Feeding Your Flock From Your Farm

Self-sufficiency is the name of the game here on the Farm. Prices go up. Prices go down. And our goal is for that not to affect us much.

Shouldn’t that be yours, too?

Well, if it is, you’ve come to the right place, my friend. Now. On the Farm we’ve been raising chickens for years. We’d buy the feed. We’d give it to our birds. They’d give us eggs. Seemed like a fair exchange. Well, all of the sudden the price of the feed went up and up (along with everything else, right?). And we started to wonder if keeping chickens was worth it. I mean, when eggs are two bucks a dozen you ask yourself that, right? Well, fortunately for us (and our hens) money isn’t the sole driving force of why we do what we do. We care about animals. How they’re treated. So, we want to raise our own (or get them from Farmers we know feel the same as us).

So getting rid of our flocks of chickens and turkeys and getting those needs met from a store wasn’t an option for us–so we decided to try an experiment.

We decided to see if we could raise our own feed.

Now, full disclosure. We still do buy supplemental feed from time to time. We’re working on it. But I have to say, we buy way, way less then we used to. And here is how we did it:

The content of black sunflower seeds is 25% fiber, 28% fat, 15% protein, vitamin B, calcium, vitamin E, potassium, and iron. And they are beautiful and easy to grow.

After I am done harvesting all the green beans my family will need for the year, I let them go to seed for chicken feed. It’s a great way to use dual use that garden space. Has 21% protein, adds amino acids, complex carbohydrates, thiamin and folic acid and is a good source of riboflavin and vitamin B6.

Have a sunny window? Not only you can reap the benefits of having a bit of fresh greens during the Winter months. Einkorn is a special variety of ancient grains which is rich in protein, beta carotene, vitamin A, lutein, riboflavin, and trace vitamins and minerals.

Chickens need carbs, too. And heirloom corn adds a good deal of bulk to their diet. I either grind this, along with the dried beans, or I soak them overnight. Either works.

All summer long there are bunches of herbs hanging to dry in our basement, and it’s not just for us. It’s for the chickens and turkeys, too. Oregano and Sage have great antibacterial properties, keeping your flock healthy and strong. Sorrel is a vitamin dense super food that chickens love both fresh and dried. And rose hips–they offer a huge dose of vitamin C to your chicks–another way to keep them doing well all Winter long.

Yes. Egg shells. If you have egg layers, they will need all that calcium given right back to them, so save your egg shells as you use them, crush them up (very important–if they recognize them as eggs, they may start eating their own eggs, gross, I know, but it happens more often then you’d think), and stick it right back in with the rest of their feed.

Okay, This is a gross one. Granted. But, I don’t know about you, but we have lots of these on our Farm. And we buy the bags to lure them in and catch them. But this year we did something new. Instead of tossing the bags, we threw them into the freezer. You might call it gross. I call it free chicken feed all the Winter long. Warning: Put in freezer bag. Don’t leave in the beetle bags. We found that while this was an unpleasant task, it was a necessary one. Let’s just say those beetle bags weren’t meant for freezing and leave it at that.

So, while you’re looking over your seed catalogues this winter and making your garden plans for next year, don’t forget about your flock. They need some garden-love, too. Our problem was that we didn’t plant enough. Hopefully, with the new garden addition, we can change that for next year. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. And, while you’re doing that, don’t forget your…

Yes, we rotate our chicken/turkey pastures. Yes, we put them under the Mulberry trees when they’re dropping berries like crazy. Yes, I throw them weeds from the garden (with the roots and all that dirt still attached–so many minerals in that dirt!) Yes, I toss them worms and Japanese beetles when they come up. But this. This is the very best thing you can do for your chickens and turkeys all Summer long. This is like catnip to them. They love the stuff. And it’s a cheap perennial that comes up first thing in the Spring and stays coming up all Summer long. This. It’s a game changer for poultry growers.

Sorrel contains: Protein, Fat, Carbs, Fiber, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Vitamin A, Manganese, Copper, Iron, Potassium, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, and a large amount of Vitamin C

And, because it’s a perennial, it’s easy to split and share. In fact, if you’re around the Farm this spring, stop by. I’ll be happy to share some with you.