Making your winter feed now: silage

[Kikiriki]

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The links out of the article were so good, too, and led to more and more links. I've noticed that a good portion of BYCers have other animals besides chickens, so even if chickens don't like it, it could still be useful.

 

[Kikiriki]

Quote:
Thanks for the information, familychickenman! Aren't those compactor bags pricey, though? I was thinking of trying the heavy duty contractor bags, but I want to make smaller batches and those bags are huge. Course they say you can reuse if you wash, dry, and store them well...

Did you find you were able to reduce feed?

 

[Kikiriki]

Quote:
Me for sure! I was thinking of sowing small areas of some other stuff besides grass to add to it. Any ideas?

 

[familychickenman]

Yes the compactor bags are more expensive and I have used other bags as well and they work fine too. I had less issues with the compactor bags. I am trying to figure out a way to use a container that is reusable as well, but so far that has not been successful. They did seem to lay more eggs and eat less other feed but unfortunately I was not good about calculating it at the time.

 

[CaroleW]

I will be trying this with my yard clippings. But may have to wait a while since our seasons for growing grass are kind of opposite here in AZ. More grass clippings available during the mild winters and then would feed them during the hot dry summers, I think.

Great links too--Thanks OP!

 

[CherMoz]

We made silage for our poultry late this last summer using still somewhat green sweet corn stalks including some overripe sweet corn. I just started feeding the silage yesterday. The poultry (chickens and turkeys) LOVED it and cleaned up every bit that I put out for them. It will be interesting to see if it will get the chickens laying again!

 

[WayneThopy]

A chicken has three points of digestion, the crop, true stomach and gizzard. A ruminant has four points of digestion: the rumen, reticulum, abomasum and the omasum. Chickens also swallow their feed whole, whereas a ruminant chews their food. I am wanting to try feeding silage.

 

[CherMoz]

A chicken has three points of digestion, the crop, true stomach and gizzard. A ruminant has four points of digestion: the rumen, reticulum, abomasum and the omasum. Chickens also swallow their feed whole, whereas a ruminant chews their food. I am wanting to try feeding silage.

I'd love to hear how it works for you. I ran out of silage late Feb. We plan to make more this late summer/fall.

 

[WayneThopy]

I'd love to hear how it works for you.  I ran out of silage late Feb. We plan to make more this late summer/fall.

I was wondering how much to feed and if it works well? Any problems with laying?

 

[CherMoz]

I feed silage in the morning and only an amount that will be consumed within an hour or so. My chooks were not laying at the time I started feeding (Dec when they were no longer able to range due to snow). They started laying again in Jan. Here is an article that was published in Mother Earth News - http://www.motherearthnews.com/home...scale-silage-production-for-chicken-feed.aspx. I have not seen any follow-ups to it.