Most-Primal Chicken Feed Recipes page

[PeaceCorpsCaveMan]

I just spent a month's rent (25 whole dollars) on a manual grain grinder. I am tired of buying chicken feed with soy and wheat bi-products. I am ready to start making my own chicken feed and teaching the people in my community how to make their own also. What is the most primal chicken feed you can think of? It must be with inputs readily available in Central America (probably mostly grains and legumes), so it will be more of a Weston A. Price approach, I am sure. Yes, I realize anything but 100% pasture fed chickens are not primal, but we're all just doing what we can with what we've got. I am looking for something that can be pre-made in bulk and stored for up to a month or two. I currently supplement my mixed-flock's standard chicken feed with sprouted corn, food scraps, egg shell meal, black soldier fly pupae, and greens depending on availability. Any other suggestions for techniques I can teach my community on sustainable and healthier poultry production in the context of rural Central America are welcome.

[magicmerl]

What is the most primal chicken feed you can think of?

Our chickens go NUTS for mice caught in our mouse trap.

Sounds like you give them a pretty good diet. How much land can they forage on?

[JennaRose]

your month's rent is $25? wow. just wow

[PeaceCorpsCaveMan]

They have about 5 by 10 meters for 8 adult birds and 5 chicks. It's mostly bare because anything that would grow would get torn up and eaten immediately, but they still scratch for what they can find. They get greens when I can bring them waste from the municipal market and a few grams of black soldier fly grubs per day as supplements. I am trying to make them sort of artificially pastured to a certain extent.

[bloodorchid]

corn would store

just give them that, your leftovers, bugs, bugs, greens, bugs and bugs

[JBailey]

I can't recommend this site enough - CHICKEN FEED: Introduction How to feed chickens chicks Information exchange on natural, organic chicken feed and poultry nutrition, free range chickens, pastured poultry, grass-fed grass fed poultry, excellent quality of traditional and modern altern

[Saoirse]

never raised chickens, but they're birds right? afaik, birds are supposed to eat grains, seeds, bugs. i'd stay away from corn and soybeans as much as possible due to GMOs (you didn't say where in Central America). also, what makes you think that they need to learn poultry rearing from someone who's looking for information from internet strangers?

[PeaceCorpsCaveMan]

never raised chickens, but they're birds right? afaik, birds are supposed to eat grains, seeds, bugs. i'd stay away from corn and soybeans as much as possible due to GMOs (you didn't say where in Central America). also, what makes you think that they need to learn poultry rearing from someone who's looking for information from internet strangers?

The ideal amount of corn for chickens to eat is zero, but it's unavoidable as an input for the people I work with. Most corn here is conventionally grown with saved seeds and chemical fertilizer. Soy is not readily available and I am advising them to avoid feeds which include soy and wheat bi-products.

I think they need to learn about how to raise poultry from some guy who needs to ask for information from internet strangers because most of the people I work with didn't make it past the second grade, have never read a book or used a computer, and I just so happen to be pretty qualified and experienced in raising poultry in the most-sustainable manner and communicating those techniques to people in rural Guatemala. The original post lists some of the innovative techniques I already use and have developed, which all take into account the best practices which are practical given the limited resources we have. I am not an animal scientist and I don't claim to anyone to be an expert, but I don't see anything wrong about asking for the help of a group of people who have a similar point of view and knowledge of a variety of resources on the subject matter.

That's why, smart ass.

[PeaceCorpsCaveMan]

I can't recommend this site enough - CHICKEN FEED: Introduction How to feed chickens chicks Information exchange on natural, organic chicken feed and poultry nutrition, free range chickens, pastured poultry, grass-fed grass fed poultry, excellent quality of traditional and modern altern

Great link, thanks. I also liked your blog. You clearly get it.

[Saoirse]

That's why, smart ass.

didn't realize that reading a book, using a computer, or passing the 3rd grade are requisites for raising poultry. anyway...good luck with your chickens, and don't take everything so personally.