What do you do to save money on feed?

[mistyt14]

now thinking of it our local bakery out let sells stale outdated bread for $1 a grocery bag. We bought some this summer to take to the park and feed the geese. Thinking i need to go buy a few and if i run out of freezer room after pumpkins dry it out

 

[Herducks]

Friend of mine paid $5 and got 2 HUGE trash bags of old bread products. She feeds to horses and chickens. (and some they keep for themselves

)

 

[Mac14]

Now following this thread!

 

[moomoodiddy]

my plan for this winter is planting winter wheat with high protein grower egg shells and wild bird seed along with any scraps

 

[Chicken Steve]

I hope this doesn't sound to goofy this is mine and my girls first winter together. I have most of them laying, of the seven. and I try to make sure as much as I can that they'll keep laying and be happy and healthy birds this winter. I was looking for advise on an additive or additives to my curtain mix. Or a new mix or a custom blend ? We were already thinking of adding flax seed, as well as any others that would make for happier healthier birds. I know my hounds and cats eat differently in the winter so I thought it only made since, to bust their diet.

 

[aoxa]

I hope this doesn't sound to goofy this is mine and my girls first winter together. I have most of them laying, of the seven. and I try to make sure as much as I can that they'll keep laying and be happy and healthy birds this winter. I was looking for advise on an additive or additives to my curtain mix. Or a new mix or a custom blend ? We were already thinking of adding flax seed, as well as any others that would make for happier healthier birds. I know my hounds and cats eat differently in the winter so I thought it only made since, to bust their diet. 

Lots of people go to a higher protein diet during the winter. Don't add extra light, that will stress them out. #1 importance is for them to keep themselves warm. If they are being fed unnatural light, their energy will go towards producing eggs and their health can deteriorate. If they lay with the lights off at 5-6pm, that's fine.

Lots of people do it.. I definitely don't recommend it.

 

[goonat123]

I just let mine free range and they feed themselfs then

 

[mistyt14]

This morning i mixed up layer crumbles, canned corn that didn't turn out to tasty but they love it, and bread mixed it all with some water and gave them about a cup and a half. My daughter has been giving them scratch when she gets home from school, and they have a bird suet feeder i put some kind of fruit in every day. after reading ways on here to people save on food we will try this method for a bit. They havnt layed anything and with day light savings time im wondering if it wont be till next spring

 

[farmer9989]

I plant every thing I can with elbon rye and turnips wheat oats
any thing that will stay green in winter .they will eat
I keep barrels full of red worms and black fly larva.
I plant all the corn I for them
I feed scraps to them and the worms
pick up leaves in town to put in there coop with hay also.
let the weeds grow and go to seed then have them cut for hay /lots of weed seeds that the chickens love.
ferment chopped corn /they love this stuff don't know maybe the alcohol
I also have a push mower with baggier that i use and give them grass clippings daily .thinking of trying to ferment grass clippings for short time like 6-12 hours to see if they wont eat more of them.
any left over from cleaning any thing else they like road kill also gets (cooked first ,out side ).
You think about it in the wild they will eat anything that don;t eat them first.
Haven't tried it or chickens but when i was young my dad had a jeep in the summer we put cheep or used panty hose on the front and drove through the pasture and side of the road when the grass hoppers were about they stick to the hose we used them for fishing but the chickens would have a feast.

 

[Mavrk]

I have a question about fermenting feed. I have only read about this for meat birds and am wondering if anyone does it for layers.