New girl here

[elaine5810]

I am new this year to raising chickens, and am loving it!! I have 18--buff orpingtons, sussex, wyandotte, cinnamon queen and buff brahmas. It is a delight to watch them and see how friendly they are.
I want to feed them as much non-gmo and organic as possible but it seems to be hard to find. I am interested in fermenting and raising forage for them, too, as well as growing some veggies for them.
Any advise along that line? Thanks!

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

certain things like avocados and almonds contain deadly toxins.
I would suggest researching what they can and can't eat. my birds get squash, melon, blueberries, potatoes, apples, cucumbers, and green beans as treats.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. This is a great place to explore and hang out.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Hello and welcome to BYC!!
I have fermented feed before, you should definitely watch chickenlandia's video on that. Beware...It reeks! The longer you ferment it for the worse it smells It's very messy too. I dunno I may be doing it wrong lol. I think I'm putting in too much food to begin with because every time it overflows/explodes out of the jar lol

I suggest growing zuchinni for them because one plant will produce a lot of giant zuchinni depending on the variety and soil conditions.

 

[Nomadicus]

Hello and Welcome to Back Yard Chickens. Glad to have you with us in this Fun and Poultry Loving Community.

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens, And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska! The Best of Luck with your Flock.

 

[Marie2020]

Hello Elaine

Welcome to our friendly forum and thank you for joining us

 

[N F C]

Hi, this may be an interesting article from the Learning Center for you: Fermenting Chicken Feed

Thanks for joining us!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Your flock sounds lovely, nice variety of breeds too!

Best wishes with all your plans and welcome to our community!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello Elaine, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
It is very hard to find non-GMO feed. So I just feed a local mills broiler mash and Nutrena grower crumbles. I ferment the mash and feed the crumbles dry.