Topic of the Week - "Off-grid" Feeding - Homemade feeds, etc.

[AllenK RGV]

Schreibergarten I remember those well @lomine the concept is so funny on your first time seeing them if you weren't born in Germany. Those little plots of land that were fenced in and clustered together with dimensions like 50x75 feet usually with a hut built on them for entertaining.

You just brought back some memories. Every one I knew who owned one always wanted to take me out to the "country" for some relaxation and beer.

Edit--I also wanted to expand a bit on this Schreibergarten are cherished items and usually passed down generationally. Especially if you are living in a tower apartment complex in a major city.

 

[BoyTheRooster]

Thank you for the explanation, us 'merikans just weren't getting it.

Just FYI that is how we buy sausage!(that might be disturbing to a kiwi!)
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/a3....jpeg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=FFFFFF

All goods

Do you mean like raw, uncooked sausage meat? You can buy it like that here too. Mum uses it for pies or to mix with mince to make meat patties for burgers.

And to add something on topic, I work at an orchard so sometimes I take home some un-saleable fruit and give the chickens that. Watching them try to run away with a piece of fruit bigger than their head is hilarious, and keeps them entertained for a while

 

[Oisian]

I buy bags of wheat from the grain store and sprout it. for 10 bucks I get 50 lbs seed weight and after three days or more it doubles it's size and is ready to feed, I also allow some to ferment.
I feed cracked corn over winter. I have 22 chickens and 16 ducks and only buy one 50lb bag of grain a week. They are all fat and happy.

 

[AllenK RGV]

All goods

Do you mean like raw, uncooked sausage meat? You can buy it like that here too. Mum uses it for pies or to mix with mince to make meat patties for burgers.

And to add something on topic, I work at an orchard so sometimes I take home some un-saleable fruit and give the chickens that. Watching them try to run away with a piece of fruit bigger than their head is hilarious, and keeps them entertained for a while

I call that chicken "keep away" I love feeding them things I accidentally kill like lizards when I open a shed door. They keep me in stitches playing Keep away from one another.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I buy bags of wheat from the grain store and sprout it. for 10 bucks I get 50 lbs seed weight and after three days or more it doubles it's size and is ready to feed, I also allow some to ferment.
I feed cracked corn over winter. I have 22 chickens and 16 ducks and only buy one 50lb bag of grain a week. They are all fat and happy.

Mung beans and lentils are great for that too. My chicken love those treats!

 

[rjohns39]

I use spent brewery grains. My local micro-brew has a partner in a pig farmer, and if I can get to the barrels going to the pig farm before they've left, I'll fill a couple of buckets.
Honestly, I don't know about the nutrition of the spent grains, but the girls love them! Just driving home, my car smells heavenly - like baking bread. I've known to dip a bowl out from the buckets just for me.

I know the formatting in this is going to be horrible. But here goes...
Protien Lb/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix Kcal/Lb Kcal/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix Available %/Lb Lbs/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix UI/Lb UI/Mix UI/Lb UI/Mix UI/Lb UI/Lb MG/Mix MG/LB MG/Mix ppm/Lb ppm/Mix ppm/Lb ppm/Mix ppm/Lb ppm/Mix PPM PPM/Mix %/Lb Lb/Mix %/Lb Lb/Mix %/Lb Lb/Mix %/Lb Lb/Mix

Corn Distillers, Hi Prot 10% 36.8% 0 3.4% - 13.0% - 920 0 0.07% 0.0 0.46% - 0% 0.25% - 0 30.5 0 1500 0.00 23.0 0.00 50 0.00 30 0.00 0 0.90% - 0.45% - 0.75% 0 1.00% 0
maybe copy and paste each to a spreadsheet.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I know the formatting in this is going to be horrible. But here goes...
Protien Lb/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix Kcal/Lb Kcal/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix Available %/Lb Lbs/Mix %/Lb Lbs/Mix UI/Lb UI/Mix UI/Lb UI/Mix UI/Lb UI/Lb MG/Mix MG/LB MG/Mix ppm/Lb ppm/Mix ppm/Lb ppm/Mix ppm/Lb ppm/Mix PPM PPM/Mix %/Lb Lb/Mix %/Lb Lb/Mix %/Lb Lb/Mix %/Lb Lb/Mix

Corn Distillers, Hi Prot 10% 36.8% 0 3.4% - 13.0% - 920 0 0.07% 0.0 0.46% - 0% 0.25% - 0 30.5 0 1500 0.00 23.0 0.00 50 0.00 30 0.00 0 0.90% - 0.45% - 0.75% 0 1.00% 0
maybe copy and paste each to a spreadsheet.

I liked this but I didn't like this for the unintelligable formatting @rjohns39

 

[rjohns39]

BYC doesn't do well at holding formatting... You have to grab the first group and past into a spreadsheet and then grab the second and do the same.

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

Hi... Is the cat food you give your chickens, dry or wet?

Dry

 

[Dr.Dale]

I've also read articles where, if given a limited amount of options, chickens will eat what they need when they need it depending on the season.
http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd17/4/pous17045.htm

Thanks for posting this. I really appreciate this kind of research. It helps cut through a lot of confusion and hype.