Home Feeding Ideas and Solutions Discussion Thread

[carolb5]

I'm in Montana, 60 miles from the Canadian border. Got to 28 last night.

I've been feeding this way 15 plus years. I feed corn, wheat, oats for grains. Whole. I grow kale, chard, cabbage, beets, turnips, lots of veggies and share with my birds. Weeds, they think I invented them. We grow lots of potatoes. I cook a large pot of them on the woodstove each week and give some of that to them each day. We also save raw meat scraps from hunting that we grind and feed out all winter. Our birds are confined because we have so many bald eagles in the area and stray dogs.

The layers are 15 leghorns. We also have 5 buff orpingtons, 4 month old and 30 plus 2 month old leghorn chicks. Oh, and Lucky the Leghorn rooster. Healthy, content. We will cull the 15 old (2.5 year old) this winter when the others start to lay.

I know not everyone can raise their own feed. It is a goal of mine. We still do buy the grain. I hope I have help with my reply.
Carol

 

[TyMac Farms]

I have been having GREAT success with getting my friends who have caged parrots to save what they dump out of the bird feeders (mostly seeds, hulls, and pellets) and I give them to my flock. This not only supplements my feed bill, but the color enhancing pellets really make my birds look good.

 

[armorfirelady]

Do you feed them apples that have been frozen? I have frozen apples but didnt know if the birds would like them after they were frozen.

And have you froze pumpkin & catnaloupe with good results? I have a couple pieces of watermelon in the freezer now to test & see if the girls will eat then after they were frozen

 

[Kassaundra]

Do you feed them apples that have been frozen? I have frozen apples but didnt know if the birds would like them after they were frozen.

And have you froze pumpkin & catnaloupe with good results? I have a couple pieces of watermelon in the freezer now to test & see if the girls will eat then after they were frozen

Not generally on purpose, since that is my food, but our freezer somehow got turned down and everything thawed so I've been feeding it out to the girls and they love fruit, frozen, thawed, cooked etc...... they don't care they love fruit.

 

[armorfirelady]

Not generally on purpose, since that is my food, but our freezer somehow got turned down and everything thawed so I've been feeding it out to the girls and they love fruit, frozen, thawed, cooked etc...... they don't care they love fruit.

Good to know. My girls love the cut up apples that we give them. The ones no one wants to eat lol They love cukes as well but I dont know how they would freeze either. I am half willing to try frozen cherry tomatoes as well. They love to sneak those out of the garden

 

[galanie]

I have been having GREAT success with getting my friends who have caged parrots to save what they dump out of the bird feeders (mostly seeds, hulls, and pellets) and I give them to my flock. This not only supplements my feed bill, but the color enhancing pellets really make my birds look good.

I do that. With my own bird's seeds. There's always lots of good seeds left when you dump out the old so the chickens get the extras and love them. But I only have two cage birds now so it's not a lot.

 

[Kassaundra]

Good to know. My girls love the cut up apples that we give them. The ones no one wants to eat lol They love cukes as well but I dont know how they would freeze either. I am half willing to try frozen cherry tomatoes as well. They love to sneak those out of the garden

You can freeze anything for the chickens. Most fruit or veggies we don't freeze for people is more a matter of texture when thawed that we don't find paletable, the chickens won't have that problem. I peel core and freeze cukes all the time for our salads in the winter w/o any problems. If I were going to freeze them for the chickens I would save myself the work and freeze them whole, or maybe just cut in half lengthwise that way they could just be put out for the chickens w/ little effort.

 

[armorfirelady]

You can freeze anything for the chickens. Most fruit or veggies we don't freeze for people is more a matter of texture when thawed that we don't find paletable, the chickens won't have that problem. I peel core and freeze cukes all the time for our salads in the winter w/o any problems. If I were going to freeze them for the chickens I would save myself the work and freeze them whole, or maybe just cut in half lengthwise that way they could just be put out for the chickens w/ little effort.

Great thanks for the tips!! Going to see f the grocery store has any veggies/fruits that they cant sell that they will either sell at reduced price or free to me for the chickens to use. I have a big freezer in basement so my plan is to fill it with veggies/fruit for the hens for winter

 

[Sallysec]

I have only gotten so far as page 22 of this post, but I had some questions and comments already and figured I would just jump right in. So I am totally new to chickens so I can't use my own experience as a guide and have been researching foods to feed chickens, as I plan to do some supervised free range, and also incorporate some of my home grown veggies/scraps into their food. I am starting to do research on worms but today an odd thought hit me. I was feeding my daughter a bottle and during some of my reading I had read about using milk powder for protein etc. I also read someplace that someone gave cat food or baby food leftovers to their chickens. I also read about people using warm milk with oatmeal during winter....so I have to ask...Has anyone ever fed baby formula to their chickens? I am currently feeding my daughter with breastmilk, but I have a ton of sample cans of formula and was wondering if it might be something to use for my chicks? I know its too expensive to go out and purchase it (the cost would be counterproductive) but if I have some samples laying around?

I was wondering if I mixed it up with some old bread or something soaked in it....

 

[Lacy Blues]

I don't see why not. With chicks though, I would use just a little. As they grow up, you could probably increase it some.