If feed stores closed and you can’t free range...

[chickencoop57]

I do not want to start a panic, rather a conversation. No I haven’t heard rumors of feed shortages. Yes we all are aware of the virus situation in the United States and everywhere in the world.
Just for the sake of conversation If someone needs to decide to stop buying feed and could not free range what would be your go to way of feeding your flock?
Yes we all know free range is the ideal. This discussion is about a situation where that is not an option, neither is purchasing grains. Let’s just include the thought that this is not a farm with fields to grow tons of grain but perhaps a “backyard garden” could include a bit dedicated to chickens. Let’s discuss this in terms of various seasonal and environmental conditions. Let’s also include that you are not open to the idea that you should stop raising chickens because you can’t afford them. This isn’t about affordability. It’s just a discussion.
What would you feed your flock? What would you grow for them? What would you do in winter?
If this discussion becomes problematic I request moderators to remove it. Let’s just enjoy exchanging ideas.
I’ve had some thoughts. I have a small framed chicken garden in their run so they can eat greens through a wire barrier without destroying roots. Perhaps I could expand that idea with frames of various heights to allow more mature growth an possible fruiting. Maybe grow a protected amaranth plant to allow the grain to fall for the chickens to eat.
I have other thoughts to share but let’s start there.
Your turn.

Well, not sure what your getting at but here in central Texas we have no problem of not getting feed for out chickens or anything. Tractor Supply, due to Corvid19 has said we can order online and then come pickup at store. Plenty feed in stock, here.

 

[chickencoop57]

I personally don't think animal feed stores will be running out of stock like supermarkets are. I mean there are more people than farm animals in most medium sized towns, and animals aren't affected by the virus (I have heard varying opinions on that) so I won't worry unless the situation gets way worse

I agree!

 

[keringordon]

I check the trucks in and out at Tractor Supply and we are operating on a full schedule. I usually dont purchase my feed here and I was able to get twelve bags at walmart but be assured they will be getting their usual deliveries.

 

[keringordon]

Well, not sure what your getting at but here in central Texas we have no problem of not getting feed for out chickens or anything. Tractor Supply, due to Corvid19 has said we can order online and then come pickup at store. Plenty feed in stock, here.

Yup Tractor Supply is getting their product out to the stores. I am at work now checking the deliveries in and the outbound trucks. Its a little slow at night so thats why I am on here.

 

[Black Choctaw]

Hi, I am an experienced gardener and I do put up a lot of food for my family. I live in Upstate NY on top of a hill with 2.5 acres. Once the winter winds get going here, not much fun to be outside. I do not have a flock yet but my daughter has started dreaming about keeping chickens. To feed my family over the winter months, several years ago I built a root cellar, insulated it floor, ceiling, walls, then installed a *CoolBot device with an air conditioner in my basement. It drips water out the back of the AC unit into a bucket on my already wet basement floor. If that's inconvenient then you'll need an exterior window where you can let it drip outside, but I didn't want to be cooling down from higher ambient temperatures, or dealing with winter freezes, so my root cellar needed to be below ground in my basement. In that 4'wide x5' H x6 Long room I have stored amazing amounts of foods. I'm not sure what hens would want to eat but for the cost of running a small air conditioner unit daily, I can buy or grow a ton of food and keep it all winter long - all summer long. I have stored 16 bushels of apples and still had room for lots of other stuff. Root veggies, cabbages, potatoes, last fall's wild grapes, fall fruits I want to extend their ripe period a few weeks or longer, etc. Bins of greens will keep for a month if fresh when they go in. I always have a bushel of leftover immature peppers when the first freeze hits and they would keep at least a month or two. Certainly if you can buy bins of discount produce from a grocery store, that food would be kept from spoiling while the chickens get fed daily. The CoolBot tells the air conditioner to keep running far below it's normal temperature range, and it consistently maintains a temperature of 39F. When it comes to that much space to store food cold, compared to a walk in cooler or refrigerator, it is very afforable. I have heard that commercial cold rooms cost $800 and up just for the chiller, and then all the metal construction materials and plumbing and the maintenance fees when they break. It's $8000 for a restaurant size cold room. Mine cost $500 in materials, a curb side digital air conditioner, $325 for the CoolBot device, and the cost of electric to operate it monthly. I don't think it's more than $1/day. I think of it as my insurance plan - a couple crates each of carrots, beets, potatoes, cabbages, and apples for the humans could easily be expanded to having enough alternative feed for the hens, like how about all those pumpkins that go to waste in the fields after every Halloween! Stack them up in the cold root cellar. Hand them out once a week to the girls. If there were no way to get to a feed store, there probably will still be electric, although I'm not sure how every power company works, perhaps even more so in the case of someone who has solar panels or wind generator. I'm glad you posted this question, it's a good creative exercise for how to avoid buying feed. One of the deterrents to me getting a flock started is being able to afford organic feed! I will have to research how much food a chicken needs to eat in a day to understand the volume of alternative food that I'd need to have on hand. Assuming that chickens can survive on the types of storage foods I described, can anyone chime in on that? Thank you!

They can live quite comfortably on that and more and it's all good for them and eventually for you, I feed all my animals better than I feed myself because I share my eggs with friends, family and those who are less fortunate at the food pantry I volunteer at. I garden extensively just to share with those who can't afford good, quality fruits and veggies, in my area. And I definitely share it with all my animals from herbs to broccoli to watermelons and I do this because with the fruits and veggies I give them come back in the form of good-tasting eggs and meat. Also, if you ferment a lot of that food it's even better for them and you and makes the food stretch and also if some of what you grow is grain you can make it into fodder that creates grain in bulk, so you'll be spending so much less on grain. I'm just starting the fodder and fermenting and black soldier fly larva and mealworms are also good for them and if you learn to farm them yourself you give them good protein and calcium. Hope my two cents helps.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

I've already started seeds for the garden inside. The problem is it takes weeks for these things to grow! every day I go stare at my planters seeing if another sprout has come up or not. This is intermittable!
Using this scenario of having a shortage of feed, I would start to write very sweet polite notes to my neighbors saying "Wait! Those leftovers may not be garbage! I'm looking for the following before you throw it in the trash to give to my chickens (list of acceptable things here). In return we can all enjoy future eggs."

I have a neighbor that I already do this with. We have done it for years. They have 2 college age boys who return to college with eggs when they visit Mom and Dad, as well as Mom and Dad having eggs.

 

[WildnCrazyChick]

I can't help thinking that's it's threads like this that have erupted on the Internet that are causing the panic buying. So far more people die each day in car accidents.
Sure the virus is dangerous, particularly if you're elderly and have respiratory, or cardiac problems. It has actually killed a very very small percentage of those who contracted it.
I think here in Spain it's killed around 50 people out of the estimated 2300 infected.
Lets try and keep some sense of proportion and rationality. It's the hysteria that's doing most of the damage currently, not the virus.

So very true and of drug overdoses as well....or just in general. Everything has gotten out of hand and we are all taking the brunt of it

 

[AZBootsie]

Half of my run is covered in grape vines and last year I planted moringa trees in the other part of the run.

 

[Kiwi quail]

You can cook rice, feed leftovers from your table. Chickens eat pretty much anything. In a survival mode, that's what I'd be doing.

We are looking at our earthquake supplies (and realising we should have checked them a few years ago). We have 5 coturnix quails as our egg layers and they are enjoying our cooked out of date brown rice. I have ordered some live mealworms and black soldier fly larvae with the birthday present money my mother in law sent me and hope to be able to give the quails some of those to eat. They love the catepillars I pick off our pot plants so should be happy with an increased supply of insect larvae.

 

[Kiwi quail]

Being the other way up on the planet we folks in New Zealand are heading into winter whilst starting our coronavirus experience. We have fewer than 100 cases in our 4 million population.

We know from seeing what other countries have lived thriugh that it will probably get a lot worse very fast.

My chemo every 3 weeks since August 2014 has kept me alive. Aaargh