Unconventional and Slightly Unpopular Ways To Feed Chickens Cheap
Chickens can be a great addition to any homestead or small farm. However, they can become expensive to feed if you are not careful. In this article, we are going to explore some unconventional ways to feed chickens cheap to not only save you money, but to also make a healthier flock.
What are the Nutritional Requirements for a Healthy Flock?
Before we start talking about ways to feed chickens cheap, let’s touch on what they need to be healthy.
Protein
Chickens first and foremost are omnivores, that means they eat both meat and vegetation. These little dinosaurs love protein packed insects and even the occasional small mouse. It is important they get enough protein in whatever feed you are providing them. Adequate protein will ensure a happy and healthy life. According to the University of Georgia, your flock needs between 16 to 18 percent protein feeds during egg production times to maintain a healthy body weight.
Grains
Grains or carbohydrates make up a majority of a chickens diet. This includes oats, barley, wheat, and corn. Carbs add bulk and energy to a chicken’s diet along with necessary vitamins and minerals, essential for chicken health.
Fats
Fats are an energy source for chickens and allows for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. Fatty acids, contained in fats, promote healthy cell growth in all animals, including chickens. Chickens require a specific fatty acid called linoleic acid that can be found in the yolks of their own eggs! Which is why sometimes, you will find chickens eating their eggs before you can.
Unconventional Ways to Feed Chickens Cheap
Now that we have some ideas of the important components of a chickens diet, lets get into some of our favorite unconventional and slightly unpopular ways to feed a flock cheap!
Fermented Grains to Feed Chickens Cheap
One of the best ways to stretch a dollar and keep your flock happy and well fed, is through fermentation. Fermenting foods allows nutrients to be more readily available during the digestion process. While fermenting grains does require some preplanning and upkeep, it is relatively minimal.
There are many methods of fermenting chicken feed, but it is relatively simple and straightforward. I use a 5 gallon bucket, because that is what I have. Put in the feed and add water to cover. I use about 6 scoops of feed for 24 laying hens. Let it sit for a few days. It will get bubbly and sweet smelling, like a sourdough starter ready to bake with! Then feed to the chickens!
I use a layer crumble and it ferments just fine, but there are lots of opinions out there on what kinds of grains to use. Whole grains are a great option if they fall within your budget. I personally get a 50 pound bag of layer crumbles that has all the nutritional components my chickens need. That 50 pounds turns into about 100 pounds of feed with fermentation.
One thing I have found helps to speed up the fermentation process as well as adds a boost of protein and nutrition is to add the leftover whey from making yogurt. My chickens love it!
For other ideas on fermenting feed check out the Homesteading Family or Runamuck Acres
Free Range to Feed Chickens Cheap
In the 1600s when chickens arrived in Jamestown, struggling settlers didn’t have all this fancy feed we spoil our chickens with today. Chickens were largely free ranged with little to no supplemental feed. Gasp! The Horror!
I know I am going to get some flack for this, but we have really spoiled our chickens in the last few years with treats and diets that are not necessarily consistent with their native diet. Chickens enjoy the hunt for worms and bugs and are foragers of the best kind. Don’t get me wrong, I still supplement my chickens with feed, but in the summer especially when food is readily available to them, I cut back substantially in the feed department.
I understand that not everyone can free range. I have one flock that can only free range for a short amount of time, because they like to wonder into places they don’t belong. My other flock that is happy to stay put in the fields and yard searching for their next meal.
Winter is really the only time of year I ensure my girls have access to grains consistently which really cuts down on the feed costs.
Table Scrapes to Feed Chickens Cheap
Often overlooked and viewed as a treat for chickens, table scrapes are another great source of “free food” for your chickens. Now I am not talking about that over processed junk food from the store, but instead whole food like vegetables, fruits, grains and meats.
You really want to avoid anything that has a lot of refined sugars, preservatives, and food dyes. If they are not good for you, they aren’t going to be good for the chickens either.
I usually keep a bowl on the counter to capture any food bits leftover after cooking dinner or from a fridge clean out and feed to the chickens once a day. Depending on the day, this can be a large portion of their diet alongside free ranging.
Why We Choose Unconventional and Unpopular Ways to Feed Our Chickens Cheap
The combination of free ranging and kitchen scrapes was how chickens were predominately fed up until the industrialization of the chicken industry where majority of chicken production moved to factory farms. These factory farms needed a way to feed massive amounts of chickens. With this transition, chickens moved from being raised as nature intended to being raised solely on man made feeds because it was unfeasible to free range and feed kitchen scrapes to thousands of birds.
While we do still rely on commercial chicken feed to supplement our flocks, we prefer to allow them to exist in nature as intended.
What unconventional ways do you feed your homestead animals? We would love to hear in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more!
