Chicken Feed

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I am currently feeding my chickens a laying mash, which I soak with water before feeding (saves on a lot being wasted). Thanks Taz!

My question is what if I can't continue to feed them that diet? What else can I feed them? Penda

-- Penda Zone (PendaZ@excite.com), November 08, 1999

Answers

Q---Do you know what that white stuff in chickenshit is?

A---It's chickenshit too!

-- (yoke@cackle.shack), November 09, 1999.


We bought a lot of rye and oats from a local farmer, will also be buying a lot of field corn, and some wheat (all feed grade, cheap). (The rye is very clean, and we'll be grinding some for flour, BTW.)

I'm planning on cracking it in a grain mill, and also sprouting some to feed them. Will suppliment with oyster shells and grit (do *not* do what a lot of people do, and use only oyster shells -- they are digested, and don't work well as grit). Also feed them weeds, kitchen scraps, etc. (Pigs *do* fly, but only for fifty feet or so. [g])

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), November 09, 1999.


Chickens will eat almost anything that you will eat. The key will be in keeping the protein levels high enuff for them to lay eggs. (cooked beans and rice make a good protein for them too) Always crack your grain and soak it to get the most out of it. If calcium is a problem, DRY the egg shells on the back of the stove and crumble and feed to them. Usually free range chickens don't need grit or oyster shell. All veggie peelings can be fed, but potato skins need to be cooked. Raise all the food you can in your garden so that you can feed critters too. When I had a woodstove, I kept a bucket on the back where all peelings and left over ends cut off veggies were cooked. Don't forget to toss the corn cobs to them after you have cut the corn off for your own use. And feed those fresh cobs to your horses, mules, etc. Just remember that most things that your chickens won't eat (like they aren't crazy about raw cabbage) they will eat if cooked. And don't forget they will eat all meat scraps and pick every bit of meat off of a bone.

Taz

Taz

-- Taz (Taz@aol.com), November 09, 1999.


I recently ordered and took delivery of a ton of layer mash from my local feed co-op. By ordering a ton, the store discounted the price per 50# bag by $2.00. Pretty good savings. The 40, 50# bags fit into a corner of a spare bedroom, 4x5' by 3' high. So far, the floor has held. Corn is now available for very cheap in rural areas. Bought several gunny sacks full directly from a neighbor's combine for $1.50-bushel.

jw

-- J Werner (jwerner15@hotmail.com), November 09, 1999.


Be careful using too many oats for your chickens because they don't have an enzyme needed to use the protein in oats. I read this on some university poultry dept. website, they were experimenting with different feeds and oats turned out to be a no-no, at least as a significant portion of the diet. Have no idea about the sprouted, good luck.

-- Kristi (securxsys@cs.com), November 09, 1999.


If you happen to live in the tropics, you can split open a coconut or two and feed them coconut meat, as well. Encourages good egg production!

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), November 09, 1999.

We used to get the thrown out produce from the supermarket. Watermelon rinds, lettuce, old bread, all that stuff. Even a cheap styrofoam cooler (don't recommend it, but the would eat it.)

Go easy on cracked corn, as they will eat only that and not get some other things they need. If you let them range, they will get a lot of their food from the lot, except during the winter, and I think they don't do too badly then.

Gene

-- gene (ekbaker@essex1.com), November 09, 1999.


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