HOW TO FEED YOUR CHICKENS if there is no scratch or pellets?

[springvalley123]

I would suggest trying for the first time in very warm weather though, since that will take way less time to ferment.

That could've been my problem--I tried to ferment and it began to smell terrible. I hadn't allowed for the heat of summer in the desert (nor did the videos I watched). Thanks!

 

[Johnthefarmer]

I do let my chicken wander in the garden. They are very good pest controllers.

 

[springvalley123]

We've had trouble finding cat food too. Had to go off brand. That's not pleasant. I didn't have enough of the old to transition them to the new cheaper food. They were sick for a couple of days. This time I'm stocking up every time I go shopping and am pre mixing it. We used to buy broken bags from the FACE clinic at $3 & $6 a bag. I could get their good food fairly cheap, plus good canned food. It burnt during the riots. No money to rebuild. It's gone. The clinic itself survived with little damage but the warehouse was a total loss. It was a shame they helped so many foster cats and dogs.

I got the last big bag at TSC a couple weeks ago, am hoping to find some tomorrow...

 

[Bishopalready]

I'm definitely interesting in this topic. I am mildly concerned about the possibility of chicken feed becoming unavailable. I am at least interested in finding ways to supplement the diet to reduce the feed consumption.

An idea posted on another thread was to grow black oil sunflowers, and harvest the seeds. I plan on getting a bag of black oil sunflower seeds and trying to plant some next week. Also experimenting with sporting grains, or growing fodder.

Does your chicken treats include chicken nuggets?

 

[springvalley123]

Alright, I'm thinking of ordering the following-

Field peas/Oats cover crop
Hairy Vetch cover crop
Millet cover crop
Sorghum
Corn
Soy beans
Leafy greens
Root vegtables
Maybe a Goji Berry bush, I've been wanting one anyway.
BOSS seeds to plant, though they will be fed in moderation

Also considering starting a BSFL bin.

All of this will be used to supplement their current diet, since I'm most concerned about prices rising. So they'll still have access to a quality feed.

Thoughts? Does anyone else have anything to add? I'm interested to see what others are buying and planting.

@U_Stormcrow mentioned flax too...

 

[Weeg]

You're bringing up a timely concern, Gigi. Something I've been looking into also. You might do some research on raising mealworms, although to achieve some limited success in a real feed supplement sense, you'd have to get into the whole mealworm farm deal pretty heavily. Growing Black Soldier Fly larvae seems to yield a significantly larger return, with the most effort involved being in just collecting the return daily, then any other aspect of farming those. Looking at some YouTube clips, 3 or 4 barrels of Black Soldier Fly larvae looks like it could actually put a dent in the feed bill, at least during the warmer months.

I was interested in that too. My biggest question was how to get the adult fly population going so that they come back and lay eggs. Seems pretty simple for the most part though. I saw a video form a guy how has the ramp funnel directly down a tube which went into the chicken pen. Thought that was pretty smart.

 

[Weeg]

That could've been my problem--I tried to ferment and it began to smell terrible. I hadn't allowed for the heat of summer in the desert (nor did the videos I watched). Thanks!

The smell could have been from a few things. 1) It was too cold, not fermenting, and going bad, or 2) It was the klam yeast, though I'm not sure if it was that without photos or similar.
I do think its a lot easier to start trying it when its warm though, its tricky in the winter. You could always just soak the feed overnight though, and that would do the same thing when trying to save feed.

 

[sandburRanch]

If Alfalfa hasn't been mentioned as a feed consider it one of the perennial pasture. After 3-4 years rotate ( switch ) that area with the garden area and repeat . In the fall allow the Alfalfa to grow about 3 weeks and cut and dry for winter feed hay . The advantages are perennial pasture feed , the Alfalfa builds the soil and the chickens spread fertilize evenly without composting .

 

[karenm52]

lack of access to feed is a concern for me too! currently i have 3 chickens and 2 cats. i, literally, cannot buy any beef based wet cat food. it simply isn't on the shelf (thank you bill gates!!). my dry cat food quadrupled in price too! that said - i was just thinking about this matter re: chicken feed. i currently sprout my scratch & peck and add ground dried meal worms and hemp hearts to that. they eat every bit, no waste there. i also occasionally supplement with some strained yoghurt (Gopi brand), fresh greens, BOSS and worms from my worm farm. i am attempting to grow some veggies in my little garden. i may try sprouting my BOSS too! i have one easter-egger and two heritage breeds: black copper marans and salmon faverolle. my ee does not like meat. my other two girls LOVE meat on the rare occasion that they get some. so, if feed becomes unavailable - these are some alternatives. the real issue for me would be the winter months when sprouted greens would be scarce. i would love some links or references to other info. thanks for reading.

 

[sandburRanch]

lack of access to feed is a concern for me too! currently i have 3 chickens and 2 cats. i, literally, cannot buy any beef based wet cat food. it simply isn't on the shelf (thank you bill gates!!). my dry cat food quadrupled in price too! that said - i was just thinking about this matter re: chicken feed. i currently sprout my scratch & peck and add ground dried meal worms and hemp hearts to that. they eat every bit, no waste there. i also occasionally supplement with some strained yoghurt (Gopi brand), fresh greens, BOSS and worms from my worm farm. i am attempting to grow some veggies in my little garden. i may try sprouting my BOSS too! i have one easter-egger and two heritage breeds: black copper marans and salmon faverolle. my ee does not like meat. my other two girls LOVE meat on the rare occasion that they get some. so, if feed becomes unavailable - these are some alternatives. the real issue for me would be the winter months when sprouted greens would be scarce. i would love some links or references to other info. thanks for reading.

Feed a good green leafy Alfalfa hay flake suspended in netting .

https://www.thehaymanager.com/hay-s...rs/what-is-the-best-kind-of-hay-for-chickens/