What would you feed if you couldn't buy feed?

[randomchick]

I barely give any feed during the summer months. What I do do is seed the lawn with clover and a mix of other grain seeds. They find all kinds of bugs out here, and even minnows from the creak. I have found the feed has hardly been touched, and I have big fat healthy birds. I do plan on raising worms for this next upcoming winter. I have found that summer is not too hard to feed the birds, but that is only because I have woods, water, and pasture all in a small area for the birds allowing for a more natural ecosystem. It cost a little more in the beginning to set things up, and we try to use what is naturally available. Doing it this way we are spending 14.90 for a 40kilo bag of layer feed which if you convert it into the number of eggs we get from that one bag of feed along with what they get naturally, it is just over 18 dozen eggs and it also fed 8 roosters.

My goal is to be completely free from buying feed all summer, and have someway of cutting down winter feed costs by 1/3. I hope to achieve this goal in the next 2 years and information that people post on threads like these are ever so helpful. You guys are all so great with your different perspectives and tips.

 

[prairiepearls]

Quote:
Do you know of any titles? I'd like to grow a small plot of barley or millet or buckwheat -- I figure being in Kansas, it ought to be doable!

My brother brews his own beer, and my SIL bakes a lot of bread with interesting whole grains, and I'd love to be their supplier!

 

[messianicmom]

There's a few, some I'm familiar, some not, in the order of familiarity. I use the library for these to determine which is best and/or buy used on Amazon:

"How to grow more Vegetables and fruits, nuts, berries, grains and other crops"-John Jeavens
(a friend who owns this recommends the spiral bound because there are charts)
http://www.amazon.com/Vegetables-Be...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265168037&sr=1-1

"The Backyard Homesteadroduce all the food you need on just a quarter acre"--Carleen Madigan
http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Home...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265167953&sr=1-1

"HOmegrown Whole Grains"-Sara Pitzer
http://www.amazon.com/Homegrown-Whole-Grains-Harvest-Barley/dp/160342153X/ref=pd_sim_b_1

"Small-Scale Grain Raising"--Gene Logsdon
http://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-G...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265167803&sr=1-4

HTH,
Rachel

 

[1acrefarm]

Mine could just about totally live on free range if I could keep them out of the neighbors yard and predation was not an issue. I do throw them small fish from the creek and whatever raccoons I catch they get to pick at before the dog and cats do. I feed them the scraps from cleaning small game as well as fish. I have gotten a few game chickens due to their foraging ability, predator savvy and broodiness. I had planned to raise pure games as well as crosses between games and layers. My chickens also get table scraps. They eat layer pellets but I would not bother with them if I could free range them all constant. The two ducks and two games who freerange constant only get what feed I spill and are very healthy.

 

[redhen]

We live by a river..and my foster son loves to fish..
so i always have lots of fish for the birds..
BUT..i was wondering about one thing..
Worms? I know that alot of wild fish have worms... So..can my chooks catch worms from eating them?
Or should i boil the fish first..just to be safe?...
I've just been feeding it raw..but i worry.

 

[messianicmom]

I had the same concern regarding feeding them coon and such, due to rabies. The diseases/parasites that wild animals carry would prevent me from giving them
these things unless someone knows enough to tell me that it doesn't affect them.
Mine can't do complete free range; they are in a tractor and get moved about, due to a high level of hawks here in N.Ga. during the day.

Thanks

 

[1acrefarm]

Quote:
If you are concerned you could always cook it.

 

[gsim]

Quote:
If you are concerned you could always cook it.

Someone who lives in the south posted on BYC that he killed a coon and sliced it open for his chooks. He said they cleaned out what they could reach

and he was going to flip it over the next day so that they could finish.

Wish I could recall who it was. Since I am 67 years old, I get to claim a senior moment for my forgetfulness, as opposed to a brain fart!

 

[IggiMom]

But if you released roaches for the hens to eat, isn't there a chance that they would establish themselves? I am not at all fond of roaches.

Catherine

 

[Roofless]

About feeding them fish: Do you leave the whole fish with the chickens and let them pick it clean, or do you prepare it somehow first?