Home Feeding Ideas and Solutions Discussion Thread

[Lacy Blues]

So, it won't survive the winter? Well, I guess duckweed is out for a winter green feed. Still good for summer though. How does it get going each year?

 

[Steemroo]

Have you tried a moringa oleifera tree' Bing? It's tropical, has high protein leaves, makes oil sees. Just don't eat the roots.

 

[Steemroo]

Lacy - home brewers. Find nearest home beer &ale brewing club and/or supply store. You won't get a whole lot, but they'll probably let you have their spent barley (sometimes wheat). They usually do 5 gallon batches, but that's the liquid content. Grain will be much less than that in volume.

Spent grain is wet and has had much of its starch/sugar removed. But it has okay food value for chickens (not sure what it's missing though). Good luck.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Game Bird is expensive if you by the likes of Purina etc. I can get 20% game bird feed for $15/50 at the local mill. If I buy Purina 19% it would be $20. Layena is $17/50.

 

[Steemroo]

I'm still looking for such a mill near me (southern cal), an old timey oountry mill w/ good prices. There may not be one.

 

[SowdersHomestead]

Countryside just publish an article on a protein feeder. Basically an incubator for maggots. Its made out of a 5 gal bucket with a basket for carcasses, then a long skirt and the maggots drop out onto the ground.

 

[Steemroo]

Sowder, I've read about those, too.

Some people posted concerns that dangerous bacteria might grow in the bad meat that feeds the maggots - and could get into the chickens - and then to people. Not sure if that would really happen - I just don't know the dynamics of such bacteria transfer. Doesn't matter - my wife would never let me hang a bucket of rancid, horrible smelling meat in the yard!

These people who were concerned about maggots on dead meat suggested black soldier fly larva, which grow in plant-based food (veg trimmings, old fruit, etc.) left in a similar bucket. Like maggots, the larva crawl out and drop to the chickens below. These flies live in the southern third to half of the USA.

Am looking into red worms. If you have a pond, what about fathead minnows?

 

[Lacy Blues]

Sowder, I've read about those, too.

Some people posted concerns that dangerous bacteria might grow in the bad meat that feeds the maggots - and could get into the chickens - and then to people. Not sure if that would really happen - I just don't know the dynamics of such bacteria transfer. Doesn't matter - my wife would never let me hang a bucket of rancid, horrible smelling meat in the yard!

These people who were concerned about maggots on dead meat suggested black soldier fly larva, which grow in plant-based food (veg trimmings, old fruit, etc.) left in a similar bucket. Like maggots, the larva crawl out and drop to the chickens below. These flies live in the southern third to half of the USA.

Am looking into red worms. If you have a pond, what about fathead minnows?

I've been looking into fathead minnows. But I need to get a pond dug first.

 

[SowdersHomestead]

Sowder, I've read about those, too.

Some people posted concerns that dangerous bacteria might grow in the bad meat that feeds the maggots - and could get into the chickens - and then to people. Not sure if that would really happen - I just don't know the dynamics of such bacteria transfer. Doesn't matter - my wife would never let me hang a bucket of rancid, horrible smelling meat in the yard!

These people who were concerned about maggots on dead meat suggested black soldier fly larva, which grow in plant-based food (veg trimmings, old fruit, etc.) left in a similar bucket. Like maggots, the larva crawl out and drop to the chickens below. These flies live in the southern third to half of the USA.

Am looking into red worms. If you have a pond, what about fathead minnows?

I too dont like the idea of rotting carcasses, but I live in a heavily wooded area and shoot a coon or possum on a weekly basis. A chickens , any animal for that matter, digestive system is quite different than a humans. There are acids present that take care of bacteria.

We are also looking into red worms because we have a small rabbitry. Right now the rabbit cages are on a rack in the chicken yard so the chickens have a hayday under their cages. But as soon as the temps drop below freezing the rabbits will be moved to the barn.

I have also thought about minnows because we do have a pond. Never looked into pricing them. Plus it freezes during the winter. I like free protein sources and that's why the protein feeder was attractive because it only cost 1 22 shell.

Thanks

 

[galanie]

Sowder, I've read about those, too.

Some people posted concerns that dangerous bacteria might grow in the bad meat that feeds the maggots - and could get into the chickens - and then to people.  Not sure if that would really happen - I just don't know the dynamics of such bacteria transfer.  Doesn't matter - my wife would never let me hang a bucket of rancid, horrible smelling meat in the yard!

These people who were concerned about maggots on dead meat suggested black soldier fly larva, which grow in plant-based food (veg trimmings, old fruit, etc.) left in a similar bucket.  Like maggots, the larva crawl out and drop to the chickens below.  These flies live in the southern third to half of the USA.

Am looking into red worms.  If you have a pond, what about fathead minnows?

This has been done before. The risk of disease is just too high. A few years ago there was a guy that extolled the virtues of this system too. Then his birds started dying. Black soldier flies are great! I just wish they were more common here. I had some going for a while. Then the nasty flies overwhelmed them somehow. Done the earthworm thing too. They just don't multiply fast enough to be good for food. They are great for creating compost and for fishing with, though.