eguy who puts out the fresh produce at wall mart you can get all the free veggies you want .... they throw away CART LOADS everyday

off him a dozen free fresh eggs a week.... the guy CALLS me now & i run around back when he heads to the compost dumpster

 

[DMRippy]

I think I will grow some sunflower for seed. I think that would be a good treat and entertaining too.

 

[Buttercup1979]

This is a great idea. I don't have chickens yet but am doing all my research here. I live on a river and was wondering about feeding them fish. Does it matter what kind of fish we feed them? I'm not familiar with brim fish, unless they are just what we call minnows. I only plan on having two or three chickens and have a nice big yard for free ranging, but because I'm a beginner still planned on buying feed. But this fish idea has me excited!