Baby chicks must have a different feed mix than adults.
Chickens are economical to raise for food purposes if you can cut the cost of their diet. The easiest way to do this is to grow and mix your own chicken feed instead of purchasing feed from a co-op or agricultural depot. As a bonus, homemade chicken feed will be nutritionally superior to what you would buy in a store. This will give you healthier, tastier birds that produce a larger number of eggs. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Mark off a plot of land near the south side of your chicken coop. The south side of the coop will receive the most sun to support your feed plants.
2. Clear the plot of land you've selected and work up the soil as soon as the danger of frost has passed in your area. Add natural fertilizers like compost to the plot to make sure the soil has plenty of nutrients for the feed plants.
3. Plant corn around the north, east and west sides of the plot. This will make a natural barrier and protect the other feed plants from wind and animals.
4. Plant chicken feed basics like soybeans, wheat, alfafa, oats, barley and sunflower seeds in the rest of the plot space. Most of these plants will grow to roughly the same height, but take care to plant the tallest plants on the north end of the plot so they don't block the sun from the rest of the plants.
5. Water and fertilize the plot regularly during the length of the growing cycle.
6. Harvest the plants as they mature. Store them in containers away from moisture and do not husk the corn until you are ready to use it so nutrients are not lost.
7. Grind your corn and other plants together with fish meal and grits like pebbles or oyster shells. The grits are necessary for the chickens to digest their food, as chickens have no teeth to grind what they eat.
8. Store your feed mix in an large airtight container away from moisture to prevent mildew and rot.
Tags: feed plants, away from, away from moisture, chicken feed, from moisture