Feeding 30 chickens for free

Megan Venturella
Megan Venturella Posts: 678 ✭✭✭✭

This article was great and belongs to so many discussions on growing soil and keeping chickens and how to raise livestock without grain...

It’s difficult for some to come up with a cubic yard of compost every week, but if you can, WOW! I’m building a chicken run to surround my garden, and I think I can incorporate this idea.


Comments

  • When I lived on our family farm we situated the chicken pen (20 x50 ft) at the back of one section of the garden. I loved the setup because I could just toss the scraps after cleaning the veges or any spoiled ones over the fence. They especially loved it when I was out early in the morning to catch any tomato horn worms on the plants and in the late afternoons to catch grasshoppers. Those girls would book to the fence if they saw me headed their way lol. I do miss my chickens 😒

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    This is great @Megan Venturella ! We fed our chickens store bought feed and they made me sick - literally. It turned out that I learned quickly that what they ate, I ate. I am allergic to wheat, so we had to find other food sources for them (and me). We are down the street from a hydroponic salad grower which always tons of leftovers. Once we switched their diet, I was fine. Those chickens took care of our compost, roses, lawn and the garden while giving the best eggs.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I make use of chickens helping me make more compost and it does cut down on the feed bill.

    I hope they don't catch on to me using them as farm hands. They will be sending me a bill

    @seeker.nancy - Central Texas Chickens make you laugh when they are waiting for their free food and handouts

    @Megan Venturella The chicken run around your garden does help with insects and even protection your garden to a degree

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    What an interesting article! It's a win-win:)

  • dipat2005
    dipat2005 Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for a very interesting way of raising and feeding chickens. I wish when we had chickens I had thought of some of these ideas. I didn't know about using food scraps with chickens. I was raising the chickens partly for the kids and for the eggs. Also we had some tasty chickens too.

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    One of my favorite parts of gardening was always the chickens clucking for their treats on the other side of the fence, but last year we had none. We grew a super squash crop in their area, but I really missed them, just like you do, @seeker.nancy - Central Texas The kids are done with taking care of chickens, and I'm considering doing it myself now.

    @frogvalley What sort of a deal did you make with the salad growers? I'm wondering if unsalable produce from a regular grocery store would be OK.

  • jowitt.europe
    jowitt.europe Posts: 1,465 admin

    @Megan Venturella a very interesting article. I produce loads of compost and use in my high vegetable beds. I plan to buy 5 chicken and now I am thinking how to arrange my garden so that chicken had free access to compost. Thank you for the ideas

  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    @Megan Venturella this is great news! And for your garden to thrive! Awesome!

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    @Annie Kate The growers where I got the salad are right down the street and I used to work for them. It never hurts to ask for things be it fish heads, salad or what nots. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. They also had a dumpster in the back and people could get things out of there.

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    @frogvalley that is true. Thank you for the reminder!

  • Megan Venturella
    Megan Venturella Posts: 678 ✭✭✭✭
  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    We use our kitchen scrap to help feed all our animals. Dog gets some of it, when we have pigs they get some and the chickens get some. Our local grocery (there is only one) sells a large lawn and garden bag of produce scrap with occasional bread scrap for $5 a bag. There is quite a bit of competition especially in the summer for the bags and sometimes they are full of things my critters won't eat like limes or lemons, or most any citrus, corn husks and such. those go in compost. No chance the citrus will sprout and grow here. lol

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Forgot to add...

    Compost seems to take forever here as well, though we don't often go out and turn it like we should. Too many chores and not enough time.