market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for

From: Joan Vibert <joan AT windwalker-farm.com>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:19:05 -0600

Title: Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for

Yes, the storage is my main hesitation. We grew when last year, harvested it by hand and then had no clue what to do with it (typical of us :) ). I put it into big trash bags and have been feeding it periodically to the chickens, stems and all. It keeps them busy for a while. Everyone says that there are grain storage bins just sitting on farms all over – but we haven’t found them yet.

Our eggs were $3 a dozen last year and we’re going to $3.50 for the CSA this year. And, yes, the prices for questionable, mass-produced eggs are getting close to that and you know they aren’t being fed like ours are.

Joan
Windwalker Farm
Ottawa, KS

From: Joyce Paski <elderberrywine4u AT yahoo.com>
Reply-To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:59:12 -0800 (PST)
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for

I agree! The increasing price of feed is really putting a kink in my plans for raising chickens this year. I talked it over with my mentor (Dad) who agreed I should grow my own feed. (I think he was just waiting for me to come to that conclusion on my own. Old farmers! Gotta love 'em.) Anyway, I am going to till an additional acre, split it into 4 sections and plant Indian corn, hard red spring wheat, barley, and oats. In a different part of the garden I'm going to plant another 1/4 acre of forage beets. That should make more than enough feed to winter over my small flock. I don't think growing your own feed is the hard part though -- it's how to properly store it so it doesn't go bad before you get to use it. I'm still working on that part. BTW, I'm also working on building a 1 acre hops yard and I've found that chickens love eating hops! We are very rural and economically depressed here. I sell my non-medicated, non-GMO feed eggs for $2.50 a dozen from my farm and already the stores are selling factory farmed eggs for at least that. I think people better get to know their farmers real quick.

Joyce Paski
Swamp Creek Farm, Zone 3
http://www.swampcreekfarm.blogspot.com

[Market-farming] Careful if your starting seeds in the basement in Canada!, Allan.Balliett, 01/12/2011
- Re: [Market-farming] Careful if your starting seeds in the basement in Canada!, Joan Vibert, 01/12/2011
  - [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for, Joan Vibert, 01/12/2011
    - Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for, Joyce Paski, 01/12/2011
      - Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for, Joan Vibert, 01/12/2011
      - Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for, Robin Follette, 01/12/2011
        
        Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for, Joyce Paski, 01/12/2011
        
        Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for, Beth Spaugh, 01/12/2011
        
        Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for, Joyce Paski, 01/12/2011
        [Market-farming] Growing Small Grains for CSA and Market, Allan.Balliett, 01/12/2011
        Re: [Market-farming] Growing Small Grains for CSA and Market, Robin Follette, 01/13/2011
        Re: [Market-farming] Growing Small Grains for CSA and Market, Sue Wells, 01/13/2011
        
        Re: [Market-farming] Growing Small Grains for CSA and Market, BarbaraJ, 01/13/2011
        [Market-farming] Grains and SARE, MAsteveINE, 01/13/2011
        
        [Market-farming] Chicken feed and the market., MAsteveINE, 01/13/2011