When was the first "chicken feed" mass produced?

[Cindy in PA]

If you ever have free time go to google books & search poultry. There is a treasure trove of old poultry publications, some as early as 1854 & a lot from the 1900s-1920s that are really interesting! It is amazing all the feeds that are advertised & brooders & such. It must have been the first golden age of backyard chicken keeping. There was a lot of specialized advertising aimed at making hens lay more eggs. I find it very interesting.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

If you ever have free time go to google books & search poultry. There is a treasure trove of old poultry publications, some as early as 1854 & a lot from the 1900s-1920s that are really interesting! It is amazing all the feeds that are advertised & brooders & such. It must have been the first golden age of backyard chicken keeping. There was a lot of specialized advertising aimed at making hens lay more eggs. I find it very interesting.

Thanks. I am really interested in reading about that. I will have to search that out.

 

[Peppercorngal]

All I know is that my Grampa's farm had a "slop" bucket on the back porch. All leftover food, grease, egg shells, sour milk, vege scraps, etc. were put in the bucket every day. The bucket was dumped out daily (in the evening) in a paddock with the pigs and cows. The chickens would come and eat, actually all the animals, cats too would gather to take advantage of the scraps. The chickens were not fed anything else. They would free range. The cows got alfalfa they grew for them. All other animals on the farm got scraps and free ranged only. He farmed his entire life and my Dad farmed this way as well from 1930 on. I believe processed animal foods were available but they didn't use them. Too expensive!

 

[Pugsabi]

Chickens themselves have changed so much since then. It used to be that a great layer have you 80 eggs a year! With many birds now having laying numbers upwards of 280 there is no way that a free range and kitchen scrap can keep any of the production breeds alive for very long. Heritage breeds and game birds might do okay with free range only if you have a lot of land and insects.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Chickens themselves have changed so much since then. It used to be that a great layer have you 80 eggs a year! With many birds now having laying numbers upwards of 280 there is no way that a free range and kitchen scrap can keep any of the production breeds alive for very long. Heritage breeds and game birds might do okay with free range only if you have a lot of land and insects.

So, the chickens weren't give much from the farmer and in return the farmer got 80 free eggs a year. That makes sense. They weren't pets. They weren't necessarily protected. And they gave eggs.

 

[Susan Dye]

And they ate the chickens.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Yes, so true!

 

[Pugsabi]

So, the chickens weren't give much from the farmer and in return the farmer got 80 free eggs a year. That makes sense. They weren't pets. They weren't necessarily protected. And they gave eggs.

Yes and on many farms they didn't even have coops. They roosted in the barn lofts or trees.
My
Mom grew up in Dominican republic and as a kid she was sent out to look for eggs whenever they heard the egg song. She was shocked when she saw the size of chickens in the USA, they are huge compared to the DR.

And they ate the chickens.

Exactly, nowadays in the USA the spent hens are used for dogfood! That would have been insane back then.