Saving money on chicken feed

[mogal]

Up in tightwad stuff, we started talking about buying whole grains and fermenting feed.  I'd like to continue that here if anyone else is game.

Maura, what are your proportions of the ingredients you use and what brand of mineral?

I really like feeding fermented feed, especially in the summer, because it seems to really help keep the chickens hydrated.  I ferment scratch grains with maybe a cup or so of soybeans that I roast and grind.  I only use enough water to come a bit higher in the bucket than the grains themselves.  

This year, I planted 5  Cherokee Tan pumpkin seedlings.  I was upset when 4 disappeared pretty early on but I shouldn't have fretted about it so much.  That one vine was unbelievably prolific, producing close to 100 fruits slightly smaller than a soccer ball.  It was still growing, blooming and setting fruits when killing frost hit.  That deep orange flesh is taking the place of summer forage to make beautiful yolks.  I found a book at TSC that deals with non-chemical parasite control and pumpkin seeds were one of the herbal vermifuges listed.  

[Maura]

When I bought my two Brahmas from show lines, the woman showed me what she fed them. One of the ingredients was garlic to control mites. Gosh! I have garlic granules. Now, they get about a pinch each a couple of times a week (when I remember). Garlic kills other internal nasties as well.

I buy grain from the feed mill and sometimes from a local farmer. I use 1/5 whole corn, 2/5 whole wheat, and 2/5 whole oats. This is soaked for three days. So, I have a set up of today, tomorrow, the next day. It means I have to prepare a batch every morning. The mix gets drained using a sieve. The water drained off is put back into the feed that wasn't eaten (they get half in the morning and half before dusk). It can also be used with the fresh batch as a starter.

To the above grains I add sunflower seed. The sunflower seed, with shell, only needs to be soaked for 12 hours.

Next summer I will grow Hopi blue corn for them, as well as an old wheat and an old oats. The older strains are higher in nutrition. I've read mixed opinions on using legumes, so I don't. They also forage, so they get insects and greens when there is no snow. I tried growing soldier flies but that was a bust. I may try again. Ditto with the earthworms.

Fermenting the grains gives the chickens more nutrition. It also gives them water. Good in the summer, but also in the winter when their water freezes. They will eat snow, but I'm not sure they get enough water from snow. Because 1" of water = 10 inches of snow. That's a lot of snow.

Because they free range I don't give them minerals. I have a piece of really good agricultural land. I give oyster shell every other day, although the eggs had hard shells without it.

You might like www.backyardchickens.com It's a busy board with many experienced chicken carers.

[mogal]

Thank you, Maura.

The last time I checked oats were $30/50# bag. My local feed mill has begun selling an oat substitute from ADM that had aspartame as an ingredient. I didn't buy it. I guess I need to call again to see what the situation is.

I think I've mentioned having grown some Cherokee Tan pumpkins this past summer. They are smallish, maybe 5-6# max, so as a treat and all that good moisture, vitamin A, etc., I give them one cut in half horizontally a couple of times a week.

Thanks again for the response and link.