Long term alternative feedings

[User105877]

Considering doing some alternative feeding methods, such as fodder or mealworms. I was just wondering who all had success with this for more than a year and what advantages have you seen? Would it even be beneficial if the birds free range 4 to 6 hours a day? Just looking for opinions.

 

[Sally PB]

Is this instead of, or in addition to, commercial feed?

Mealworms are quite high in fat, so consider them to be a once-in-a-while treat.

Making your own feed is doable... but probably not a way to save money. Read, learn (there are several threads on BYC), and ask a lot of questions. Chicken nutrition is VERY well studied, and there is a lot of information from reliable sources.

Forget the facebook person who "fed my chickens pasta and beans and they laid a lot of eggs and did great!" and other such sources of information. Chickens need certain amino acids and other nutrients in certain amounts and ratios, or they won't thrive. This is especially true of chicks.

Where are you located? You can add your location to your profile, and then people won't ask. Location matters; if you're outside the US, you may have better or worse access to certain feed ingredients.

 

[User105877]

It’s an addition. I’ve had chickens for over 30 years. It’s really not about feed cost either. Just something I thought about doing to enhance their feed and make it more natural if it wasn’t too time consuming. Located in the southern Illinois