tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post2302697659371215368..comments2024-03-28T14:37:45.575-04:00Comments on 5 Acres & A Dream: Alternative Feeds for ChickensLeighhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-28401675886348237822022-04-21T22:04:19.651-04:002022-04-21T22:04:19.651-04:00Kev, I hope you'll do a blog post on it and an...Kev, I hope you'll do a blog post on it and anything interesting you learn. I'm always on the hunt for more ideas!Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-16084785787354912072022-04-21T18:26:16.146-04:002022-04-21T18:26:16.146-04:00Funny you should post this, last week I bought the...Funny you should post this, last week I bought the old war time book "keeping chickens and rabbits on scraps", not read it yet but looking forward to seeing what it says. Kev Alvitihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04992625860900617194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-2748843306353826522022-04-20T12:34:06.464-04:002022-04-20T12:34:06.464-04:00Annie, thank you for the how to! I didn't real...Annie, thank you for the how to! I didn't realize it was so easy. Sounds like an excellent source of protein for chickens.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-50625174450945953642022-04-20T11:45:01.099-04:002022-04-20T11:45:01.099-04:00I do the black soldier fly larva thing. Its easy, ...I do the black soldier fly larva thing. Its easy, A scoop of any cheap (or not) livestock feed in a bucket with about a cup of water and (no lid) once warm enough it takes about week and they congregate in clumps, I scoop a cup out an put in a shallow pan. If there's much of the feed material left once the larva are eaten I put it back in the bsf bucket and can do that about every other day throughout the warm season. I change it all out once in awhile as the environment in the bucket gets out of balance over time. I generally keep less than 20 chickens and 2 bsf buckets keeps em all fed some regularly. I also keep some commercial feed out and bring them other goodies as you do but the bsf thing is easy! I grew up doing it for fish bait and chicken feed. Annie in Ocalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10486670441823152903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-85390215908071039632022-04-20T07:42:48.930-04:002022-04-20T07:42:48.930-04:00Nancy, I imagine you have a few creative ways of f...Nancy, I imagine you have a few creative ways of feeding your backyard chickens too. Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-81314695271459881292022-04-19T22:46:03.687-04:002022-04-19T22:46:03.687-04:00Great ideas!Great ideas!Nancy In Boisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03749272217529362089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-45746475921944584702022-04-18T20:34:35.841-04:002022-04-18T20:34:35.841-04:00Mama Pea, good idea about the leftover bones from ...Mama Pea, good idea about the leftover bones from bone broth. I sometimes carve off the soft ends for them, but I think putting the whole thing in the compost would be a better idea. <br /><br />Interesting about the beaver! Dan tosses dead mice and frogs into the compost pile, and they always disappear by the next day. <br /><br />Rain, sadly, rising prices are something we can do very little about. Except to not buy or find alternatives. Pets and livestock, especially, need quality food. They're worth it because of how much they enrich our lives.<br /><br />Rosalea, thank you! Nows the time of year to get chicks! :)Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-52183756652939319312022-04-18T16:35:12.098-04:002022-04-18T16:35:12.098-04:00Very interesting and informative post, Leigh. Make...Very interesting and informative post, Leigh. Makes me want to rush right out and get chicks! Rosaleahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09403965807770816977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-22781058670589180442022-04-18T16:30:18.677-04:002022-04-18T16:30:18.677-04:00Hi Leigh!! ☺ This was a wonderful post. I think it...Hi Leigh!! ☺ This was a wonderful post. I think it's such a shame that animal feed and animal food prices are rising. Seems quite unfair in a way. We can do without chocolate and coffee...but animals need their nutrition. I think it's wonderful how you feed your chickens! And this post is now bookmarked for my future little hobby farm! Thank you!! ♥Rain https://www.blogger.com/profile/14377719049819222133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-50751247143484169322022-04-18T15:35:05.957-04:002022-04-18T15:35:05.957-04:00Great post, Leigh, for folks who feel they can'...Great post, Leigh, for folks who feel they can't keep chickens because of the expense of feeding them. We do much the same as you do. Our compost bins are within the chicken pasture and they can turn it into lovely black dirt faster than you would believe. They don't have access to the bins in the winter so we dump the "chicken bucket" right on the floor of their solarium and they eat every bit. If I find a leftover in the refridge that is past it's prime, it's no waste because the chickens get it. When I make bone broth from the bones of a turkey or chicken, the bones end up fairly soft. Believe it or not, the chickens make those bones disappear very quickly. We keep a chicken bucket in the heated part of our workshop that is kind of a kefir/yogurt mix. We stir some of this into a portion of their laying mash and let it ferment overnight. They think it's candy. We haven't reached the point of having a good place to sprout grains for them in the winter, but it's on The List. I've read that years ago, farmers would trap and skin a beaver, hang it in the chicken house during the winter and the birds would strip it down to the bones. Perhaps a wee bit unappetizing to us, but it supposedly kept their chickens going!Mama Peahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03649357184167949247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-86944109589444832142022-04-18T10:53:28.559-04:002022-04-18T10:53:28.559-04:00TB, I don't know if you ever ran across her bl...TB, I don't know if you ever ran across her blog, but Cockeyed Jo (Cockeyed Homestead) fed her rabbits almost entirely from foraged greens. That wouldn't be practical for the shelter, but it might be worth looking into for home rabbits. <br /><br />Wyomingheart, this post is the result of years of experimenting! :) <br /><br />We put the meat scraps into the compost. We put everything into the compost. That way, if the chickens miss something (unlikely) then it adds to the compost. <br /><br />I believe meat scraps in compost is frowned on because it tends to attract rodents. With chickens having access, however, they finish off the meat scraps as soon as they hit the pile. <br /><br />Nina, winter is always the most challenging for homegrown feeding. I'm hoping that if we get a greenhouse built this summer, I'll be able to grow greens just for the chickens. I don't know if it will be enough, but it will be a start.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-43807324178033946922022-04-18T09:29:19.742-04:002022-04-18T09:29:19.742-04:00Because of snow, my chooks are barn bound in the w...Because of snow, my chooks are barn bound in the winter, but they do love the leftovers I bring them out for treats. Once the snow is gone and I can let them out, they hardly eat any commercial feed at all. I do regularly feed them leftovers, veggies, greens and stale whole grain breads because they stay closer to home when they get "treats". But yes, it costs hardly anything to feed the girls in the good weather. As long as they seem happy, inquisitive, aren't pecking each other and have decent eggs, I figure they are doing okay.Ninahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07049476969325691637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-71578677651123761662022-04-18T09:28:35.088-04:002022-04-18T09:28:35.088-04:00I am so impressed with this post, Leigh! I have a...I am so impressed with this post, Leigh! I have a question about the meat scraps. Do you put meat in the compost pile, or just give the chickens the meat scraps separately? I love watching chickens, so I’m sure I could be easily entertained at your house! Lol ! Thanks and have a wonderful week! wyominghearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11866831359786301254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-11818435638274630552022-04-18T08:21:38.040-04:002022-04-18T08:21:38.040-04:00Leigh, I have not had chickens in 40 years, and I ...Leigh, I have not had chickens in 40 years, and I still miss them (although I will say the quail we had were also super entertaining). The good news is in the meantime I am gathering all this great information about what to do!<br /><br />Animal feed is going up in price (or unavailable) - even at the rabbit shelter, we are seeing the impact. <br /><br />My "measure" for healthy chickens would be the same as yours: bright eyed, groomed, active, firm eggshells, and no cannabilism.Toirdhealbheach Beucailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872794169534403463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-76611543239387577042022-04-18T07:53:16.591-04:002022-04-18T07:53:16.591-04:00Ed, chickens are most entertaining. Any time they ...Ed, chickens are most entertaining. Any time they see Dan or I heading to the chicken yard, they come running to see what we've got. If no one is in sight, I can call out "I need a chicken" and they race to wherever I am. I used to dread turning compost, but now, it makes the chickens so happy that it's a rather fun job.<br /><br />Daisy, I'm so glad it's helpful! Mostly we use wheat and oat seed, because we use those for sprouting and foddering. I think any grass seed mix will do; they just love the fresh greens. So if you keep lawn seed around, I think that would work too.Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02435811789823712254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-74786335591063113802022-04-18T07:30:36.039-04:002022-04-18T07:30:36.039-04:00This was SO helpful! I need to make a screen like...This was SO helpful! I need to make a screen like that to feed them sprouted grass. Is there any type in particular that your girls like? Thank you for the great ideas!daisy ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06129079277073067462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694364001063554832.post-17168278790077837512022-04-18T06:56:13.941-04:002022-04-18T06:56:13.941-04:00I remember enough from my youth to know chickens c...I remember enough from my youth to know chickens certainly weren’t picky eaters. My brother and I often entertained ourselves by taking something out to the chickens and watching them eat it.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.com