Now
that our introduction
to chicken tractors series has wound down, I’m going to
turn my attention to chicken feed. Most backyard chicken keepers
probably go the easy route just like we do and buy commerical chicken
feed at the store. This grain-based feed certainly isn’t the
cheapest option, and I wonder if it’s the healthiest.
Before delving into
traditional homemade chicken feed formulas and modern alternatives, I
wanted to take a look at what chickens would eat in nature. It turns out that Jungle
Fowl (the
wild ancestor of the domestic chicken) feed primarily on
insects.
Scientists who cut open the crops of wild Jungle Fowl found that half
or more of the mashed up food in there was typically insects and other
invertebrates (especially termites.) Various plant matter was
also represented, especially fruits, berries, bamboo seeds, nuts, and
young leaves.
The upshot is clear —
if we want to wean ourselves off a dependence
on store-bought chicken feed, we shouldn’t be planting rows of wheat
and barley. Instead, we need to find ways to provide our chickens
with copious insects, or at least some sort of feed high in
protein. Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I highlight the
options.
Meanwhile, check out our
automatic chicken waterer, the other key to healthy
chickens!
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looks like a great read. can’t wait. looking into growing out own chicken/livestock feed as well. thanks.
Anonymous — I’ll be curious to hear how your experiments turn out! Be sure to click the link below for the tag “chicken feed” to read our more recent experiments with alternative feeds.
wild chickens coming into my yard. I want to trap them and provide more naturaly sources of food. Any help?
Julie — If you want to catch them, I think your best bet is to watch and see where they roost at night. If it’s low enough to reach, it’s pretty easy to snag chickens off a branch after dark. Just wear gloves and long sleeves in case they scratch!