freemotion
Food Guru
Do your neighbors decorate their houses with fall decorations, like pumpkins and cornstalks, etc? Bunches of Indian corn on the door? Those can be gleaned, too, if it is not too late.
The Homesteader's Way of Feeding Chickens
- Thread starter BarredBuff
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CrimsonRose
Lovin' The Homestead
Ive got a few extra flower pots I'm going to try growing some wheatgrass for them over the winter so they can still get some greens!
dacjohns
Our Frustrated Curmudgeon
There was a thread a year or two ago on BYC about the old way of raising chickens on a farm.
Basically it was that the chickens pretty much free ranged, would go broody at times and hatch out the replacement flock. The excess chickens and old chickens would be consumed. The chickens got their food by free ranging in the growing season, get a little bit of scratch, and would eat the mess the other livestock left from the feed bins, etc. They probably got kitchen scraps too. They also had the barn or a chicken coop for shelter.
Raising grains to feed the chickens is quite an undertaking.
Basically it was that the chickens pretty much free ranged, would go broody at times and hatch out the replacement flock. The excess chickens and old chickens would be consumed. The chickens got their food by free ranging in the growing season, get a little bit of scratch, and would eat the mess the other livestock left from the feed bins, etc. They probably got kitchen scraps too. They also had the barn or a chicken coop for shelter.
Raising grains to feed the chickens is quite an undertaking.
i_am2bz
Lovin' The Homestead
Sorry if this sounds like a silly question, but how do you buy wheatgrass - at the feed store? Do you have to buy a big bag?CrimsonRose said:
Someone mentioned in another thread something about sprouting seeds for chickens to munch on, but can't remember exactly which kind(s)...I was wondering about the kind you can buy in the produce section for salads (bean sprouts, I think)...and if the chickens like them, trying to do it myself.
FarmerDenise
Out to pasture
I wouldn't want to feed my chickens grain only, so by allowing them to free range at least for the winter months it seriously reduces the amount of purchased feed and the chickens are healthier and happier.
We get a kick out of watching them. This time of year I feed them just one scoop of pelleted feed in the mornings and one scoop of grains in the evenings. The grains are a combination of homegrown, storebougth an otherwise obtained. When my hens go in for the night their crops are bursting full. So I know they get plenty to eat. Of course they also still get all kinds of scraps from the kitchen and whatever else I find. But these findings get divided between the goats and the chickens.
The neighbor does a lot of scavenging and will often bring his surplus to us. So we will get a box of lettuce leaves or cornhusks from him as well as opened bags of brown rice or corn meal. We take it all and none of it gets wasted on our little farm.
We get a kick out of watching them. This time of year I feed them just one scoop of pelleted feed in the mornings and one scoop of grains in the evenings. The grains are a combination of homegrown, storebougth an otherwise obtained. When my hens go in for the night their crops are bursting full. So I know they get plenty to eat. Of course they also still get all kinds of scraps from the kitchen and whatever else I find. But these findings get divided between the goats and the chickens.
The neighbor does a lot of scavenging and will often bring his surplus to us. So we will get a box of lettuce leaves or cornhusks from him as well as opened bags of brown rice or corn meal. We take it all and none of it gets wasted on our little farm.
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- #16
BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
FD, do you buy commercial feed?
Free, I did happen to glean some old pumpkins and such for them. They love pumpkin.
Dac, I wish I did raise my chickens that way. Although they wouldnt be as productive.
I tried to glean some old produce from the supermarket but the guy told me they couldnt give me any of the old. Would rabbits eat fodder???
Free, I did happen to glean some old pumpkins and such for them. They love pumpkin.
Dac, I wish I did raise my chickens that way. Although they wouldnt be as productive.
I tried to glean some old produce from the supermarket but the guy told me they couldnt give me any of the old. Would rabbits eat fodder???
CrimsonRose
Lovin' The Homestead
just regular old wheat berries can be sprouted or grown as grass... It's also very healthy for you to eat as well 
I get mine at a meninite store (similar to Amish) they sell bulk grains and flower for breads and such... you should be able to get them at a feed store as well... just ask for the whole wheat berries... or you can even grow rye grass as well! Just soak the berries over night then spread ontop of dirt and keep them wet... I usually cover mine with wet newspaper till they begin to root and grow...
I did recently find out about LDS canneries they sell bulk grains and one is located near where my hubby works... so I'm hoping to send him there one day soon to pick some up dirt cheap! LDS canneries are all over the US from what I understand and is open to public like 2 days a week I think... (sorry don't have more info but I'm still looking into it myself) but their prices will be the cheapest I've found...
many health food stores will carry sprouting seeds but it's super expensive to do it that way for the animals... I want to check in to our local feed store and see if they can get me a bag of alfalfa seed so I can sprout those as well... but so far I've been to lazy to call them... LOL I do go there often because they have NO parking and it's hard to get in and out of... so I typically go to TSC for my feed... I have no clue if they could order it in there for you or not? I've never asked...
I get mine at a meninite store (similar to Amish) they sell bulk grains and flower for breads and such... you should be able to get them at a feed store as well... just ask for the whole wheat berries... or you can even grow rye grass as well! Just soak the berries over night then spread ontop of dirt and keep them wet... I usually cover mine with wet newspaper till they begin to root and grow... I did recently find out about LDS canneries they sell bulk grains and one is located near where my hubby works... so I'm hoping to send him there one day soon to pick some up dirt cheap! LDS canneries are all over the US from what I understand and is open to public like 2 days a week I think... (sorry don't have more info but I'm still looking into it myself) but their prices will be the cheapest I've found...
many health food stores will carry sprouting seeds but it's super expensive to do it that way for the animals... I want to check in to our local feed store and see if they can get me a bag of alfalfa seed so I can sprout those as well... but so far I've been to lazy to call them... LOL I do go there often because they have NO parking and it's hard to get in and out of... so I typically go to TSC for my feed... I have no clue if they could order it in there for you or not? I've never asked...
i_am2bz
Lovin' The Homestead
Dang, & I was just at TSC this morning to buy my chicken feed for the month...! :/
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- #19
BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
Im TSC ing Monday.i_am2bz said:
FarmerDenise
Out to pasture
I do buy commercial feed. Our feedstore has a feed made for them. It is a bit more expensive, but the chickens lay more eggs when we feed it to them. It is supposed to higher in protein and overall better quality. Since our chickens lay more, I suppose it is better feed.
We have to supplement more feed in the summer, since that is when the chickens are locked up in a small yard. Our field is nice and green now and there will be plenty of weeds for the chickens to eat til May, when we plow the field and plant our summer garden. In the winter we fence a small portion off, to use for our winter garden and the chickens get to have most of the field.
We have to supplement more feed in the summer, since that is when the chickens are locked up in a small yard. Our field is nice and green now and there will be plenty of weeds for the chickens to eat til May, when we plow the field and plant our summer garden. In the winter we fence a small portion off, to use for our winter garden and the chickens get to have most of the field.
