Natural feed?

[3KillerBs]

fell in love with the story of the Dominique,

I have one Dominique in my flock. I prefer a larger egg, but she's got a lovely personality.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/buffalo-the-bold.1512083/

 

[U_Stormcrow]

^ This seems like a very possible outcome if their nutrition fell short from a homemade diet.

We see this on BYC already - people feeding their chickens with lots of scratch or cracked corn in addition to a complete feed, looking for help when their birds start having problems.

In human terms, its like comparing the average male from North Korea with the average male from South Korea. In a population of others like themselves, they look healthy, sure - but put them side by side, and the North Korean male is usually inches shorter and many pounds lighter.

and of course you don't see anyone on the meat bird forums talking about their monster free range (or even tractored) Cx. The consistent experience is slower growth [which isn't such a bad thing in Cx] and arguably "better" flavor - certainly, more flavored birds. When I first started my own flock, I had Cx, they did feed heavily, and they free ranged as well - took me a while to figure out why my little butterballs were a pound or more behind other's birds at the same age. Hatchery alone counldn't account for all the diferences. That's when I started looking into how to feed chcikens, instead of just reading the "model" on the bag (starter, grower layer, feather fixer, etc...)

 

[AGeese]

I also believe there's one person here stating they are doing something pretty close, if not exactly this. And sure forums, youtube, "the Internet" it's all the same until I discern truth for myself. I wouldn't have associated any papers or studies with you. I don't know you

Pardon! U_Stormcrow

 

[Kiki]

Would homegrown variety of vegetables and homegrown mealworms be sufficient feed?
No chicken feed or anything.
Basically natural feeding like a while back, except I'm growing mealworms for them to eat too. Any help is appreciated!!

No. If this question has to be asked then it is clear that one does not understand what a complete balanced diet is and it is clear that one would not be able to produce a complete and balanced diet out of 'stuff' they find for cheaper in a commercially made poultry feed.
I would assume the number one reason people think this is a better option is price.
They soon learn it cost way more money to try to produce a balanced diet then it does to go to the store and buy a bag of feed.

 

[AGeese]

So before anyone decides to lash out because I haven't read your article, isn't this what Joel Salatin is doing or am I mistaken? Is it produce that we're going for or pets?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So before anyone decides to lash out because I haven't read your article, isn't this what Joel Salatin is doing or am I mistaken? Is it produce that we're going for or pets?

Salatin feeds his birds. Roughly 5 parts corn, 3 parts soy, 1 part oats. The rest is calcium, fish and or kelp meal, fertrell's nutribalancer, allegedly a prebiotic. Then he supplements by tractoring - which is like free ranging a very small protected field of known content.

 

[AGeese]

Salatin feeds his birds. Roughly 5 parts corn, 3 parts soy, 1 part oats. The rest is calcium, fish and or kelp meal, fertrell's nutribalancer, allegedly a prebiotic. Then he supplements by tractoring - which is like free ranging a very small protected field of known content.

He sure spends a lot of time making it sound like it's all pure pasture or I missed this part which is also possible.

 

[Kiki]

He sure spends a lot of time making it sound like it's all pure pasture or I missed this part which is also possible.

He mixes feed and it's not cheap.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

 

[AGeese]

He obviously can't during the winter. I can get 50 lbs of sprouting seed for $17. Currently I mix flock raiser with my last bag of Layena and were looking at 18 to $20 a bag. After that it will just be the Raiser and oyster shells until that runs low before I decide what's next.

I'm on month 7 of day olds with around 3 or 4 birds laying the best small eggs I've had, they've all come out ready to eat on first lay. I'm not sure how fast they'll burn through the bags, but with summer coming they'll have a lot more time to range, and they're great bug and worm hunters already.

I'll check it out, man he's young in that one.