Home Grown Winter Poultry Feed Alternatives

[Wired1979]

Compatriots,

With the price of poultry feed skyrocketing its time for me to look into some less expensive options.
I have 5 acres and the poultry already free range, but the Iowa winters preclude free ranging approximately 4 months year.
I am looking for some advice on what I could grow that can be stored for winter usage for Zone 5a (-15 to -20).

Any constructive advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...sounds-better-than-my-acres-of-weeds.1480992/

Another member’s thread on their free ranging fodder and what they are doing

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

This is my feed the chickens thread, everything is open for discussion from mix your own, growing stuff, feed systems, commercial feeds, scientific studies, archaic to modern knowledge, what ever gets the birds fed.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-feed-recipes-articles-and-systems.1510115/

 

[U_Stormcrow]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...sounds-better-than-my-acres-of-weeds.1480992/

Another member’s thread on their free ranging fodder and what they are doing

Heeheheheehe. Its not just me linking my stuff now! THANK YOU @Lauravonsmurf , I'm glad you find it useful.

@Wired1979 whole grains you can store for winter (though I really doubt you can grow more efficiently than commercial scale, even with markups), then combine with commercial products (like Fertrell's nutribalancer and Fish meal) to fix the nutrition - since a grain only mix is quite imbalanced. (as is a seed only, or a legume only, or an "anything" only...)

I gave up on approaching scale production - I haven't the time or the equipment, and focus instead on "bending the curve", with some success.

If you have the room to store, buying straw cheap when its abundant, keeping it dry, will then allow you to use the straw bales as planting material to extend your growing season - but again, that bends the curve, it doesn't replace feed.

The best thing you can do to control feed costs, in my experence, is to find a local feed store handling the majority of area farms for the local mills.

 

[Wired1979]

I am looking specifically for some cheaper Winter feed alternatives when they can't free range.

I've heard that meal worms can be a Winter feed option. I will be looking into that.
I am still looking for other Winter feed alternatives to replace expensive store bought feeds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I am looking specifically for some cheaper Winter feed alternatives when they can't free range.

I've heard that meal worms can be a Winter feed option. I will be looking into that.
I am still looking for other Winter feed alternatives to replace expensive store bought feeds.

Bulk freeze dried mealworms run about $6/lb, making it 21x more expensive, pound per pound, than the commercial feed I get from the local mill, by way of the family farm store. They tend to be around 45% protein (that's good), but also 25%+ fat (source dependent) - that's terrible. As I've said before, that's not a cost effective way to turn 16% layer into 20% all flock, and it adds between 60 and 90% more fat to the bird's diet, besides. The extra fat is more harmful, nutritionally, than the extra protein is beneficial.

If your weather and conditions allow you to maintain a BSFL composter or a mealworm bin for entertainment and a small protein boost, great - but don't plan on making it a staple of the diet on which your birds rely.

/edit for clarity. Need more coffeee.

 

[saysfaa]

Compatriots,

With the price of poultry feed skyrocketing its time for me to look into some less expensive options.
I have 5 acres and the poultry already free range, but the Iowa winters preclude free ranging approximately 4 months year.
I am looking for some advice on what I could grow that can be stored for winter usage for Zone 5a (-15 to -20).

Any constructive advice will be greatly appreciated.

In Iowa, a co-op milling locally grown feed is almost certainly your most economical choice.

Ensiling grass might be worth doing. It can be done on a small scale. I'm planning to try it this spring/summer in several plastic bags per 55 gallon barrel. I doubt it will be better than the co-op feed but might be worth doing.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

The birds are free ranging.

What do you feed in addition normally?

What do you think they are getting off the pastures?

How many birds?

Sun Dried Grass Clippings can be stored.
In winter in snowy conditions Grit is a must.

I watched a video on how an organic farm through a sequence of events went from grain feeding with free ranging, to free ranging with compost piles becoming the food for all their birds no grain year round. However you need to develop a system, have free access to food scraps and waist of restaurants, a community that wants to reduce landfill… they also buy quality additional materials for their compost formula. All the food waste has to be ground up then added to specific created piles… also they are not trying to maximise growth or eggs per say. They are however creating top quality compost for their farm and to sell, they do sell the eggs and are working to expand it. So a well run compost pile system might help supplement… but you need to set it up right. The guy said he figured each hen used 2 lbs of scraps a day, other folks he said felt it was closer to 3 lbs (apparently others have recreated their accidental feed alternative, they did not set out to feed the birds this way). He had 600 birds being fed that way, but they could feed up to 1200… 600 birds gave them roughly 300 eggs per day… they were in process of culling and adjusting flock breeding towards egg production so had already culled about half the flock. You need to be realistic with this sort of thing, work, runoff control, understanding how to do it… and costs of needed materials. I have not tried this at all, just watch a video interview on how that farm operates… they have staff and equipment and it is a pretty big to do.

I am not sure how many bugs and worms you would need to raise to feed your flock in winter.

What is your storage space? How much feed do you normally feed them in winter?

What are you buying at the grocery store?

 

[glib]

Compatriots,

With the price of poultry feed skyrocketing its time for me to look into some less expensive options.
I have 5 acres and the poultry already free range, but the Iowa winters preclude free ranging approximately 4 months year.
I am looking for some advice on what I could grow that can be stored for winter usage for Zone 5a (-15 to -20).

Any constructive advice will be greatly appreciated.

Comrade, we are fighting this battle shoulder to shoulder. A mixture of whole grains that can be stored, soaked, ground, and fermented will get you somewhere. Next, you could make a few or several beds of collards and kale, those stay green and are not bothered (much) by cold temperatures. It will be up to the chickens to trudge through snow to get at them, although you could make it easier for them by growing them in hoop houses with one end open. That mixture will get a fairly complete diet, except for lack of the animal foods that all chickens need. As a last step, could you romance the local butcher while angling for meat scraps? If the local butcher does not think you are all that charming, perhaps some skimmed milk from the local dairy man?

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I have a number of large compost piles in my setup, which helps reduce commercial food intake. I bring in food waste twice a week from a local food pantry.

On days when it’s frozen solid they aren’t as useful however.

Stuff you can grow to help reduce need for commercial feed in winter might include:

• Corn
• Pumpkins/Winter Squash
• Grains
• Sunflower
• Grasses, as others suggested

Of course, getting the right mix can be a challenge. In particular protein. If you hunt, trap, or fish on your land, that can help a lot with that.