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

[U_Stormcrow]

There are ways to change the formula for sure, like one woman I saw had a wagon wheel pasture setup that looked realistic. So you know if you have like 5 acres and rotate the into 7+ different pastures. Like you said you can self butcher, I've got that setup but I wouldn't want to do 250lbs x3 in August in my garage. The deer is enough work in colder temperatures. For lots of no b.s. info check out the "Homesteading the hard way" channel and the best feed and water setup I saw (and copied) without buying a $600 commercial feeder is here on "Keeping it Dutch" do yourself a favor and skip to 8:23. I basically did his setup with a hoop house and a loading shoot. If I have time to relearn how to post pictures I'll share. I think it's an awesome setup for growing them out but I've had them exactly a week. I like it a lot so far though and I have a YouTube University P.H.D. degree in pig farming over the last 3 months.

If I thought I was going to start breeding I would look up breeds that don't keep growing their entire life. The red wattles look interesting but that wasn't a focus of my studies.

Rotational grazing has a LOT to recommend it, particularly in parasite control, but also in pasture maintenance. Its something we considered ourselves and originally planned to do, but budget considerations and my animals abilities as escape artists made it impractical. I couldn't quarter 5 acres with a 6' high fence and set up four differnt "house" structures which were suited for goats or chickens or "whatever" depending on what livestock was being rotated thru at the moment. I could, eventually, have run water to each of them.

With a much larger budget, oh yeah. I'd redo things, using the barn as the center spoke. Its placed in the middle of the pasture for just that reason.

 

[lancesstaub]

I have rabbits and I grow one 1020 tray of barley/oat (8/1) fodder each day. I share some of that with hens.

My birds are caged off the ground. We've got coyotes, weasels and raptors all over the place. I feed my hens all of the yard weeds or garden greens they will each eat. Then I give them barley fodder. About every other day, in a large glass pie plate, I give them a mix of fermenting barley, loose barley sprouts (from the fodder process) and hay fines. I wet this all down. They go crazy over it. I give them 1/2 lb of fodder each after they have stopped eating everything else. I've been giving them all they want in pellet but am going to start measuring it just like I do my bunnies. I'm measuring how long a bag lasts them now and see if I can get that reduced.

I have a very weedy yard. I've cussed it for a long time but now consider it a blessing. It's is fantastic exercise for me too. I don't dig up the weed. I use a sharper weeder and cut the weed just below the crown which means most like dandelions and cat's ear will regrow from the root.

The more alternate food we can find for our critters, it will not only save us money but I think they will be healthier. Many people are starting to rethink the pellet thing other that the mix of nutrients & vitamins it has. It is NOT fresh and it oxidizes easily. Just like we are finding, as people, how unhealthy OUR processed foods are, that might well be the case with processed animal food. These animals in the wild sure as held didn't have to rely on pellets.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I have rabbits and I grow one 1020 tray of barley/oat (8/1) fodder each day. I share some of that with hens.

My birds are caged off the ground. We've got coyotes, weasels and raptors all over the place. I feed my hens all of the yard weeds or garden greens they will each eat. Then I give them barley fodder. About every other day, in a large glass pie plate, I give them a mix of fermenting barley, loose barley sprouts (from the fodder process) and hay fines. I wet this all down. They go crazy over it. I give them 1/2 lb of fodder each after they have stopped eating everything else. I've been giving them all they want in pellet but am going to start measuring it just like I do my bunnies. I'm measuring how long a bag lasts them now and see if I can get that reduced.

I have a very weedy yard. I've cussed it for a long time but now consider it a blessing. It's is fantastic exercise for me too. I don't dig up the weed. I use a sharper weeder and cut the weed just below the crown which means most like dandelions and cat's ear will regrow from the root.

The more alternate food we can find for our critters, it will not only save us money but I think they will be healthier. Many people are starting to rethink the pellet thing other that the mix of nutrients & vitamins it has. It is NOT fresh and it oxidizes easily. Just like we are finding, as people, how unhealthy OUR processed foods are, that might well be the case with processed animal food. These animals in the wild sure as held didn't have to rely on pellets.

Not to keep driving traffic to my own posts, but you might find this useful. Ineed to go back in and start inserting nutrition information, general comments, and warnings for each of the pictured plants as i did last year (so its more useful) - but like you, I'm a big proponent of a varied diet for our animals.

Also, my rabbit really likes evening primrose - which is ok for him, but it has some anti-clotting factors you need to be aware of - so feed in moderation. He's the only critter on my soil who does seem to like evening primrose. The goats and chickens both ignore it. The roots, however, are decent at breaking up my clay soils (they look like a twisted carrot or parsnip in a lot of ways) so I allow it to persist at the edges of bare clay spots, and rip out older plants where other greens are ready to move in.

 

[EliteTempleton]

Rotational grazing has a LOT to recommend it, particularly in parasite control, but also in pasture maintenance. Its something we considered ourselves and originally planned to do, but budget considerations and my animals abilities as escape artists made it impractical. I couldn't quarter 5 acres with a 6' high fence and set up four differnt "house" structures which were suited for goats or chickens or "whatever" depending on what livestock was being rotated thru at the moment. I could, eventually, have run water to each of them.

With a much larger budget, oh yeah. I'd redo things, using the barn as the center spoke. Its placed in the middle of the pasture for just that reason.

So I was heading into town and we started talking about feed a bit. This caused me to do some math. Turns out I got my farm store 200lbs for around .30/lb I just assumed it was cheaper at the Mill because EVERYONE has told me I should get it there. That was probably true for a LONG time but like everything else lately some stores change prices faster than others. Now I know why they've had limited supply (I had to mix two different but very similar kinds), they're the best price in town! LOL! Quick math on that would reduce the feed costs by ~$180 if I can keep getting it at that price (does that make the feeder cost not count?? )

But the feed mill is likely better quality since it would be more freshly milled. If the prices change and get closer I'll prefer theirs.

Also I saw this chop principal thread that looked pretty promising, a nice use of extra garden produce and bagged up would be easy to portion out over the winter without having to sprout and such if you don't have the time/space for that. Also even if everything smoothes out and we get to party like it's 1999 the birds would love this in the winter even if you free range!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So I was heading into town and we started talking about feed a bit. This caused me to do some math. Turns out I got my farm store 200lbs for around .30/lb I just assumed it was cheaper at the Mill because EVERYONE has told me I should get it there. That was probably true for a LONG time but like everything else lately some stores change prices faster than others. Now I know why they've had limited supply (I had to mix two different but very similar kinds), they're the best price in town! LOL! Quick math on that would reduce the feed costs by ~$180 if I can keep getting it at that price (does that make the feeder cost not count?? )

But the feed mill is likely better quality since it would be more freshly milled. If the prices change and get closer I'll prefer theirs.

Also I saw this chop principal thread that looked pretty promising, a nice use of extra garden produce and bagged up would be easy to portion out over the winter without having to sprout and such if you don't have the time/space for that. Also even if everything smoothes out and we get to party like it's 1999 the birds would love this in the winter even if you free range!

My local family feed store sells it CHEAPER than the mill 40 miles away that makes it! They pass their bulk discount directly on to drive traffic to their store - but that's the exception, I suspect, not the general rule. and yes, they get a truck twice a week. Its very fresh - another reason why I use them.

/edit $0.30/lb right now, (depending on what you are buying) isn't as outrageous as it was, say, in 2020... Though if my costs went that high I'd have to raise egg prices, and I'm not sure my market could bear it. Its not a high income area I reside in.

 

[Prop toe]

Rekon push comes to shove I would let them out to free range and keep them a water supply they forage and substain life as long as the preditors don t kill them all however you could forage for them nature has plenty you be one busy be.Thats of course you don't have close neighbors cause they may shoot your chickens for digging and feeding in the flowers or garden good day peeps

 

[4boysMom8234]

I've heard soy plants are good. We're planting the sunflowers around the fence line, blueberry bushes. I had two and they died last year from neglect on my part. I broke my hand in July and had them in big containers, planned on transplanting in the back yard and they died. They didn't get enough water I guess. Everything else lived but I think they need lots of water Also we plan on planting Jerusalem artichokes. More strawberries and sorghum. Sorghum has a lot of uses. Comfrey as well. I have a list of things I'll have to get them out. But good pants, herbs and consumables for both chickens and humans.
I watched a video where you take an old bucket or new your choice, drill a bunch of holes in the bottom, hang it about chest height where your chickens hangout and put meat in it. Old meat cooked or raw. Let the flies do their job and the larva drop through the holes and the chickens eat them. He says the higher you hang it, the breeze takes the stink away. I'm not sure about it, but I thought about hanging one from a tree in the far back of my yard by the compost bins. Anyone with thoughts about that?

It sounds like an interesting idea. Just beware that things that smell may attract unwanted guests like in my area bears, foxes, coyote,etc. My fear would be once they know you have chickens they will remember and return. Maybe bring friends.

 

[Prop toe]

For those have never hung cabbage or celery on a wire or small chain with a hook off a rubber bungee strap affix the cabbage or celery let it hang down about 6 to 7 inches from the ground enjoy the show.

 

[GigitheBackyardHerbilist]

We planted ours today.

I planted mine Monday and added more last night. Going to do more this weekend. Planted sorghum. Will plant corn soon. Looking to buy oats to plant this weekend.

 

[GigitheBackyardHerbilist]

It sounds like an interesting idea. Just beware that things that smell may attract unwanted guests like in my area bears, foxes, coyote,etc. My fear would be once they know you have chickens they will remember and return. Maybe bring friends.

We live fairly close to town. Have fenced property. The rest we watch for, but we're planting sunflowers and elderberries around the fence line. That will help