Cheaper Organic Feed? - Lettuce, Tomatoes, Mealworms, Etc.

[Heme]

I have to admit, my Girls got cold feet.
Incidentally, I have supplemented layer feed with Boston lettuce and I grow Chia seeds in small trays for additional treats.
The lettuce may not have much in the way of nutritional value, but they get hydration that way. The Chia seeds (Xiomeg) grow in a day or two and so far the chicks like them. Chia has a great nutritional value from what I read. I was told ( but not confirmed) chia seeds mixed with the layer feed act as a sponge and hold water when digested. The purpose is to allow the hens to retain water longer when the temperature is freezing and founts ice over. Seems to work and no adverse effects.
I wonder if anyone else has tried that method?

 

[jacksson515]

Chickencanoe, I am missing something, what is BOSS?

 

[Soylent Chick]

what is BOSS?

Black oil sunflower seed

 

[Chicken_Pauper]

Keep in mind, unless you can pick this up locally, the shipping can be extremely expensive to get this feed from this manufacturer.

 

[Dandelioness]

I have to admit, my Girls got cold feet.
Incidentally, I have supplemented layer feed with Boston lettuce and I grow Chia seeds in small trays for additional treats.
The lettuce may not have much in the way of nutritional value, but they get hydration that way. The Chia seeds (Xiomeg) grow in a day or two and so far the chicks like them. Chia has a great nutritional value from what I read. I was told ( but not confirmed) chia seeds mixed with the layer feed act as a sponge and hold water when digested. The purpose is to allow the hens to retain water longer when the temperature is freezing and founts ice over. Seems to work and no adverse effects.
I wonder if anyone else has tried that method?   

I missed your post a while ago. Those of us who bring buckets of water out all winter would love a non-water solution to hydrating the flock in winter. I tried soaking & fermenting my feed a couple times this winter, but it would freeze to the trough, even if I only gave 1/2 or 1/3 a day's ration.

I wonder how fresh sprouts and/or fodder affect water consumption in the winter?

Summertime heat would be another useful application, especially if forage is dry or otherwise unavailable.

Of course, you'd have to have water available at all times even when testing this idea out but it's an interesting thought.

If you had a control flock and an "experimental sprout" flock, with identical breed, population and other living conditions, you could keep identical waterers in the pens and track consumption that way.

I don't doubt the chia sprouting has good benefits otherwise, but the question of hydration with less water intrigues me.

I think I will get set up with a sprouting or fodder system before winter returns. I love fermenting things for my family, so feed seemed like the next logical step, but not with all that freezing!

 

[Dandelioness]

Tatswell, have you found a happy medium with your feed efforts?

 

[Heme]

I did some research about the Chia Seeds. Perhaps a fitting revelation was Long Distance runners spoon down one or two teaspoons of raw seeds prior to a race. Because they dehydrate when running a great distance, the only source for water was from a container, however; they did not always have a route that took them into a city or village. The long distant runners did not have the luxury of people on the roadside passing them a cup of water and many dropped along the way from dehydration.

Runners who digested the chia seeds made it all the way. The assumption was; Chia Seed when taken with abundant water prior to the race, absorbed the fluids within the seed pods. The retention of the water, like a sponge, held fluids in the digestive system for several hours. The fluids released slowly, and maintained the moisture balance.

My hens consume both the raw seed I put into the layer feed and when available, they eat the greens as I grow them. Thus; as protection during a hard freeze, I give them seeds to help overcome the lack of water at times. It worked for me, just fine. In the HOT summer, they keep hydrated even if the water fount dries up for some reason.

I do not go crazy with Chia Seeds, I just put a tablespoon in the feed container and mix well. I would be please to know if others experimented with this procedure?

 

[Heme]

Incidentally, regarding Chia Seeds: I grow them in shallow plastic trays with simple top soil. It only takes three to five days to get going. Within a week, I have a full tray of Chia greens. The greens are very nutritional and the hens gobble them up within minutes after I place a tray in their environment. I just can't keep up with the demand, so I treat them occasionally.

 

[maghrane]

I have to agree that chickens or any other living thing(plants too) can not and should not be raised soley on some manufactured substance, it's just not whole food and bodies need the minute ingredients found when those girls forge or get some veggies, but I do advocate for not over supplementing, just do your best and treat them humanly, just my $.03