So I have maybe around 50 animals on my property, most of which are poultry. Now I've been using a loot of money buying feed for the chicks(ducklings, chicks, guinea keets) it's hatching season and it's getting hectic over here. I make a rule of always keeping the babies and confined birds well fed, the free rangers can wait.
Well, my free range flock of 7 guineas 4 ducks and 10 or so chickens have the whole yard to themselves. I only buy this group organic feed from Modesto Milling (we don't get Countryside organics brand over here) and as some of you may know...it can get pricey. So I had to prioritize with all the young birds and they eat a lot so there goes my money....
Heres the crazy thing though, with my free range flock, whom I have not bought feed for in over a month, is doing just fine. Every hen is laying! The ducks are laying about almost every day as well. The guineas...I could care less about egg production, the lay in places only god knows plus I already hatched out some keets from them last month. But the whole flock is doing perfect!
How are they getting all they need? There isnt much place to range, we live on less than 1 acre. But this is what I have noticed, there are places in the yard with tall weeds, muddy places, dry dirt patch areas and a lot of succulents growing wild in the chicken yard. There is also a huge overflow of peaches that they just love. I throw a lot down for them,but they fly up to the tree and eat them too. They do the same with the fig tree. And they also get table scraps from the kitchen. All in all I am suprised and glad at how well they are doing. I might not have to buy feed for them until fall I hope. Anybody else experiencing this?? I think this record summer heat is bringing lots of bugs for them, and plants are growing faster so they keep up with the chickens eating them or something....whatever it is they sure look happy!
Well, my free range flock of 7 guineas 4 ducks and 10 or so chickens have the whole yard to themselves. I only buy this group organic feed from Modesto Milling (we don't get Countryside organics brand over here) and as some of you may know...it can get pricey. So I had to prioritize with all the young birds and they eat a lot so there goes my money....
Heres the crazy thing though, with my free range flock, whom I have not bought feed for in over a month, is doing just fine. Every hen is laying! The ducks are laying about almost every day as well. The guineas...I could care less about egg production, the lay in places only god knows plus I already hatched out some keets from them last month. But the whole flock is doing perfect!
How are they getting all they need? There isnt much place to range, we live on less than 1 acre. But this is what I have noticed, there are places in the yard with tall weeds, muddy places, dry dirt patch areas and a lot of succulents growing wild in the chicken yard. There is also a huge overflow of peaches that they just love. I throw a lot down for them,but they fly up to the tree and eat them too. They do the same with the fig tree. And they also get table scraps from the kitchen. All in all I am suprised and glad at how well they are doing. I might not have to buy feed for them until fall I hope. Anybody else experiencing this?? I think this record summer heat is bringing lots of bugs for them, and plants are growing faster so they keep up with the chickens eating them or something....whatever it is they sure look happy!
