Raising feeds for a small flock

[nk892]

Greetings,
My wife and I recently started a new job and moved to a new house provided with the job. This house includes a few adjoining acres (mostly wooded with fairly sandy soil) and a few outbuildings. We've converted one of the outbuildings (an old root cellar) into a chicken coop with a small outdoor run. We have about a dozen pullets that we plan to raise to keep as laying hens. We're starting to realize the amount of feed these hens go through and are looking for ways to make our eggs a little cheaper. Supplementing with kitchen scraps helps, but we'd like to raise some of their feed in the future, rather than relying on purchased feeds.
What feeds should we look at raising to feed our hens, to cut the cost of purchased feeds? We're planning to provide some purhcased crumbles as well as crumbles, but we'd like to raise a bit of grain to help. Any ideas which grains would be best or which to avoid: wheat, barley, oats, corn or something else that we've overlooked?
Thanks!

 

[Percheron chick]

The problem with trying to raise grains is the land has to be tillable and the amount of equipment needed is too expensive for the amount of product you can produce. No neighbor farmer will take on a few acres even if they have the time and equipment to do the work. It simply won't pay to do it.

Fencing in an area for them to forage during the day is the most cost effective thing you can do to reduce your feed costs. With a wooded area, you have predators so you must make the area safe first before you can turn them loose. When mine freerange in the summer months, my feed consumption drops from about 5 oz per day to closer to 1 1/2 oz. Your pullets are probably eating a little more than that right now because as they are finishing growing and getting to POL is when their energy demands are the highest. It will actually dropped a bit as they start laying.

things you can do to reduce your feed costs is plant a garden and incorporate things for the chickens. Summer squash is always a prolific crop and you will have tons of extra. Lucky you, chickens love squash. I also plant a ton of winter squash and pumpkins that I can store as is and give them to the chickens in the winter months. If you have a craft beer brewer in town, ask for their spent grains. Again, chickens love them, they are high in protein and calories. Not terribly balanced nutritionally, but you can add 10% with no problem. Did I mention they are free? Buying your feed in bulk instead of in 50# bags can also save you a considerable amount ($2-4 per bag equivalent). It will also tend to be super fresh and made from locally produced grains in a small local mill so we all win. Start a compost pile in the chicken run. It will provide extra protein in grubs, bugs and worms as well as hours of entertainment.