Winter Feed Cost and Growing Fodder

[TOPChickens14]

It is winter here in New York. My flock has been cooped (pun intended) up inside for the past month and a half. They are going through food like crazy and not laying eggs. I need a solution to this and I found two options, fermenting feed and growing fodder. I already have the fermenting process working but one issue that has arisen is because of the cold temperatures, the feed freezes if the chickens don't eat it fast enough. Any suggestions on this would be helpful!
Growing them fodder is my next excursion in chicken keeping. I have read around the web looking for inspo and articles on how to do it. I found a few that use aluminum pans, I got those today. I understand the process of growing the fodder but finding the grain is where I'm having issues. The articles that I have read on fodder don't say where they get the said grain. Most of them say that they get their grain from their feed store but TSC neither Runnings sells grain like that. The few articles that do state where they get the grain online, it is usually very expensive. I found that the articles say that growing fodder is economical. From what I am seeing, it isn't. Where are you all getting your grain? I would prefer to grow wheatgrass/ wheat berries but I am having no luck finding them. I have also seen people suggest using BOSS in YT videos and in articles. Would BOSS work well? I could easily find this inexpensively as a worst-case scenario. Thanks for all the help

 

[CoopintheWoods]

Ok, so i am not any expert in chicken-keeping, but I've always mixed quite a bit of (much cheaper) scratch grains from TSC in with the feed during the winter, which really cut on costs. Then, I give them a can of fish-based cat food every once in awhile as a treat and some extra proteins.

Growing fodder has never been practical for my flock, but If you do it economically I would love to hear how it goes! Good luck! Its nice to see another upstate New Yorker too!

 

[TOPChickens14]

I would love to share what I learn with you. Also, I love your pfp. I have 8 Ameraucanas with those muffs and they are so cute.

 

[CoopintheWoods]

Thank you! I've had some interesting times with Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers. Once, I got a straight run of them from TSC and got 5/6 roosters... go figure! The one in my pfp was from my first ever batch of chicks maybe 6 years ago.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If it's cold enough that fermented feed is freezing, you either need to offer it in a container that can keep it warm (i.e. a heated dog bowl) or you'll need to hold off on it until weather heats up enough so it doesn't freeze.

Sorry I have no experience with growing fodder.

 

[Smileybans]

I use this fodder tower https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...odder-tower-with-dollar-tree-dish-bins.75190/

and buy my fodder here https://www.azurestandard.com/

I do notice when I feed the fodder, since I don’t feed it every day, that my chickens go crazy over that instead of their feed. I free feed but my chickens love to have their grass every week. At the rate I grow it with the tower I’m able to feed them fodder three times a week. I did not make my tower as large as the one in the link but if I had I probably would be able to feed them more.

 

[TOPChickens14]

Thank you! I've had some interesting times with Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers. Once, I got a straight run of them from TSC and got 5/6 roosters... go figure! The one in my pfp was from my first ever batch of chicks maybe 6 years ago.

What are the odds

 

[TOPChickens14]

I use this fodder tower https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...odder-tower-with-dollar-tree-dish-bins.75190/

and buy my fodder here https://www.azurestandard.com/

I do notice when I feed the fodder, since I don’t feed it every day, that my chickens go crazy over that instead of their feed. I free feed but my chickens love to have their grass every week. At the rate I grow it with the tower I’m able to feed them fodder three times a week. I did not make my tower as large as the one in the link but if I had I probably would be able to feed them more.

The website where you buy your grain looks good. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[TOPChickens14]

If it's cold enough that fermented feed is freezing, you either need to offer it in a container that can keep it warm (i.e. a heated dog bowl) or you'll need to hold off on it until weather heats up enough so it doesn't freeze.

Sorry I have no experience with growing fodder.

 

[Rangergord]

I have the problem of freezing with fermented feed as well. During the recent polar vortex I used aluminum or plastic food containers. I would often heat the food in the container by floating it in warm water in a pot on my wood stove. I fed them 2 to 3 times a day with multiple containers. They ate as much as they could until it froze. Then I served another one warm and thawed out the remaining feed and added new feed to it for the next serving. I have sprouted scratch grain in the summer for fodder but I am feeding alfalfa pellets in the winter and no scratch grain.