FARM Chicken feed

L

Lei

Veteran Member
I have 12 to 15 hens most of the time. I feed them scratch and layer
pellets. They have a 30x 70 foot pen that has bananas, avocados,
cherries and a few other trees adding to their food
supply.

Last week I went to the local feed store and layer pellets were $22
for 50 pounds.
Obviously I need to find alternative feeds for my chickens.
Has anyone tried feeding duckweed to chickens ? That was one recent suggestion
from a friend. I don't have enough land to grow corn and most midwest
grains won't grow here.
Our weather is similar to Key West with about 150 inches of rain a year.
any ideas out there ???
 
Night Owl

Night Owl

Veteran Member
Alternative feed

:sheep:As long as you keep the garlic, or strong veggies like onions or broccoli out of there diet you can feed chickens almost anything. In Hawaii they feed them cheap white uncooked rice with leftover fruits and veggie peels & whatever bugs they find in the yard. If it's tropical weather you don't need to worry about them getting enough food to eat or have to put red cayenne pepper or heat lights to to stay warm. Calcium for the shells is the only thing that I can't come up with an alternative, but I thinks number of fruits have calcium in them and the bugs may also help. We have wild chickens all over Hawaii and they produce eggs everyday, they go through the same ritual of being proud of themselves and clucking, I have used them for baking and theeir shells are plenty hard. Hope this gives you some thoughts what to do. 2 lb bag of scratch costs $10, I dont even know what layette here costs, so you can see why people don't feed them chicken feed.
 
China Connection

China Connection

TB Fanatic
Duckweed needs fertile water so when it is going to rain put some chicken manure on the ground surrounding the pond and let it seep into the pond water.


Growing fly maggots for poultry feed. Flies would blow rotting duckweed and provide additional food.

http://onibasu.com/archives/cl/12779.html

......................................................................................
Feeding Duckweed to Layers - Backyard Chickens
www.backyardchickens.com/t/.../feeding-duckweed-to-layers - Cached


3 May 2010 – I live in Suriname, South America, and have a small flock of eight layers in a coop in the side yard. I am currently experimenting with duckweed ...
Duckweed as chicken feed
www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Duckweed_as_chicken_feed/ - Cached


3 Mar 2010 – Duckweed is a very high protein (30 - 50%) plant that can be fed to chickens as up to 40% of their ... Do you have poultry other than chickens?
Duckweed (fed to chickens).AVI - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9CPbwsEVRM - Cached


13 Aug 2010 – Could you feed your chickens without commerical food??? 2:06. Watch Later Could you feed your chickens without commerical food???by ...
Feeding Duckweed - Homesteading Today
www.homesteadingtoday.com/.../348736-feeding-duckweed.... - Cached


10 Apr 2010 – I recently read that it is possible to feed duckweed to chickens. Living in a tropical country I can probably get a year round unlimited supply.
Duckweed
www.microponics.net.au › DIY Livestock Rations - Cached


30 May 2009 – We often just mix the duckweed up with BSF larvae when we're feeding chickens or ducks. We refer to this as a chicken salad – from the ...
 
China Connection

China Connection

TB Fanatic
If you want to get more out of your chickens then sprout your grain and corn. Soak seed until it swells up and drain and rinse once or twice and feed. Chicken will go for sprouts over dry grain if you give them the choice. Add a bit of bone meal to the feed.
 
C

cheyenneplateau

Veteran Member
I have started a new thing. I put cardboard or boards down inside the chicken pen. Every couple of days I lift them up and there are lots of bugs and worms
underneath that have come to the top of the soil. The birds jump right on it when I lift the cardboard and boards. Its just a simple way to get them more food.
 
I

imaginative

keep your eye on the ball
cheyenneplateau said:
I have started a new thing. I put cardboard or boards down inside the chicken pen. Every couple of days I lift them up and there are lots of bugs and worms
underneath that have come to the top of the soil. The birds jump right on it when I lift the cardboard and boards. Its just a simple way to get them more food.
Click to expand...

Thats a good idea. I've also put leftover animal bones and such in a 5 gal bucket with the lid loosely set on top and in a few days it will 'grow' maggots which, of course, the chickens love.
 
D

dogmanan

Inactive
I've always feed my chickens and ducks every thing that we eat and is left overs and I mean everything we eat,along with the grain it makes the grain last longer.

A nother thing I've done to is to let my grass grow a little longer and then when I mow I quick rake it and throw it in to them they love it and go nuts over it, any thing you can do to stretch the grain is good.

Another thing is if you know some one who works for a farmers market or works in the produce department of a store, get with them and see if they will let you have what stuff they throw out, one thing is don't give them a lot of very rotten stuff as it will give them direara and then they don't do good, I learned that from and old lady chicken farmer and my owne experience.

Hope that helps.

Also check with the local farmers and just before they plow see if they will let you go in and take what is left over in their fields/orchards.

Chickens eat anything,and everything.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Just remember, they need a minimum of 16% protein OVERALL in their diet to lay eggs. Insects will be the best source of "free" protein... you might want to consider putting an outside light near their pen, to attract moths, etc. For sure, it's getting horribly expensive to feed them. Worse, we've got the verdammt English Sparrows coming into the barns for the winter here- they've been cleaning me out of 20# or more of layer mash a DAY. I've got to get the sparrow trap set up, but even that's not going to be fast enough. There is no way I can afford to feed trash birds $500 a ton feed!

Summerthyme
 
Bad Hand

Bad Hand

Veteran Member
When I would flesh a buffalo hide the neighbors chickens would come running, they would eat all the meat and fat that was removed from the hide.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Bad Hand... I'm almost positive (it's one of those nagging little memories without a lot of detail) my Amish neighbors staked out a sheepskin (flesh side up) in the chicken yard, and the birds picked it completely clean- without damaging the hide. If I ever raise rabbits again, I might try it (obviously, with a low-value hide, at least first!)

Also, back in the last Depression, people went around collecting roadkill (fresh as possible) and fed it to the chickens. Our butchering scraps mostly go to the dogs and barn cats, but chickens surely do relish them if you have them to spare.

Summerthyme
 
M

Mysty

Veteran Member
cheyenneplateau said:
I have started a new thing. I put cardboard or boards down inside the chicken pen. Every couple of days I lift them up and there are lots of bugs and worms
underneath that have come to the top of the soil. The birds jump right on it when I lift the cardboard and boards. Its just a simple way to get them more food.
Click to expand...

I love this idea!!!
 
Flippper

Flippper

Time Traveler
Just talked to a lady yesterday who raises chickens, said she butchers at 6 weeks and they are 6 pounders, she said they grow fast because she gives them turkey starter, said it was teh only feed she could find that didn't have "bad stuff" in it, like GMO's etc. I don't know how much turkey starter is there, but if you can turn them out that quickly it may be more cost effective.

And that pretty much sums up my chicken wisdom.
 
W

WalknTrot

Veteran Member
Flippper said:
Just talked to a lady yesterday who raises chickens, said she butchers at 6 weeks and they are 6 pounders, she said they grow fast because she gives them turkey starter, said it was teh only feed she could find that didn't have "bad stuff" in it, like GMO's etc. I don't know how much turkey starter is there, but if you can turn them out that quickly it may be more cost effective.

And that pretty much sums up my chicken wisdom.
Click to expand...

She has to be raising Cornish Rock X broilers, and they DO take very high protein to reach proper weight at 6-7 weeks. The broiler feed I'm using right now is 22% protein and costs $16.49 for a 40 lb sack. But the birds are only around and eating for 6-8 weeks.

Layers (different breeds of chicken totally) have already reached adulthood at at least 18 weeks, so growing is done, but to maintain egg laying, they need at least 16% protein with calcium for the shells. Layers never make very good meat birds. They are generally smaller chickens, and their meat is tough almost by the time they start laying. Most folks keep them for at least two years, and by then, they are for soup or stew only.

The two types of chicken are very nearly two different animals.
 
S

Sojourner

Senior Member
I recently posted in the Homesteading forum that a 50# bag of lay crumble increased by $1.00 since I purchased the same in September. A dollar increase! I was in shock.
 
I

imaginative

keep your eye on the ball
WalknTrot said:
She has to be raising Cornish Rock X broilers, and they DO take very high protein to reach proper weight at 6-7 weeks. The broiler feed I'm using right now is 22% protein and costs $16.49 for a 40 lb sack. But the birds are only around and eating for 6-8 weeks.

Layers (different breeds of chicken totally) have already reached adulthood at at least 18 weeks, so growing is done, but to maintain egg laying, they need at least 16% protein with calcium for the shells. Layers never make very good meat birds. They are generally smaller chickens, and their meat is tough almost by the time they start laying. Most folks keep them for at least two years, and by then, they are for soup or stew only.

The two types of chicken are very nearly two different animals.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine says that he pressure cans his 2 year old layers and insists that they are better than broilers. Has anyone ever heard of- or tried this?
 
W

WalknTrot

Veteran Member
imaginative said:
A friend of mine says that he pressure cans his 2 year old layers and insists that they are better than broilers. Has anyone ever heard of- or tried this?
Click to expand...

ha! I just pressure canned some 4 year old layers. Haven't tried the meat yet, though it looks like it came out soft and tender, but the broth sure was tasty for egg drop soup. But these were big old Buff Orps, and they were full of fat, but not a whole lot of meat, unlike the broilers. The broilers are solid chunks of 6-7 lbs of chicken meat at 7 weeks. Sometimes more on the cockerels. Huge legs and breasts.

Pressure canning is a good way to use old layers. Good for soup or stew or my fave, chicken and rice.
 
M

My Adonai

Inactive
cheyenneplateau said:
I have started a new thing. I put cardboard or boards down inside the chicken pen. Every couple of days I lift them up and there are lots of bugs and worms
underneath that have come to the top of the soil. The birds jump right on it when I lift the cardboard and boards. Its just a simple way to get them more food.
Click to expand...

i'll start this! Thanks!
 
B

bluetick

Inactive
Can you grow sunflowers? Mine love the seeds. Any greens you can grow would be good too - swiss chard, spinach, lettuces. Mine like turnip greens too.
 
Shooting Star

Shooting Star

Veteran Member
summerthyme said:
Just remember, they need a minimum of 16% protein OVERALL in their diet to lay eggs. Insects will be the best source of "free" protein... you might want to consider putting an outside light near their pen, to attract moths, etc. For sure, it's getting horribly expensive to feed them. Worse, we've got the verdammt English Sparrows coming into the barns for the winter here- they've been cleaning me out of 20# or more of layer mash a DAY. I've got to get the sparrow trap set up, but even that's not going to be fast enough. There is no way I can afford to feed trash birds $500 a ton feed!

Summerthyme
Click to expand...

Good grief, Summerthyme - 20# per day? I would be going broke real fast like that. It is getting to the point, that I am will probably sale some of my birds. I have quite a few rare breeds (lavender orps, black orps, heritage rir's, seramas - and the list goes on) - they are about to break me up.
 
S

srmchow

Contributing Member
Lei said:
I have 12 to 15 hens most of the time. I feed them scratch and layer
pellets. They have a 30x 70 foot pen that has bananas, avocados,
cherries and a few other trees adding to their food
supply.

Last week I went to the local feed store and layer pellets were $22
for 50 pounds.
Obviously I need to find alternative feeds for my chickens.
Has anyone tried feeding duckweed to chickens ? That was one recent suggestion
from a friend. I don't have enough land to grow corn and most midwest
grains won't grow here.
Our weather is similar to Key West with about 150 inches of rain a year.
any ideas out there ???
Click to expand...

Just paid $15.97 for 50 pounds in NW Pa. One month ago was 11.99 oh well the eggs are worth it.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Yeah, tell me about it!!

Old laying hens can be really tasty, but they aren't fryers! And THE best breed I've found over all are the Slow White Broilers from Welp Hatchery... if I could only have one (nooooo!!! I love the different colors, etc of different breeds) the Slow Whites would be it. I have a bunch of 19 week old pullets- I've gotten 4 eggs from one of the Slow Whites in the batch- no Americana or Leghorns are laying yet! That makes four years in a row that the Slow Whites have started laying up to 4 weeks earlier than any of the other breeds, including Leghorns, Marans and Welsummers.

When we butchered the 1 year old laying hens (I really can't afford to feed birds which aren't laying an egg a day or close with these grain prices, so chose to not hold them through their first molt this year- I often keep them at least two years), the Welsummers, Buff Orps and Marans dressed around 3-4# each. The Slow Whites dressed 7# each! The difference in the amount of breast meat is really amazing.

They aren't CornishX birds- they don't get as huge, don't grow quite as fast (dress at 4# when the CornishX dress at 5 1/2#), But they don't cripple, they breed naturally, and at least in my experience, the progeny is very uniform. I started with them trying to find a meat bird I could justify raising if I couldn't get CornishX chicks through the mail... but at this point, I raise them anyway (plus 100+ CornishX every year).

Summerthyme
 
P

Possible Impact

Inactive
Black Soldier Fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens

http://www.thebiopod.com/

Uber-Fast Composting

While many compost bins can take 6-12 months to break down their contents,
the BioPod™ Plus and ProtaPod™ can eliminate most of your food scraps in as
little as 1-2 days. Like with composting and vermiculture, our pods uses beneficial
organisms to digest and decompose your kitchen waste, while producing valuable finished products.

The Future: Grub Composting

The specific biological process by which valuable proteins and fats are captured
and recycled, rather than degraded, into usable biomass by a beneficial decomposer
is referred to as bioconversion. The signature species utilized in our systems is the
juvenile Black Soldier Fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, which we lovingly call Solider Grubs.
Virtually harmless to pets, humans and wildlife, this native arthropod does not spread
disease, cannot bite or sting, and will not annoy you at backyard picnics! We refer to this
bioconversion process utilizing BSF as Grub Composting.

Valuable Finished Products

A working BioPod™ Plus can easily handle the daily food scraps produced by a large
family – up to 5 lbs per day. It can even digest pet feces and most kinds of manure.
For every 100 lbs of kitchen scraps you will get 5 lbs of friable compost, a few
quarts of nutritious compost tea, and approx. 15-20 lbs of self-harvesting grubs -
which are the freshest fish, herp, and bird food. (Please note - the bioconversion
rates for manure from herbivores is less than that of carnivores or omnivores.)

More Links:
http://www.compostmania.com/Soldier-Grub-Starter-Colony?sc=14&category=99
http://biosystemsblog.com/
http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/bsf-bucket-composter-version-2-1/ <-<< 5 gal Bucket DIY

Hawaii LINKS:
http://naturalfarminghawaii.net/2011/10/black-soldier-flies-presentation-by-robert-olivier/
http://www.hawaiilife.com/articles/2010/10/hawaii-sustainable-farm/
http://hawaiiorganicfarm.wordpress.com/interesting-links/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera
http://hihort.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-eat-tree.html
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/moringa.htm

Moringa should grow like a weed in your climate.
Eat it yourself, feed to chickens, and feed to tilapia.
 
Last edited:
L

Lei

Veteran Member
So many great ideas ! Thank you all for the suggestions.
I was wondering about sorghum , has anyone tried growing and
feeding that to their chickens ?
 
P

Possible Impact

Inactive
Lei said:
So many great ideas ! Thank you all for the suggestions.
I was wondering about sorghum , has anyone tried growing and
feeding that to their chickens ?
Click to expand...

Millet is better, sorgum has growth reduction and feed conversion suppression properties for chickens.
(using only 4% or less in total ration is considered ok.)
Millet has ~ same Metabolizable Energy as maize (calories)

My only experience is in Africa, but the results should be the same in Hawaii.
 
N

Nean7

Contributing Member
cheyenneplateau said:
I have started a new thing. I put cardboard or boards down inside the chicken pen. Every couple of days I lift them up and there are lots of bugs and worms
underneath that have come to the top of the soil. The birds jump right on it when I lift the cardboard and boards. Its just a simple way to get them more food.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Everyday when I go out to get my eggs I lift up the two five gallon water containers and they flock to eat any little insect sitting there. It never occurred to me to purposely put more things for the bugs to come up. Will be doing this suggestion from now on. Thanks again!
 
N

Nina

Inactive
Thank you for this thread. Tomorrow I go and buy feed once again, so am bracing myself for the increases. I have saved cardboard, so will start my own little bug beds for the chickens. Can't wait to see how much I can "grow".
 
B

Barry Natchitoches

Has No Life - Lives on TB
summerthyme said:
Bad Hand... I'm almost positive (it's one of those nagging little memories without a lot of detail) my Amish neighbors staked out a sheepskin (flesh side up) in the chicken yard, and the birds picked it completely clean- without damaging the hide. If I ever raise rabbits again, I might try it (obviously, with a low-value hide, at least first!)

Also, back in the last Depression, people went around collecting roadkill (fresh as possible) and fed it to the chickens. Our butchering scraps mostly go to the dogs and barn cats, but chickens surely do relish them if you have them to spare.

Summerthyme
Click to expand...

Please tolerate a dumb question from a city boy with chickens.

These scraps you talk about -- are they raw meat, or cooked meat?

And if they are raw meat, do you let maggots grow on them first?

Is letting maggots grow on them first a good thing for the chickens?

I'm thinking from other posts that I probably already know the answers to these questions, but I believe in making SURE I understand something before I do it.
 
China Connection

China Connection

TB Fanatic
Road kill would be fed raw if fresh to chickens. With maggots they are clean on the inside but can be a risk on the outside for bad bacteria etc if they have been feeding on off meat. Maggots from off meat would be better fed after dropping into boiling water for a few seconds before feeding to Chickens.
 
buttie

buttie

Veteran Member
I thing the next time some says they'll come to my house when it gets bad, I'll say good, you can grow maggots for the chickens. :dvl1: And then let them wonder exactly what was meant. :p
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Definitely raw. They'd certainly eat cooked meat scraps if you gave it to them... but they are omnivores... they'll even catch and kill their own "meat" (mice and snakes) given a chance.

Personally, I don't let maggots develop- we have too many flies on the farm already! But certainly, they won't hurt the birds- lots of protein in them.

Summerthyme
 
West

West

Senior
buttie said:
I thing the next time some says they'll come to my house when it gets bad, I'll say good, you can grow maggots for the chickens. :dvl1: And then let them wonder exactly what was meant. :p
Click to expand...

And when asked how to grow maggots, tell them they can start with just their pinky. :D
 
P

Possible Impact

Inactive
Barry Natchitoches said:
Please tolerate a dumb question from a city boy with chickens.

These scraps you talk about -- are they raw meat, or cooked meat?

And if they are raw meat, do you let maggots grow on them first?

Is letting maggots grow on them first a good thing for the chickens?

I'm thinking from other posts that I probably already know the answers to these questions, but I believe in making SURE I understand something before I do it.
Click to expand...

Adult Black Soldier Fly
400px-BSF_adult.jpg


Black Soldier Fly larvae
BSF_larvae.jpg


http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Black_Soldier_Fly

Road-kill, manure, rotten fruit, and other "yucky stuff" is easy to process with BSF.
Read some of my links up-thread, they work Fast...
 
N

Nina

Inactive
There is an excellent article in Nov/Dec edition of Countryside about feeding your chickens for free. It goes on to explain how to produce maggots for your chicks. Really what we have all been talking about, but this fellow has a plan for it. Very interesting to me.
 
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