Home Feeding Ideas and Solutions Discussion Thread

[Sumatra503]

I've forgotten who I ordered my Comfrey from but Clays link is as good as any! Be sure to get the Bocking like in that link. Those are the ones with sterile seeds. You propagate them by root cuttings.
As for the distillers grains, a number of years ago a local distillery started making a horse food from their spent grains. It was cheaper than the other feeds and they got a lot of my horse friends to buy it. I kept mine on Omelene and Oats. Well, a little time went by and most of the horses fed this stuff got Colic. From that experience, I'm reluctant to make that a big part of any animal's diet. The small percentage makes really good sense to me.

I agre. No one food type should make up more than a percentage of your bird's diet, regardless of what it is. Variety is the key to a healthy diet.

Most foods high in protien should be fed sparingly, anyway.

 

[Kassaundra]

I've forgotten who I ordered my Comfrey from but Clays link is as good as any! Be sure to get the Bocking like in that link. Those are the ones with sterile seeds. You propagate them by root cuttings.
As for the distillers grains, a number of years ago a local distillery started making a horse food from their spent grains. It was cheaper than the other feeds and they got a lot of my horse friends to buy it. I kept mine on Omelene and Oats. Well, a little time went by and most of the horses fed this stuff got Colic. From that experience, I'm reluctant to make that a big part of any animal's diet. The small percentage makes really good sense to me.

I don't remember where I got mine either. I got the bocking variety that has sterile seeds, but am thinking about ordering some of the invasive stuff, once my chickens found it they decimated it!

 

[Lacy Blues]

Let me know if you find the invasive stuff. I live in the desert (5" annual rainfall and 5% humidity) and I think it would be pretty hard for it to be very invasive without water.

 

[RaZ]

Please be careful when obtaining invasive plants, they can and do escape.

According to the USDA
Cynoglossum virginianum L.
wild comfrey

is the native variety.

Symphytum officinale L.
common comfrey
Symphytum asperum Lepechin
prickly comfrey
Symphytum tuberosum L.
tuberous comfrey

are invasive or introduced varieties. Check with your local extension office to see what you can grow in your region and if your state consider them to be invasive or not.

I'll get down from my soapbox now.

 

[LuvTheFarm]

I have tons of duckweed - Glen Allen VA - care for a field trip? I have not tried to feed it to my flock of 23 - I will be doing that following vacation next week~!

 

[SunnyAlberta]

Check with your local extension office to see what you can grow in your region and if your state consider them to be invasive or not.

In other words, we may not want to feed our illegal backyard chickens with illegal plants.

I have problems with invasive weeds in my yard because I choose not to use chemicals. I don't need to plant anything pervasive, thank you. The upside to my weed problem is that when I throw most of them into the chicken run, the girls turn those bad plants into good, compostable fertilizer for me.

 

[RaZ]

In other words, we may not want to feed our illegal backyard chickens with illegal plants.

I have problems with invasive weeds in my yard because I choose not to use chemicals. I don't need to plant anything pervasive, thank you. The upside to my weed problem is that when I throw most of them into the chicken run, the girls turn those bad plants into good, compostable fertilizer for me.

That was my original logic for getting chickens in the first place. My landscape has been chemical free for years now and I wanted chickens for pest control. The only place I have bugs or weeds is where the chickens are not allowed to forage.

 

[TheJadeChicken]

This is an interesting read. I haven't read each and every post. I have skimmed a bit. But will be subscribing.


I feed my Chickens, Ducks, and Turkeys 1 Bag Purina Flock Raiser and 1 Bag Purina Laying Pellets. Both are mixed in a big trash can. And maximum of 2 scoops are thrown out in a feed bucket for them. Plus we let them out as often as we can to forage for bugs and stuff. Also, we give them frozen and unfrozen rinds off of watermelons, cantaloupes, honey dews, and any other fruit scraps. And I go out and throw some Happy Hen treats. Eggs shells are given after we eat eggs for breakfast or something.

Anyone have chickens that don't like Corn Chops? My chickens won't touch the stuff. They left it and picked out the everything else. Even the Cornish Rocks.

Also, why do most poster feed DE to their chickens?

 

[scorwin]

My chicks, (pullets) are 13 weeks old. Can I give them whole black sunflower seeds with the shell on???

 

[Beekissed]

Yes, you can!