Making Feed at Home

[Lauravonsmurf]

I cook any field peas I give chickens not in a premix. I give them lots of table scraps. I will be purging the pantry of old grains soon. Spring cleaning time. Chickens will be getting a special mash as a result… Mama’s Pantry Blue Plate Special…

I am going to get more bulk feed this week…

I experiment on my flock mainly because I mostly avoid feeding them corn. I also believe in trying to have back up plans when feed unavailable to purchase which has totally happened here in the past. Believe me I have gotten creative in a pinch, but ultimately want good nutrition for them to be the norm.

I will be getting planting boxes ready so that means protecting seed and baby plants from the chickens,

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I will be getting planting boxes ready so that means protecting seed and baby plants from the chickens,

Good luck with that! Good luck to all of us owning chickens and trying to plant much of anything right now.

 

[raingarden]

" So, grind everything up into a crumble / powder, add water to make oatmeal. "

Thinking that's how the commercial feeds developed . Including floor sweepings . Ever notice the green tent in commercial pellets etc . , that's alfalfa .

I remember reading in one of those old books that prepared chicken feed was originally sold as a powdered meal that was moistened to make it easier to consume. It was the same thing we now do with all that powdered fine material at the bottom of a bag of pellets or crumbles.

Imagine having to eat dry flour without having a big glass of milk or beer to wash down every mouth full.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I remember reading in one of those old books that prepared chicken feed was originally sold as a powdered meal that was moistened to make it easier to consume. It was the same thing we now do with all that powdered fine material at the bottom of a bag of pellets or crumbles.

Imagine having to eat dry flour without having a big glass of milk or beer to wash down every mouth full.

I'll take the beer, thanks. At least if is good beer. If it is not good beer I'd rather have water. Unless it's bad water, then I'll drink the beer. For my health you understand...

 

[Ascholten]

Good luck with that! Good luck to all of us owning chickens and trying to plant much of anything right now.

Mine are locked up and are NOT coming out while my blueberries are about ripe.
They may get let out for about 30 minutes at the very end of the day and typically within 5 minutes get yelled at / stuff thrown at them as they find the blueberries and try to jump up in there.

It was funny I yelled real loud yesterday and threw a 90 degree PVC pipe fitting at them, 3 of them scattered to the corners of the earth, the one comes running right to me and squats down right in front of me. I was like NO that was NOT saying I have snacks you brat !!

If I have any say in it, they are NOT getting my blue / black berries this year !

Aaron

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I have 10 ripening blueberries on a total of 3 bushes. Freak weather event, late freeze, lost all the fruit on an early bloom. But an incredible number of blackberries if I can get past the thorns

 

[Ascholten]

I have 10 ripening blueberries on a total of 3 bushes. Freak weather event, late freeze, lost all the fruit on an early bloom. But an incredible number of blackberries if I can get past the thorns

that big freeze earlier in the year did me in. Lost my guava, a cherry tree and some other stuff. that late frost a few weeks ago didn't do much, but blueberrries are doing good, blackberries are coming up. I have NO idea what they taste like, last year the chickens got everyone of them, even the unripe ones before I could get even one... I was so mad

those thorns tho, ya no fun. almost as bad as raspberrys

Aaron

 

[Solanacae]

I remember reading in one of those old books that prepared chicken feed was originally sold as a powdered meal that was moistened to make it easier to consume. It was the same thing we now do with all that powdered fine material at the bottom of a bag of pellets or crumbles.

Imagine having to eat dry flour without having a big glass of milk or beer to wash down every mouth full.

Ugh, that sounds awful. I stuck this morning’s fermented grains in the blender so as to more evenly distribute the nutrition. I didn’t blend it completely smooth but it was much closer to a mash than individual grains. I had to add more water than I thought I’d need so it didn’t gum up the blender, even doing small batches. The chickens loved it! And it disappeared faster than the individual grains, maybe because it all stuck together so they could hork down bigger mouthfuls. I think I’ll blend things up now, I don’t want my desire to use up grains to create bigger nutritional problems, and I think the mash is an excellent way to make sure they’re getting something balanced.

 

[Ascholten]

Even when you buy pellets, the last 5 lbs in the bag are 'crumbles' or dust anyways, I don't want to waste that. Dust gets spewed all over the ground and lost. By wetting it, I can kind of dough ball it, and even though they still throw it all over, its overall easier for them to eat later and not so much loss on it.

Speaking of, this week was their once every month or so DE feeding, they don't like it much but eat it. I sprinkle about quarter cup of DE on 5 lbs or so of feed, mix it well and have em eat it. Now you will get a lot of people saying it's good for worming, and a lot of others saying it's useless, and you will also get those who will say it's good one week, then two weeks later, say it's useless It seems to work for me, and they are healthy so I do it. Same with putting a few tablespoons of ACV in their drinking water for health.

I had to add more water than I thought I’d need so it didn’t gum up the blender, even doing small batches.

What I found, it's a bit more expensive but was well worth it. I make a lot of pepper sauces and salsas etc. People whined that there were seeds in it, (grow a set you whiny little ...) anyways I got one of those ice crushing blenders, and it ate right through the seeds and all. If you are finding your blender is struggling, that is an investment that can be used for many things, including for YOU. A bit less expensive may be one of those health bullets.

Just some food for thought

Aaron

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I feed wet mash as well, almost entirely to reduce losses, but it does seem to help with heat mitigation in my hot/humid, and we've never had a crop issue in one of our birds.

Note that's ANECDOTE, not data.