Supplemental forage?

[docdubz]

Im trying to explore options for reducing the amount of store bought feed that I rely on. I was wondering if it would be worth it to fence off some plots and seed them with plants the chickens will eat and rotate them through each plot. Im sceptical that it would be worth it because my chickens seem to be quite terrible at foraging.

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

You could build a chicken tractor and put them in one. You could throw in scraps from your kitchen (make sure it's chick safe), grass clippings from when you mow. If you have bugs in an area you could pen them there so they can eat them.

 

[JustCallMeMaple]

Scraps from a garden work too. My chickens LOVE clover plants to no end. They will grab an entire plant I throw in and one will try to make off with the entire thing chirping excitedly yet wanting to hide. The chirping then lets EVERYONE else know 'HEY I GOT IT' and the chase ensues.

 

[Alaskan]

Some people breed crickets, or roaches, or flies for their chickens.

Also most garden weeds amd table scraps can be fed to chickens.

But still, the bulk of their feed should be store bought, to make sure they are eating a balanced diet.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Unless you have a lot of available land, forage will likely never be a large % of their diet, but it's a great supplement. You can do anything from a small plot (you can even buy chicken seed mixes at TSC and other places) to a simple welded wire ring to grow a small treat right in the run.

Just today I moved a small roll of fence that'd fallen over in the run a few weeks ago and uncovered a small patch of assorted greenery. The chickens made short (and enthusiastic) work of it.