Home made food?

[lettucegrow!]

Does anyone out there feed their hens on homemade stuff and not the bags of pellets that are so readily available? Years ago everyone fed their hens on boiled potato skins and bran mixed together and then whatever else is around. It was quite normal to have a few hens in the garden for eggs and to eat. I quite like the idea of using leftovers etc but how do you know they will be getting all the nutrients they need and where do you buy just bran on it's own? Do the feed suppliers have it? Someone out there must be using this method of feeding

[Alice]

I don't keep hens Lettucegrower so no expert here.
When I was a child on another planet everyone kept hens for eggs and the table.
They didn't buy hen food but made some kind of mash. It smelt disgusting when it was being made. The potato peelings went in it. That's about all I can remember. Oh, and the chicken tasted delicious.

[di]

At present we just mix any leftovers with pellets or mash,but are considering sowing some bits later in the year(once we've got their new run made),that we'll use along side the bought food.There's a section in John Seymour's Self Sufficiency book giving a very good guideline as to what's needed & quantities...although I can't imagine we're anywhere near giving up the mash or pellets yet!I guess back when our Grandparents kept chooks there was more raw ingredients readily available straight from the farmer???

[bluemoon]

My Mum, who spent much of the war years helping on the family's smallholding, was appalled at the idea of layers' pellets and couldn't believe how much I'd spent on a bag. We're planning to grow extra sweetcorn and some greenstuffs for over the winter, but mostly we'll just be giving them our surplus in addition to the normal feed. It's more of a space and time problem though, if I had more of both I'd probably consider growing/making my own feeds.

[Hilary B]

One problem with home-made feed is protein content (and the mineral content to balance it). In our grandparents' day there were not rules against feeding meaty scraps to poultry (or pigs), and a lot of smallholdings had meat killed at home, which meant the chooks could get at any wastage. The veggie protein now used in chook food (often soya meal) doesn't have the natural mineral content of animal protein-sources, so minerals have to be added to balance it.
Not sure about whether fishmeal is still available (WHITE fishmeal used to be made as a by-product of fishfingers etc, the other sort is an invention of the devil) or legitimate, but it CAN lead to fishy-tasting eggs (so they say, we only ever used it in pig-feed).

[bluemoon]

That's probably true, Hilary. I know my mum's aunt and uncle (who were the smallholders) kept pigs - and I know the whole family never went short of bacon during rationing... the tales my mum could tell you about THAT. I mean, have you ever tried to keep a pig secret?

[Hilary B]

That's probably true, Hilary. I know my mum's aunt and uncle (who were the smallholders) kept pigs - and I know the whole family never went short of bacon during rationing... the tales my mum could tell you about THAT. I mean, have you ever tried to keep a pig secret?

Have you watched the film 'A Private Function'? So credible, so funny, and so well made.

[bluemoon]

I've never seen it, Hilary. Perhaps I could get her the DVD.

[sheena]

have you ever tried to keep a pig secret?

Not entirely, but I have 3 boy's so I already know what it's like to like in a pig sty. So I don't think anyone would notice if I threw a pig into their bedroom to be honest!

[RichmondHens]

I agree with HilaryB. With all the regulations about feeding now, I think it more sensible to feed ready made layers pellets. At least then you can be sure the hens are getting the correct amount of vitamins and minerals. There's no harm in giving them the odd scrap of food as a treat now and then - bread crust, left over pasta etc but don't overdo it.

By the way Hilary, I have seen A Private Function and agree, it's great!

[Jardiniere]

i bought a book tother week called
"Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps"
its a reprint from a second world war penguin...fascinating.... i feed mine scraps including cheese rind.....but i also make certain they have layer pellets altho they hate them and will only eat them if there is nothing else..i give them oats and wheat as a treat (handful a day) and then of course they get snails, slugs , worms and all types of greenery............

[Flummery]

I was chuffed to see that the GYO free seeds for the new edition are broccoli raab - a 60 day leafy veg that is going to be brilliant for supplementing the chickens' greens intake. Good old GYO! I've already sown more chard than usual this year.

[bluemoon]

Perhaps GYO could do an article or two about what we can grow for our chooks?

[Annie]

My neighbour told me yesterday that her chooks when she was growing up were fed entirely on 'Tottenham Pudding'. it's basically every bit of scrap when you are prepping veggies boiled together (smells hideous apparantly) mixed with bran and a couple of other ingredients. You can find the recipe if you Google it.

[Hilary B]

My neighbour told me yesterday that her chooks when she was growing up were fed entirely on 'Tottenham Pudding'. it's basically every bit of scrap when you are prepping veggies boiled together (smells hideous apparantly) mixed with bran and a couple of other ingredients. You can find the recipe if you Google it.

I doubt those were hybrids, bred to produce 300 eggs in their first laying year. The main reason modern day chooks need scientifically formulated feed is because they are heavier layers than those of former times. They need more protein, and more minerals (high protein without adequate minerals is a recipe for disaster).
Pure breeds (or 'mongrels', cross breds which are NOT 300-laying hybrids) might do OK on a 'veggie scraps plus' diet, if they also had sufficient free range to pick up plenty of insects and young grass, but even then, I suspect the 'balanced diet' on layers pellets would keep them in better health.
Modern hybrids (including ex-batts) might well fall ill if not given the diet they were bred to consume.