Paleo Chickens

[Ben Rogers]

Is anyone else involved in the paleo lifestyle ("caveman diet")?

I'm curious what you're doing with your chick(en)s to keep them grain free, yet strong, healthy and thriving?

 

[Flyingsod]

I Don't keep my chickens grain free. Grains are bird food. Chickens are birds. Birds are about the only large creatures that can thrive on a grain only diet. Its natural for them and I don't worry about it. My Seven chickens get a 1/4 handful of flax seed and 3/4 of a 1 qt mason jar of scratch grains daily. Of course they run free in the field all day eating whatever else they want. If I was being Stricter paleo with them I might find a source of ancient non hybridized grains for them but I would never find it mandatory to deny them grains altogether.
In any case you should def give them some flax or chia seed daily to up their omega 3 content. Let their little chicken livers change it over to a form animals can use and save our human liver the trouble

What breed do you have? Keeping for eggs or meat or both? I have Black Australorps for eggs. They forage well and are pretty hardy. Looking into another breed or two for purely meat production though.

 

[centrarchid]

Not all birds consume grain and even chickens can get by with less than we typically provide them. As a kid I kept some groups of game chickens on walks (free-range areas) and they were fed nothing. All intake had to be acquired by foraging. Food abundance was extremely variable and birds ranging habits varied with season. Food supply was inadequate to support egg production during winter. Taking this into account, productivity in terms of eggs and meat was very seasonal and limited. When food was abundant during spring, summer and fall growth was very good and quality of survivors even though fewer was better. During growing season intake was dominated in adults by vegetative plant materials and insects while in young insects were more important, During winter seed, greens and insects where usual order of observed intake,

 

[yo burrill]

My free range chickens eat mostly bugs. And they have been eating berries off bushes the last week or so. They eat no commercial grain in the summer by their own choice. If I could feed them bugs year round I would. But I live in Maine and the ground is frozen and snow covered for four months at least. They go back to grain as they loose their natural food source.

 

[salunra]

I have a gluten sensitivity and eat mostly paleo to help with that. I don't keep my chicks grain free. I do keep them corn, soy and wheat free. They get oats, milo, millet, sunflower, canary seed. We have a few acres of land, but not a whole lot planted yet. Hopefully in a few years when it is heavily planted we will have more forage available and can do less grain. Next year I am planting a couple mulberry trees, different types of cane berries, comfrey, sunchokes, some pea shrubs, sea berry, autumn olive, etc. Once things get established I can rotate them through different pastured areas.

 

[MamaKat]

Thanks for the responses! We are a paleo family and I am looking to get chickens again in spring. We've had problems with coyote and racoons in the past, they ate all our chickens and guinea fowl and even the wild turkeys our flock adopted. We are re-fencing about 3 acres of mixed open fir forest and weedy fields with field fence and installing a llama. I hope this will provide the safety needed for free ranging chickens.
Any thoughts on how to keep the free rangers safe and how many chickens we can sustain on our land?
Breed suggestions are welcome too! I was thinking black sex linked, so they don't go broody on me.

 

[MamaKat]

My free range chickens eat mostly bugs. And they have been eating berries off bushes the last week or so. They eat no commercial grain in the summer by their own choice. If I could feed them bugs year round I would. But I live in Maine and the ground is frozen and snow covered for four months at least. They go back to grain as they loose their natural food source.

Worm farming is something I've read about and inadvertantly done for my chickens in the past. We had piles of horse manure with red wiggler worms in it. The chickens LOVED the worms. Don't know how you could make it sustainable, maybe multiple piles with fenced access? they make a huge mess flinging the manure everywhere.

 

[yo burrill]

I want to start a meal worm farm this winter. We have a wood stove down cellar so they would be nice and warm and wont freak out any friends/ family who dare to venture into my pet/ animal infested home. My chickens only roam about one acre of my 19 I have. The manure pile is a favorite place.
The banties I have now are pretty smart they stay close to the house where the dogs can keep an eye out for them during the day. Only had one attack this summer and that was a rainy night they roosted under the porch..... I just got 9 or so hatchery auracanas by next spring they should be laying. Dont know how they will fair free ranging haven't had much luck free ranging standard size birds.

 

[MamaKat]

We had good luck with the red wigglers just living in big manure piles (as high as I could pile them with the wheel barrow) in the winter. They went down and found the warmth they needed. We are in the Pacific NW so it's fairly mild. I'm sure they would love a wood stove in the winter
Thanks for the info!

 

[centrarchid]

Thanks for the responses! We are a paleo family and I am looking to get chickens again in spring. We've had problems with coyote and racoons in the past, they ate all our chickens and guinea fowl and even the wild turkeys our flock adopted. We are re-fencing about 3 acres of mixed open fir forest and weedy fields with field fence and installing a llama. I hope this will provide the safety needed for free ranging chickens.
Any thoughts on how to keep the free rangers safe and how many chickens we can sustain on our land?
Breed suggestions are welcome too! I was thinking black sex linked, so they don't go broody on me.

Dog best anti-predator system, especially with fenced.

Dual purpose heritage breed my preference. I like broody to enable on farm chick production. Not all breeds equally broody.