First ,look at this from Mother Earth News:
In a time of economic constriction, a home poultry flock can contribute to food security — if you’re not totally dependent on purchasing poultry feed to keep it producing. The home flock
that makes you more food-independent is the one that is fed, at least partly, from your homestead’s own resources. Fortunately, the natural feeds you can produce in your backyard are
what chickens would eat in the wild: green plants, wild seeds and animal foods, such as earthworms and insects — all fresher and more nutritious than anything you can buy in a bag.
Imagine feeding as a spectrum: On one end is a completely confined flock, eating exclusively what we offer them. Rigidly “scientifically balanced” feed is necessary, because the birds
have no way to make up any deficiencies on their own. At the other end of the spectrum is a flock eating solely what it finds on its own in a completely natural setting — feeds that
naturally balance its dietary needs. Of course, few of us have the land and time resources to provide our flocks with natural foods sufficient to sustain them completely. So, your feeding
program will likely be somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.
Pasturing the Flock
It’s possible for free-range flocks of poultry to feed themselves — if they have access to enough biologically diverse ground and protection from predators. My grandmother’s flock fed
itself, ranging freely over a 100-acre farm. Geese can subsist exclusively on good grass after they’re a couple months old. Turkeys collect their own feed if allowed to glean ticks, wild
persimmons and acorns from wooded areas.
Pasturing our flocks during the growing season is the closest to complete free-ranging most of us can come. A pastured flock helps with pasture management: Grazing the turf means
less mowing for us; eating wild seeds limits the “seed bank” for weeds; and potentially destructive leaf eaters, such as grasshoppers, don’t have a chance to multiply. Plus, the birds’
droppings boost soil fertility. Before concluding that pasturing your flock is not an option for you, remember that many small flock owners pasture their flocks on their lawns.
Conventional Grain and Legume Feeds for Chickens
Most grains in commercial feed for poultry (corn, legumes, and small grains such as wheat, rye, oats and barley) are easy for the homesteader to grow. I grow ‘Hickory King,’ a
vigorous, large-ear feed corn. After the ears dry on the stalks, I husk and store them in large trash bins, and hand-shell daily for the birds during winter.
Chickens with access to grit (sand or pebbles necessary for grinding feed in their gizzards, as chickens don’t have teeth) will have no problem processing whole kernel corn. I am
skeptical that any actual difference in feed efficiency is worth the additional expense and effort to grind homegrown corn. If you grind corn, feed it within a few days, because the more
perishable nutrients begin to break down as soon as the seed coat has been ruptured. Whole kernel corn is not appropriate for chicks.
Other easy-to-grow seed crops include millet, sorghum and sunflowers. Simply throw the whole seed heads to your chickens
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/sites/default/files/grow_your_own_poultry_feed.pdf**************************
Keeping a flock of laying hens is a fun way to provide a homegrown protein source, put kitchen scraps to good use, and produce far more beautiful and nutritious eggs than those found in supermarket chains. But raising chickens – especially on 100% organic feed – can get expensive. And in much of the country, the free range experience that gives chickens such a nutritious diet in the summertime almost completely goes away once the ground is covered with snow. The more limited diet can also affect how well chickens weather the cold, both physically and psychologically – their body temperature is higher when they receive a more well-rounded diet, and they’ll be happier with more interesting food. So we’ll talk about three easy ways to save money on feed and supplement the grain your layers need with a healthy diet of greens, grains, veggies and seeds all year round.
Sprouted Grains & Seeds
Wheatgrass
In fall, winter, and spring in particular, chickens can benefit hugely from some fresh greens—and this is when sprouts come to the rescue! Sprouting helps unlock protein and nutrients in dry grains and seeds, and makes them much more digestible for chickens. It’s also economical – just 1 tablespoon of some varieties can turn into a quart or more of sprouts. There’s no soil, and the chickens will eat the entire plant, root and seed, so there’s no waste. And lastly, it’s super easy—just soak, rinse, and feed the finished crop to your chickens in 3-6 days. Our favorite choices for sprouted chicken feed are:
wheatgrass, sunflower seeds, corn, peas, soybeans and oats can be soaked in a bowl, then spread into a tray or container with drainage holes and rinsed daily until sprouts are 4” tall. Then simply dump out the tray and watch your chickens feast!
alfalfa, red clover, and mung beans are grown similarly, but usually in a quart jar using a sprouting lid.
LINK :
https://www.highmowingseeds.com/blog/how-to-grow-your-own-organic-non-gmo-chicken-feed/***************************
As a poultry nutrition specialist, Jeff Mattocks talks to a lot of farmers about how to best meet the nutritional needs of their birds. “When I talk to people, I first have to determine if they are raising birds for personal use, or if they are trying to make money; if they are raising Cornish Cross, or some other species.” Their answers, Jeff said, dictates the advice he gives.
Poultry will eat many different things, and live. But, to grow efficiently and be cost-effective for egg or meat production, very specific nutritional needs must be met. Cornish Cross industry birds have been bred to thrive on very specific diets, and will not fare well with non-standard feeds. “Heirloom birds have stronger immune systems, and carry different bacteria in their digestive tracts,” Jeff claimed. “They are more tolerant of diversity in their diets.”
A good place to start in understanding the nutritional needs of poultry is Feeding Poultry on Pasture, a book Jeff produced in 2013. Available from MOSES, this 100-page reference contains a wealth of information on feed ingredients and rations, including comprehensive charts on the nutritional needs of various types of poultry. It also has charts with the nutritional analysis of numerous grains and feed ingredients.
LINK:
https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/chicken-nutrition-zb0z1403zwea****************************************
Improving Your Pasture (or Run)
While the chickens are busy preparing the vegetable garden for spring planting, you can start another tasty surprise for them in their pasture or in the greenhouse. A chicken pasture can be created from any unused lawn area or weedy meadow. If you don’t have the extra space to create a chicken pasture, an ordinary chicken run can be improved using these same techniques.
First cover the area with any organic material you can find – cover all exposed ground with wood chips, hay, spent crops, etc. This layer of organic material keeps bare ground covered and creates a base for recycling manure. Keeping the surface moist as it breaks down attracts more insects for the chickens to eat, and preserves beneficial microbes and nutrients in the finished compost.
A mulched surface is healthier for the flock, is better to walk on for people tending the chickens, and prevents valuable manure from drying out and blowing away. Consider too that a barren, empty chicken run is a haven for neurotic behavior in the flock. Busy chickens are happy chickens, and when there are bugs to catch or prize morsels to scratch up, pecking a hole in a neighbor’s head becomes a lot less interesting – it’s simple chicken nature.
Growing Chicken Feed
Create small patches of seeded forage, protected by a length of fencing that is wired into a circle. Remove the fence when the plants are ready for use as fodder. A height of 4 to 6 inches of growth is optimal for maximum health benefits.
The seed mix you use can be varied according to the season. This system is perfect for small flocks, because the fodder will be consumed before it becomes overly mature. This system is also helpful for those with a large pasture, because you can test different seed before you commit to planting your entire pasture with it – which can be costly.
If your chickens are as silly as mine are, a test is always a good idea.
LINK:
https://thegrownetwork.com/how-to-grow-happier-chickens-and-healthier-eggs-from-seed/
