How to Make Your Own Homegrown Chicken Feed

homegrown chicken feed

Chickens require a balanced diet in order to prevent illness and disease, making your own homemade feed is an effective way to save money while providing your flock with all the natural vitamins they require.

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This recipe is tailored for egg-laying chickens and can be adjusted based on flock size. A basic ratio should include: 80% grains and 20% other foods.

Contents

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are nutritional powerhouses, boasting A, C, K and several B vitamins in addition to phytonutrients and low calories. Some examples include kale, spinach, collard greens, chard, watercress and bok choy.

Folate, phylloquinone and lutein present in leafy green vegetables have been linked with slower cognitive decline.

Eat more leafy greens to increase your potassium levels, which may be an issue for people on dialysis or with calcium oxalate kidney stones. Speak with your physician or renal dietitian about what amounts and types of greens would best meet your needs.

Salads are an easy way to consume leafy greens, but they can also be cooked in soup, added to casseroles, or eaten as sandwich fillings. Incorporating sprouted grains or seeds (such as peas, lentils, wheatgrass, soybeans or quinoa) into our diet is another nutritious method of eating them regularly.

Pumpkins or Winter Squash

Pumpkins or winter squash (such as acorn squash) provide another natural source of protein for your flock, making them a good option if you grow it yourself or have leftover from Halloween festivities.

These plants contain high amounts of beta-carotene, an essential nutrient for eye and skin health in chickens. You can feed whole or mashed pieces to your flock as an energizing treat or store some for later as a winter supplement meal supplement.

Remember, as with any treat, pumpkin and seed offerings must be given in moderation to your chickens. Too much pumpkin or seed feeding could lead to digestive upset in your flock. Incorporating pumpkin and seeds as part of their daily diet will also help build their immunity against illness or parasites.

Mushrooms

Add mushrooms to chicken feed as an effective way to combat obesity and hormone imbalance, promote gut health, and help hens digest and absorb their diet efficiently. They’re also an excellent source of protein and vitamin D!

Mushrooms can be added to poultry diets both raw and cooked; however, only store-bought varieties should be provided due to wild varieties being potentially toxic for poultry.

Cooked mushrooms are the ideal way to provide mushrooms to your flock, making them easier for digestion and offering a softer texture. Furthermore, adding mushrooms as part of poultry diet can reduce antibiotic usage – something which has serious ramifications due to infections caused by overuse [1], while mushrooms naturally resist bacteria. Thus the mushroom as a replacement for antibiotics in livestock feed is becoming increasingly popular.

Oats

Oats are an integral component of homegrown chicken feed. Packed with protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and calcium – not to mention unique plant compounds known as avenanthramides which help lower cholesterol and improve insulin sensitivity – they’re an indispensable staple.

Cool-season annuals like buckwheat thrive in temperate regions and tolerate rainfall better than wheat or rye, making them an excellent winter vegetable alternative. Buckwheat production accounts for almost 18% of world production annually! It has become a key crop both in Europe and America, accounting for 17% of total production as of 2021.

Make homemade scratch, or “crumbles,” by mixing whole grains with scraps from fruits or vegetables. Feed this treat as an afternoon treat (but limit each bird to no more than a tablespoon a day as this isn’t part of an optimal diet) — for instance by including dried cranberries, chopped apples or pears in your mix!