The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mekare]

Hi. I was just reviewing the lists of good and bad foods for chickens and my pesky brain came up with a question. Raw and undercooked beans are bad, sprouts are good. What about bean sprout? Seems like they would be 'raw and undercooked' but it seemed worth asking. Thanks.

 

[AletaG]

Hi. I was just reviewing the lists of good and bad foods for chickens and my pesky brain came up with a question. Raw and undercooked beans are bad, sprouts are good. What about bean sprout? Seems like they would be 'raw and undercooked' but it seemed worth asking. Thanks.

Good question... I started sprouting lentils for my girls about once a week. They seem to like them. Not as much as FF, but since the protein in my FF is probably only 14%, figure a higher protein source would be a good idea once in a while. I know people use "field peas", but my feed store has no idea what I'm talking about so going this route. Anyone else?

 

[delisha]

Hi. I was just reviewing the lists of good and bad foods for chickens and my pesky brain came up with a question. Raw and undercooked beans are bad, sprouts are good. What about bean sprout? Seems like they would be 'raw and undercooked' but it seemed worth asking. Thanks.

As long as they are not ground up, I do not worry. My chickens eat all kinds of thing that are not good for them on the *list*. I have been feeding potato peeling and all kitchen scraps for 35 years. I have yet to have a chicken get sick. They have variety and a well balanced diet. Meat proteins, fresh air and fresh water and a ton of exercise. I do not cook any thing for my chickens. I decided a long time ago I will start cooking for them when I see a broody cook for her chicks. (I do not feed fava or soy beans.)
I feed raw and sprout beans and peas.

Quote: 14% is too low unless you are giving additional meat proteins. If your meat proteins are 5% or you are free ranging you are perfect.

 

[Mekare]

Thanks. sproutpeople.com has some bird feed for sprouting and I wanted to try it but there are so many beans in the mixes I was concerned. I do have 2 pounds of dried field peas that I might sprout for them.

On a slightly related note. I got some non-GMO, non-soy H&H feed from a local feed store. The hubby ran for me and came back with layer (they were supposed to have ordered starter for me and since the layer was the only H&H they had he thought it was the one.) My youngest of my six is 4 weeks and the oldest is 12 1/2 weeks. I went ahead and kept the bag because, after trying to get this store to order for a week, I was OUT of feed. I know the protein is low so we're offering a lot of meal worms and I'll add the field peas. I'm worried about the calcium though. We're planning to order a bag of starter directly from H&H in a couple of weeks if it doesn't show up at the store soon. Will be chicks be ok on layer feed until then?

On a totally unrelated note ... Susan and Justine ... wedding pics? I bet I'm not the only one who wants to see.

 

[delisha]

Thanks. sproutpeople.com has some bird feed for sprouting and I wanted to try it but there are so many beans in the mixes I was concerned. I do have 2 pounds of dried field peas that I might sprout for them.

On a slightly related note. I got some non-GMO, non-soy H&H feed from a local feed store. The hubby ran for me and came back with layer (they were supposed to have ordered starter for me and since the layer was the only H&H they had he thought it was the one.) My youngest of my six is 4 weeks and the oldest is 12 1/2 weeks. I went ahead and kept the bag because, after trying to get this store to order for a week, I was OUT of feed. I know the protein is low so we're offering a lot of meal worms and I'll add the field peas. I'm worried about the calcium though. We're planning to order a bag of starter directly from H&H in a couple of weeks if it doesn't show up at the store soon. Will be chicks be ok on layer feed until then?

On a totally unrelated note ... Susan and Justine ... wedding pics? I bet I'm not the only one who wants to see.

This is just my opinion..

Layer feed is not good for anyone

read your label and do some homework..it might help to let you know why I made that statement.

it is bad for me since when purchasing a bag of layer... 5lbs of the bag is oyster shells and I am paying triple of what shells cost. Calcium forced to chickens is not healthy. Sometimes they simply do not need it. Free choice calcium is the best way to go and cheaper.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: I do the lead-free garden hoses too. I'm replacing all my hoses - even the ones used to water the garden.

Quote:
Any beans or peas (legumes) that can be eaten RAW are safe for sprouting. You CAN'T feed SOY raw for sure...so no sprouting soy for feeding.


I actually tried sprouting my field peas that go in my birds feed for them. They wouldn't touch the peas but will eat all of the grains that I sprout. Not only wouldn't they touch them, they would scratch all around them and left the pea sprouts. Wouldn't eat a single one.

My OPINION (and nothing more) is that if chickens are given a choice they wouldn't eat any legume by choice.

Having said that, my feed does contain field peas. I've always wished I could figure out an inexpensive way to remove the legumes altogether and replace it with a meat source. You used to be able to get meat meal which was used in poultry feeds quite extensively in the past. It's hard to come by at this point in time for many reasons.

I did a whole grain and field pea fermentation experiment. I fermented the same items that go into my feed, but left them whole. I wanted to see how the birds responded to the peas. They picked everything else out of the feed and left the peas. The only way I could get them to eat the whole peas was if it refused to give them anything else. It would take several days before they'd eat them. That tells me a lot. For my regular feed, I coarse grind them and they will eat those. I think, possibly, the smaller pieces ferment more thoroughly and more of the anti-nutrients are removed when ground which makes them more palatable.

I think, from what I've gathered, that they seem to like lentils much better than the field peas. I haven't experimented with that to see how these kiddos respond.

 

[AletaG]

Aren't ckns the oddest things... they eat fresh peas and pods just fine for me, and I have not yet tried sprouted. They eat the lentils no problem, the black beans they aren't super crazy about but they are gone after no more than 24hours... They range every other day (I'm keeping flocks separated... just a logistics of my property thing). I know they get bugs, but, just in case. I wanted to mix fish meal with my FF, but cannot find it around here. Have started collecting peoples cast offs. They loved crabbing season... my neighbors loved the chickens. Got 25lb of Tuna carcass in the freezer. 20 more days until sure it's ok to feed 'em. They get whatever protein scraps I can give 'em. They seem to really like any cooked bean, but I'm not gonna cook for 'em, just leftovers. Sprouting, that I can do. And the mealies. And SOME DAY DH will finish the BSFL bin!

 

[MargaretYakoda]

OMG we're thinking seriously of a BSF bin too! OK we have to have tea! LOL!

Also, I just cooked up some beef liver for my girls. First taste of that treat they've ever had. Popular? Oh Ya!
It's good, locally raised organic stuff. Came with the cow we put in our freezer last year. I'm the only one who actually likes beef liver, and even I can't eat an entire cow liver in a year's time. I remembered we had a few packages still in the freezer a couple days ago, set one to thaw, and boy oh boy what an awesome treat.

 

[lazy gardener]

Aleta: you raise a question for me... re: your statement about wanting to include animal protein, and using fish. What will a chicken do with a fish that is thrown into the run? do you cook it first? Debone it? At certain times of the year, there are a lot of "junk fish" that can be caught from the lake where my Dad has a camp. I'm wondering how much fish can be fed without worrying about giving the eggs a fishy flavor, or tainting the chickens with mercury and other toxins from a heavy fish diet. Also, can you please explain your statement on keeping the tuna in the freezer for 20 more days. I wish I was in a more temperate zone to be able to raise BSF. I'm also running the idea around in my head about importing some and trying to winter them over in my green house. It's an unheated hoop coop, and I'm in zone 4 or 5A. If I wasn't so squeamish, I'd consider giving some frogs to the girls, but, honestly, I hate it when they catch a frog, b/c I think frogs process a lot of insects!

 

[4Hgirl]

What an awesome looking cat.  He looks like he belongs on an African safari!  Is he a good hunter???  As a kid, I had a 17# cat who was an awesome hunter... he'd bring home full grown rabbits, and my Dad recently reminded me that he once took down a fox.  But he was an aweful sissy around the toms in the neighborhood.  He was always getting beat up.  And he sometimes got lost in our own back yard.  (hard to figure that one out, even though the back yard was 8 acres...)

He used to hunt A Lot when he was young. He would leave for days then come home fat and happy. He is the best cat we've ever had. "Blue"