Market Farming

[Joyce Paski <elderberrywine4u AT yahoo.com>]

I'm going to let the chickens graze the tops during the warm weather while the beets are growing, then chop them up to give the chickens during the winter along with some of the grains.  I am looking for a "root chopper" as Dad calls them.  When he was a kid they used to have a chopper to grind the beets they fed to the cows. If I can't find one I'll use a hatchet to chop them up -- I don't have that many chickens so it wouldn't be too much work.  Call it mild aerobic exercise. 

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

--- On Wed, 1/12/11, Robin Follette <list AT seasonseatingsfarm.com> wrote:

From: Robin Follette <list AT seasonseatingsfarm.com>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Chicken feed - growing grains for
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2011, 1:44 PM

Joyce, how will you feed the forage beets to the chickens?

Robin

 

Robin Follette
Seasons Eatings Farm
Talmadge ME 04492

From: Joyce Paski

Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 11:59 AM

To: Market Farming

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

--- On Wed, 1/12/11, Joan Vibert <joan AT windwalker-farm.com> wrote:

We are considering growing our own grains for chicken feed. . .
I maintain that we would be better off to contract with a local grower to
purchase their grain rather than having to pay for the harvesting. Our feed
bill is escalating with each purchase ad its beginning to look like our eggs
should be selling for $6 a dozen they way they go through feed.

I'd love to know what others are doing for feed (and charging for eggs).

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