freemotion
Food Guru
My chickens and turkeys get a mixture of whole oats, barley, and corn that I buy on my trips to Maine. In winter, the mix goes into a hanging feeder that my dad made from a five-gallon pail, similar in design to the ones you can buy, very cool. If they throw too much out, I don't fill it for a couple of days and they search their bedding for food and clean up.Quail_Antwerp said:I'M FEELING REBELLIOUS!!!!!!freemotion said:I did the same. Get used to the chickens first, then get brave. I would be glad to detail what I do when and if you are ready to be rebellious....
Share woman, share!!
edited for spelling
For protein, that is the tricky part. I started with soybean meal since I couldn't find anything else here in my neck of the woods. I would've liked to find field peas, but not to be found here. The soymeal went in a commercial tube feeder, and they balance their own ration (supported by some cool studies.) If anyone wants to switch, please take three weeks to do so, as it takes that long for their crop, a muscle, to develop the strength to handle an all-whole-grain diet after eating ground foods.
There is no change in production. Studies show a dramatically reduced incidence of diseases such as coccidiosis when feeding a whole grain diet. Grains begin to go rancid the moment they are milled in any way, and create free-radicals, which impact the immune system. Those of us who grind our own wheat into flour know this quite well. The stink of store-bought wheat flour is now unbearable. Imagine if that was all you were given to eat!
Of course, I have dishes of oyster shell and grit (in winter when the snow and ice cover the ground for weeks) free choice.
The main feeds need to be divided into only two feed choices, carbohydrates and protein. So all the grains are mixed together, and the higher protein supplement is fed separately.
So for the carbohydrates, strive for at least three different grains. All seeds contain substances in the bran to protect the seed from spoilage and from germinating before conditions are right to support growth. These substances act as anti-nutrients when the seeds are eaten as food, both for birds and for humans. For the birds, variety in the diet overcomes this problem. For humans, soaking or better, lacto-fermenting the grains unlocks the nutrients and prevents imbalances caused by the anti-nutrients.
So if for some reason I have only two grains available, I always soak them for 12-24 hours in water with a glug of whey, or if I don't have whey, then ACV will do. Then I feed on the ground, not in the feeder. Any missed soaked grain will sprout, which is also a wonderful, nutritious food.
And now for more on protein options.....I still have the soy in the feeders, because I still have lots left. The reason I have lots left is that soon after buying five bags (I couldn't get it here and stocked up in Maine where they grow and process it for oil) I learned about the dangers of soy. The meal is roasted, which neutralizes some of the problem substances. Soy is another topic, for more info, do a search on soy on www.westonaprice.org. Meanwhile, back at the farm, I feed a lot of bone scraps from making catfood in the cold, bug-free weather. I also sprout the barley, oats, and BOSS, which dramatically increases the protein levels. In the summer, those that free-range ignore the soy altogether, and in winter, they will get most of their protein from the other sources....meat and bone scraps and sprouted grains. They also get lots of whey, which they ignore in summer. They LOVE milk, but get very little of it. I only lost one quart to souring early on when I was overwhelmed with the milking and the sick kid. Fresh milk sours into GOOD sour milk, still very healthful and usable. The hens loved it. If I baked, they wouldn't have gotten any!
Ok, hope I didn't confuse anyone too much. Re-cap: two choices, mixed grains and a high-protein supplement. Three weeks to change over.
Oh, and for chicks, offer the smaller whole grains by two weeks or so, and watch closely to see when they start to actually eat them, then offer a bit more and a bit more until they are switched over, too. I would give only the smaller grains and maybe cracked corn to smaller birds like bantams and younger chicks. My guineas can't handle the really big corn. It varies from bag to bag as to how big the kernels are.
eta: next project, worm bins in the basement for winter protein!
