Growing your own chicken feed

How hard is it to grow your own chicken feed? I have tried to do some research online about this, and while it does seem possible, I haven't really seen info such as how many leaves or corn or cowpeas to give the chickens. Or how much room it would take to grow all of this. I live in a subtropical climate so they would have at least some space to free range. Since I heard about the Tractor Supply chicken feed being bad, it is concerning about how to source adequate feed. At the moment, I do not even have chickens, but i need to know things first anyway. And, are ducks easier to grow your own food for?
Thanks for any answers!

Welcome to the forums.

Here are some threads about growing chicken feeds that you or others might enjoy:

https://permies.com/t/179388/suggestions-easily-grown-chicken-feed

https://permies.com/t/178499/alternative-feeds-chickens

https://permies.com/t/202855/Growing-chicken-feed

https://permies.com/t/172136/talk-maggot-buckets

It is my hope that others will chime in with what they are doing.

So much depends on your environment and the number of chickens. A small variety of chicken free-ranges all over the Island of Kauai and they seem to do fine without human input, however, they're also not giving  their eggs to humans and are not likely laying with the frequency that humans prefer their chickens to lay. There's an island in the Caribbean where the same is true - people there are told to let them live where they want as they're considered critical in insect management.

Chickens will also eat a lot of weed seeds. I find that sunflower and pumpkin seeds are too large for them, and too many seeds of the wrong sort (my friend said millet's too high in calories for the nutritional density if she was remembering correctly) can lead to obesity and poor laying.

Chickens are omnivores, so I think variety is important. Multiple paddocks you can shift them to is helpful, as well as a good variety of potential foods. I've read of people doing this, but we don't do so ourselves - limited sunshine and too wet all winter.

One of the benefits to growing your own corn, is selecting corn possibly specifically for chickens. Like high carotene corn, that makes darker yolks. With heirloom lineage corn, the protein levels can be much higher, then say scratch feed, I forgot exactly but somewhere around 2-3x more protein. So that could increase the amount of corn you could feed, change the equation. They really like acorns to! If you have precipitous free range, I was talking to an old timer, she stated her mother never fed her chickens, others saying they just give them oats and free range. I had 7 laying hens in a 3000 sqft back yard, it was well torn apart, even with many sticks I laid down for erosion control, I would recommend if you want to keep back yard,  maybe 1 chicken per 1000 sqft range. I also understand wanting chickens more then a yard. I didn’t feed my chickens really for years, at location with near infinite free range, also to be stated when given room, chickens don’t destroy a thing, I would grow corn and they wouldn’t touch it, except occasionally when it was ready to be picked.

If I had 6 chickens and 1/8 of an acre for them to free range, with additional space for gardens, do you have any idea how much that would feed them? And would I need more chickens to get the same amount of eggs?

Hi H,
It is easy to supplement chicken feed, but due to the protein requirements, it can be hard to grow everything they need at a level that will still give you good production. There is keeping the chickens alive and then there is allowed them to thrive enough to lay eggs regularly. I don't have exact numbers, but for pellets, most people say that laying hens can get by with about 1/3 to 1/2 pound of food per bird per day (this fluctuates a bit depending on food scraps and pasture conditions. Meat birds are different, but it sounds like you were planning for laying birds.

Once I get chickens again, I will be focusing on protein sources first. I think they are the harder thing to come by than carbs, so if I can get a good system of worms, grubs, grasshoppers, peanuts, fish, butchering offal, etc, that would be great.

Matt McSpadden wrote:Hi H,
It is easy to supplement chicken feed, but due to the protein requirements, it can be hard to grow everything they need at a level that will still give you good production. There is keeping the chickens alive and then there is allowed them to thrive enough to lay eggs regularly. I don't have exact numbers, but for pellets, most people say that laying hens can get by with about 1/3 to 1/2 pound of food per bird per day (this fluctuates a bit depending on food scraps and pasture conditions. Meat birds are different, but it sounds like you were planning for laying birds.

Once I get chickens again, I will be focusing on protein sources first. I think they are the harder thing to come by than carbs, so if I can get a good system of worms, grubs, grasshoppers, peanuts, fish, butchering offal, etc, that would be great.

So if I am not buying chicken feed, I should plan to always be able to provide this amount? And in the proper mix of nutrients. Cowpeas grow really well for me, is it possible to feed them regularly on these? Much better than eating them myself! Thanks for your comment.

Another factor to think about is predation levels. I only let game chickens free range, pretty fast, have seen a mama hen fight off hawk attack, never lost a mature game cock. I don’t necessarily consider laying and meat birds smart nor fit enough, to survive predation, when given a field. A hawk comes by near every day. If I free ranged my laying hens, it would be in a smaller yard then preferred for those reasons. On the positive I have seen a bird of prey eating a chicken, looked just like a dragon. Just something to think about is your ten and two.

Mealworms are easy to grow in small containers indoors, or Black Soldier fly outside in summer.   Grow duckweed in any container that will hold water.  Temperature sensitive, but it will go Winter dormant, encapsulate and sink to the bottom, start growing again as weather warms.  These are all good protein sources and insects have the fats poultry need.  You can also grow winter squash for them.  The seeds are high in protein and act as a vermifuge to boot.  The flesh of the squash is a source of vitamins and carbs.  My Grandmother always fed corn in winter to “help keep them warm” but not much in summer as it made them too fat, and an overly fat bird is not a good layer.  Oats have so much fiber, if they eat too many they don’t eat enough of the concentrated proteins they need and their feathers will fall out.  Sunflower is easy to grow, and you can throw the entire heads in the chix pen, they will pick it out.  But I’m talking about the larger breeds.  Seed might be too large for smaller birds.  Same with milo or sorghum seed heads, they will pick it out.  You could rotate runs and plant in a run they were not using and turn them in at harvest time.  Oregano is a good plant to grow for them to have partial access to so they don’t kill the entire plant.  Such as planting outside their run so it grows into the run and they eat whatever they can reach.  Keeps them healthy, viral free and kills parasites.

When they are moulting they need extra protein and calcium to regrow healthy feathers and restart laying.  Dark green leafy vegetables have a lot of calcium.  Dry their eggshells, crush and feed back to them.  Also oyster shell or any crushed  seashells If they don’t get enough calcium otherwise.   Or mix a little calcium carbonate (lime) into a wet food mix, such as table scraps.  

Biggest problem with poultry is giving them enough protein,  predators also a problem, especially if you free range.  Weasels, skunks, opossums, raccoons, foxes, Bobcats,  and coyotes plus the occasional domestic or feral dog will kill poultry.  Domestic house cats will sometimes kill baby chicks.  So will rats.  

During the last depression people would collect roadkill and feed to their chickens.  Might have to cook it first, but could do that in a pot over a fire outside.  You can also cook and feed the offal from any game you or neighbors hunt and dress out.  

Faye Streiff wrote:During the last depression people would collect roadkill and feed to their chickens.  Might have to cook it first...

Why would it need to be cooked? I'm getting my first chickens this spring and was planning on collecting roadkill for them whenever I saw it.

Adam Hackenberg wrote:Another factor to think about is predation levels. I only let game chickens free range, pretty fast, have seen a mama hen fight off hawk attack, never lost a mature game cock. I don’t necessarily consider laying and meat birds smart nor fit enough, to survive predation, when given a field. A hawk comes by near every day. If I free ranged my laying hens, it would be in a smaller yard then preferred for those reasons. On the positive I have seen a bird of prey eating a chicken, looked just like a dragon. Just something to think about is your ten and two.

I am not really worried about daytime predators. We have resident Red shouldered hawks and I believe they generally (but not always) leave chickens alone.
I saw your previous post late, but I appreciate your example of actual square feet per chicken. The corn is interesting but not sure if I have enough room for it (sadly!)

Another consideration is will your forage be green all year long? I’m lucky to have a field that stays green through the winter, if this is not the case or if you simply wish for more coverage for them, it maybe advantageous to plant annual ryegrass for them. If you do go this route it maybe helpful to keep them off the range until after it has sprouted. Another option is planting cereal rye, allowing this to form seed, cereal rye has high protein content for a grain, I’m reading mixed reviews but some state around 15 percent protein, meaning they can eat much more cereal rye then scratch grains and produce the same. You could plant them together, but you wouldn’t want to mow cereal rye like annual rye, if for producing seed, though the chicken would love cereal greens just like annual rye.

Here is another great thread on feeding chickens.

https://permies.com/t/83509/#690453

Christopher Weeks wrote:

Faye Streiff wrote:During the last depression people would collect roadkill and feed to their chickens.  Might have to cook it first...

Why would it need to be cooked? I'm getting my first chickens this spring and was planning on collecting roadkill for them whenever I saw it.

My chickens just always were afraid of it if it was whole.  If cooked I can chop with the ax and they don’t seem so intimidated.  Raw should be ok.  I watched one of them chase down a small mouse, toss it into the air, catch it and swallow it whole.  

Adam Hackenberg wrote:Another consideration is will your forage be green all year long? I’m lucky to have a field that stays green through the winter, if this is not the case or if you simply wish for more coverage for them, it maybe advantageous to plant annual ryegrass for them. If you do go this route it maybe helpful to keep them off the range until after it has sprouted. Another option is planting cereal rye, allowing this to form seed, cereal rye has high protein content for a grain, I’m reading mixed reviews but some state around 15 percent protein, meaning they can eat much more cereal rye then scratch grains and produce the same. You could plant them together, but you wouldn’t want to mow cereal rye like annual rye, if for producing seed, though the chicken would love cereal greens just like annual rye.

I would have green forage all year, especially if it doesn't mind a couple light freezes. The rye sounds interesting and I do need some cover crops in the future. I will have to do some serious work at figuring how much room I have to work with and still be able to plant sections for chickens. Double duty plants might just work great. Unfortunately I am somewhat convinced I don't have enough room to just start raising chickens and their feed, but I am still learning.

Comfrey, sorghum, amaranth, oats, cowpeas, acorns, fruits, wheat, buckwheat, millet, & sunflowers all come to mind as quality chicken food that have other useful functions too. Whether or not you have the space or climate is another thing.

A large compost pile can keep them fed with insects & worms plus the scraps of organic matter used for the compost.

Mike Barkley wrote:

A large compost pile can keep them fed with insects & worms plus the scraps of organic matter used for the compost.

I was just wondering about that. Thanks for the link, I will be sure to watch it. Have you tried it?

I haven't fed exclusively on compost but between that & free ranging my previous flock required very little additional food. Starting a new flock in a few weeks & will try to feed them only what I can grow or they can find. It's a work in progress.

Mine strangely love Bermuda grass, which is supposed to be high in calcium and other nutrients.  When they have access to the yard with the Bermuda grass I notice that their eggshells are thicker.  During the height of summer when there is a lot to choose from, it's not their first choice,  but they're especially happy to have it when other greens are waning.

They love a good pumpkin,  so I try to get extra leftover ones after Halloween. I also grow some for them.

Kitchen scraps are great.  My neighbors send over theirs as well.

My girls just look at me funny if I give them amaranth.  They won't touch it.  Maybe they're just weirdos.

Think long- term, trees and perennial as well.

Siberian pea shrub is supposed to be excellent chicken feed. I think I killed mine though,  haha.  Need to get some established.  Bonus is that it fixes nitrogen.

Mulberry leaves are also supposed to be good.  I planted a black mulberry near my coop last year but it will be a while before it's big enough to provide food.

I also planted some grapes for them which aren't particularly nutritious but make nice treats.

I got Hopi purple corn from Baker Creek. It's supposed to be high in protein. I got it for me,  but if I can get it to grow well I could give some to the girls.  I only got a couple of small ears last year, but we have challenging growing conditions. This one also looks like it might be good for chickens:  https://www.rareseeds.com/corn-atomic-orange

My girls "free range" in most of an average small town back yard (fenced to keep my little Hobbits from going adventuring with Gandalf).  There are lots of good hiding places,  including oak scrub and a giant prickly pear that they have now decided to lay under,  lol. Does not make getting eggs easy.  The compost pile is in their yard and they like to pick through it when I bring out a new bucket.  I let weeds and wildflowers grow,  and encourage choice weeds.  When monsoon comes the girls have a nice big summer buffet and require a lot less food from me. I put chicken wire around new plants I try to establish within their area. I started letting them out there a few months after planting a nanking cherry that has never been protected from them. They like snacking on its lower leaves but have surprisingly not killed it and it's doing great.  They haven't messed with an unprotected pecan sapling, either.  The mulberry and persimmons definitely needed to  be protected, though.  They occasionally snack on my rosemary but have done it no harm; it was well established already.

Do some research before feeding acorns.  I've read they can be toxic, but there are people on both sides of that camp.  I've decided to err on the side of caution and not feed them directly, but it's not like I go pick up every acorn either!

I think that white oak acorns are safe. It's some of the other types that can cause problems for chickens.

If I could have only one plant for birds & other wildlife it would be mulberry.

Any kind of seed will sprout and make nutritious chicken feed.

When I had a laying flock, they went through the winter in a hoop house. To keep their yolks nice and green, I fed them sprouted sunflower seeds.  The 25 lb bags you buy in a feed store for feeding cardinals in your yard?  Put a quart of them in a 5 gallon bucket. Add some water. In three days they have roots and in a week they have green leaves.  Chickens eat them voraciously. Me too.  

Plant those seeds in a corner of your yard and you'll have your own renewable supply.  Sunflowers are easy to grow. Your biggest challenge will be harvesting them before the birds do.

I would love to know how much room you all have vs how many chickens. I also would keep chickens in the backyard primarily as front yard does not have cover or a fence to keep them out of the street or the neighbors. Plus I would have to keep them out of the garden in the backyard.

I raise black soldier flies in an insulated grow-tent in my garage. My climate is too cold to raise them outside, even in the summer (Alaska). I have to add supplemental heat to keep their enclosure above 70 degrees F. I also use a blue spectrum grow light and fake plants to encourage breeding. I feed my hens both larva and dead adults. They love them and give me more eggs in return. I feed the larva a combination of kitchen scraps and coffee grounds collected from church. What the bugs don't eat is added to the compost pile. Their frass is scooped up with the leftovers and enriches the compost. The larva really enjoy the salmon carcasses I add in the summer. They pick the bones clean in about 12 hours. They also seem to enjoy leftover bones from making bone broth. Once they are done with them, I can crumble the bones in my hands and add extra calcium to the compost/garden. The larva are high in soy-free protein, fat, and calcium. They turn trash into chicken food.

I've also been growing sunflowers and selecting early maturing heads for saving seeds. My growing season is pretty short so early maturity is important. Growing several hundred sunflowers doesn't take much room. Each plant produces multiple heads of pretty flowers that bees enjoy. Moose (my main garden pest) don't eat sunflowers until after first frost. I collect the mature heads, let them dry all the way down, then feed them to the hens during winter. The provide good protein and something to do when the hens are cooped up. They get bored if I don't let them out into their run. I typically keep them in if it's below 0 degrees F. The seeds are small and the hens seem to relish eating them.

Next on my list to try is buckwheat. I don't feed corn or soy, even organic, since neither crop grows here. Eating local is important to me, and that applies to my hens too. We should find what produces best on our sites and use that. Chickens are omnivores, so don't forget their need for bugs.

Imagining if moose were my main garden pest. Yikes!

I love the idea that our chicks should eat local foods,  too!

Ben Polley wrote:

I've also been growing sunflowers and selecting early maturing heads for saving seeds. My growing season is pretty short so early maturity is important. Growing several hundred sunflowers doesn't take much room. Each plant produces multiple heads of pretty flowers that bees enjoy. Moose (my main garden pest) don't eat sunflowers until after first frost. I collect the mature heads, let them dry all the way down, then feed them to the hens during winter. The provide good protein and something to do when the hens are cooped up. They get bored if I don't let them out into their run. I typically keep them in if it's below 0 degrees F. The seeds are small and the hens seem to relish eating them.

I thought spacing for sunflowers was 2 or 3 ft, do you space your's that far apart? I planted Mammoth sunflowers last year, but while the flowers were beautiful, their height was decidedly less than Mammoth. I didn't bother to collect seeds . I am trying again this year to grow cucumbers up them, but in preparation for getting chickens, I'll try to plant more I think. Especially if they don't need that much room

H Hardenberg wrote:

I thought spacing for sunflowers was 2 or 3 ft, do you space your's that far apart? I planted Mammoth sunflowers last year, but while the flowers were beautiful, their height was decidedly less than Mammoth. I didn't bother to collect seeds . I am trying again this year to grow cucumbers up them, but in preparation for getting chickens, I'll try to plant more I think. Especially if they don't need that much room

I start my sunflowers in soil cubes in my unheated greenhouse in April so they can go in the ground in May. They get planted fairly densely on about 1 ft. spacing. I plant them in a fairly blocky arrangement for good pollination. I get more bumblebees than honeybees on them. I love it when the bees are too "drunk" to fly home and spend the night on the flowers.

I tie a ribbon around the first few heads that appear so I know who my early bloomers are for seed selection. I introduce new color varieties occasionally to spice up the genetics. Shorter, smaller plants work better for my needs. They provide beauty, habitat, and then feed for my hens. They can also provide a privacy screen and some shade if need be.

Ben Polley wrote: I start my sunflowers in soil cubes in my unheated greenhouse in April so they can go in the ground in May. They get planted fairly densely on about 1 ft. spacing. I plant them in a fairly blocky arrangement for good pollination. I get more bumblebees than honeybees on them. I love it when the bees are too "drunk" to fly home and spend the night on the flowers.

I tie a ribbon around the first few heads that appear so I know who my early bloomers are for seed selection. I introduce new color varieties occasionally to spice up the genetics. Shorter, smaller plants work better for my needs. They provide beauty, habitat, and then feed for my hens. They can also provide a privacy screen and some shade if need be.

That sounds beautiful! Thanks for providing your spacing. I try give my plants wide spacing as I plant in sand. However if I fertilize maybe I can pull off closer spacing. Another reason I want chickens!

Ben Polley wrote:I raise black soldier flies in an insulated grow-tent in my garage. My climate is too cold to raise them outside, even in the summer (Alaska).

Do you have photos or video of your insulated grow tent?  I'd love to see the set up!