Chicken feeding tip

There have been a couple of posts lately regarding chickens with comments on feeding them. Given the current needs and challenges, I want to share a tip for feeding.

Maggots are an incredibly rich food source for chickens. Theye are pretty much pure fat and protein. If you can generate them, you have a free superfood source. for your birds.

One method is to drill.large holes in the bottom of a bucket, lay a piece of chicken wire across the top, then put a small animal carcass or some rotten meat atop that. This will attract flies and the rest is nature.

The flies lay their eggs in the meat, the maggots wiggle around and fall through the holes in the bucket. The bucket is hung where chickens can feed.

Obviously, this is going to work in warmer weather, so may not be useful for many people until spring. The presence of rotting meat is something that would.require space due to odor or.even possible health concerns. All of that notwithstanding, it can be a good effective method.in a pinch.

Now, I understand that there can be health concerns for your chickens from the consumption of maggots, but it's not common. Another safer alternative is to raise mealworms. I've always wanted to do this but never have. (They're said to even be suitable for human consumption.) There is plenty of information on this topic on the internet.

Anyway, there are a couple of things to study on.
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a reply to: incoserv

My wife would have to approve and I would say I am not getting that approval. If I was alone and no neighbors could see it and get upset at me, it would be more practical. Along that line, if you have a watering place that sits on the ground leave it a few days and there will be grubs and worms under it, move the waterer and free food for the chickens.

Oyster shells and other clam shells are really good. You crack them up into very tiny pieces. The egg yoke will be very orange and taste so good. That is how the old people here in Japan would feed their chickens. I learned that from my wife's grandparents. So save them shells if you can.

originally posted by: musicismagic
Oyster shells and other clam shells are really good. You crack them up into very tiny pieces. The egg yoke will be very orange and taste so good. That is how the old people here in Japan would feed their chickens. I learned that from my wife's grandparents. So save them shells if you can.

We do the same.

You can also use the egg shells, but be sure to let them dry thoroughly or the calcium isn't digested. We dry them on top of the woodstove.

Or, you can buy powdered shells in the bag, but that's no fun...

a reply to: incoserv

Where I am there are so many predators and scavengers that the meat will attract them.

Crickets are real easy to raise too and great for chickens.

back when my brother had chickens, they did this.

Atfter a nice BBQ we'd load all the chicken bones into a bucket full of holes and hang it about 4' off the ground inside the coup.

a few days later it would be raining maggots-
Gross to see, but the chickens worshipped that bucket, and those creepy little crawlers are better than any chicken feed you can buy at the store!
Fresh, free, raw and wriggling.

Having chickens for as long as I have, I just can't do it. They eat enough gross crap as it is.
Ever see one go after a mouse?
Ever see one shred a baby snake?
Like JOM above, just throw bricks, logs, whatever in the pen, and move them every couple days. We have a small pool for the ducks, and when hubby lifts that every other day, he gets swarmed by all my girls.

Also, when you first rototill the garden in the spring, let them in there. LOL My hubby looks like the pied piper of birds, everyone trailing along getting all the bugs.

I am now giving my girls all the table scraps and unwanted leftovers from the frig. They are more than enthusiastic for rice and beans, leftover meatloaf, potato salad, etc. Why throw it out??

The chickens took a brief hiatus during December but are now back to egg production.

originally posted by: twicewidowed
I am now giving my girls all the table scraps and unwanted leftovers from the frig. They are more than enthusiastic for rice and beans, leftover meatloaf, potato salad, etc. Why throw it out??

The chickens took a brief hiatus during December but are now back to egg production.

Never throw anything out on the farm!

There is a use for everything.

I bet those are some happy girls, indeed! Not too much red meat though, makes them mean, lol.

a reply to: chiefsmom

I've always said that if chickens were three feet tall we'd all be dead and they would rule the world.

a reply to: MykeNukem

I acquired a mule recently. It's almost like having a pig, what he'll eat.

I used to keep lizards in my youth, breed mealworms, super worms and crickets is very easy. So easy a child could do it and I did it as a child.

All you need to keep all 3(separately) is a large tightly sealed tote. Cute a square out of the tote lid, doesn't have to be big just big enough to silicone on some screen door mesh for ventilation. Fill the tote with those paper egg crates stack em up so there are lots of layers aka living space. Put a shallow dish with water put a sponge In that(reduces death by drowning) put in a small dish of dry dog or cat food. And you now have a cricket, mealworm or super worm generator. The adult meal worms and super worms are beetles which my lizards didn’t care for but a chicken would absolutely go nuts for them.

Chickens also will eat almost anything you can shred your veggies like carrots or cabbage and they will go for it.
a reply to: incoserv

originally posted by: twicewidowed
I am now giving my girls all the table scraps and unwanted leftovers from the frig. They are more than enthusiastic for rice and beans, leftover meatloaf, potato salad, etc. Why throw it out??

The chickens took a brief hiatus during December but are now back to egg production.

If you want your chickens to produce eggs continually, feed them some red chili flakes to boost their metabolism and avoid the cold weather doldrums.

originally posted by: incoserv
a reply to: MykeNukem

I acquired a mule recently. It's almost like having a pig, what he'll eat.

I've heard that before, lol.

I'm envious, I've always wanted one to be my hunting buddy. Do you have a purpose for him?

Someday I'll convince the wife.

a reply to: incoserv

I've never thought about this method but it sure would work in a pinch.

A method I'm interested in is to grow an edible invasive plant with the chickens and let them eat on it.
Sunchokes work great. Grows like crazy , almost impossible to kill, makes a sunflower that drops seeds the chickens can eat, and I can dig up the roots and eat those myself.

Anyone ever try this?

originally posted by: MykeNukem

originally posted by: incoserv
a reply to: MykeNukem

I acquired a mule recently. It's almost like having a pig, what he'll eat.

I've heard that before, lol.

I'm envious, I've always wanted one to be my hunting buddy. Do you have a purpose for him?

Someday I'll convince the wife.

I live in the mountains. I ride him for pleasure and transportation.

a reply to: scraedtosleep

We had sunchokes growing at a house we lived in. Don't remember the chickens doing anything with them, but we ate the roots. Very tasty, but gassy.

Somewhat related: South African poultry industry devastated by electricity black-outs.

Apparently over 70 KFC branches closing.

Well, one black-out for hours equals 40 000 dead, suffocating birds.

In our chicken feeding area, I leave a night light on near a board that has double-sided sticky tape on it. They will accurately peck the bugs off it the next day.

🦟🐔

But where shall we get our protein?

Here kitty, kitty ...

Nope never, I'd rather starve.

Besides, I still have edamame beans in the freezer.