Maintaining your chickens’ health and happiness requires providing them with a nutritious diet. The best way to do this is by creating homemade chicken feed from scratch.
Cost-effective and straightforward to prepare, you have control of the ingredients. Plus, there are different textures available to suit a range of birds.
Contents
1. Check Your Local Feed Store
Chicken farmers understand the critical need for providing their flock with high-quality poultry feed to maintain their health and strength. Local feed stores offer an extensive selection of chicken foods as well as other supplies to meet all your requirements.
When selecting a feed for your birds, make sure it is complete and provides all essential nutrients they require. This should include high-quality proteins and vitamins as well as minerals and enzymes to promote health and growth.
Chicken feed comes in many different forms, including pellets, mash and whole grain. Pellets are compact cylinders designed to minimize waste while making feeding simple.
Mash is an easily digestible form of chicken feed often used for baby chicks. When combined with hot water, the resultant texture resembles porridge to chickens – they absolutely adore it!
When storing your feed, keep it in a clean, rodent-proof container to help avoid infestations by small animals. Store the container in an airy, cool place that is not exposed to excessive heat or moisture.
2. Check Your Local Bakery or Restaurant
When you shop your local bakery for bread, cakes, cookies and muffins, you are supporting real people doing the work. Whether that be an established family that has been there decades or a young up-and-coming baker who just wants to leave their mark on their community.
Independent bakeries have the freedom to explore flavors and ingredients that larger supermarket chains might not stock. This could mean trying something unique or creating a personalized selection tailored specifically for you by the baker’s palate.
When you buy chicken feed directly from a local bakery, you are purchasing it directly from the source. That means no shipping costs and sometimes lower prices on their own-branded feeds as well.
3. Check Your Local Farmer’s Market
Online buying of chicken feed can be a convenient and economical way to stock up on various poultry products. However, if you’re searching for something different than what your typical supermarket sells, visiting your local farmer’s market might be worth exploring.
Farmers markets offer an opportunity to purchase fresh produce and other goods from small, independent farmers. They usually take place weekly in public locations like town squares or downtown streets.
State regulations typically have a manager who coordinates vendors and promotes the market. They typically make rules about what can be sold based on their philosophy and objectives.
According to a new study from Pennsylvania State University, raw chickens bought at farmer’s markets may be more contaminated with Campylobacter and Salmonella than those purchased from grocery stores. Despite these risks, some farmer’s markets take extensive measures to guarantee their poultry are healthy and safe for customers.
4. Check Your Local Dumpster
If you’re looking to save some money, why not check your local dumpster for chicken feed? Stores often throw away an impressive amount of food each week – from wilted lettuce and expired produce to meat products past their sell-by dates. It could be as simple as checking local dumpsters for possible deals!
You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that these items are actually beneficial for your hens. Most of them are organic, so you can rest assured knowing they’re healthy for your flock.
You could also ask your local grocery store if they will let you bring home any trash food for your flock; chances are good they’ll be more than happy to oblige.
These tips can save you a substantial amount on chicken feed, freeing up more cash for other needs like getting more chickens! So why not give these ideas a try and be sure your hens will thank you for it?
