We currently have 14 hens and one rooster which is the biggest flock of chickens we have ever kept. They are eating a lot of chicken feed too! Since our puppies still like to chase the chickens, we no longer let our chickens free range. The puppies are in training in hopes that one day we will let our girls free range again. When our chickens did free range, it really cut down on the amount of feed we had to buy. For now we are supplementing their chicken feed with other food sources to help cut the costs!
Here are some alternate food sources for chickens:
- Produce scraps: We feed our chickens any produce or bread scraps that we have. They love whole wheat bread! So the bread heals and crust that my boys don’t eat go to the birds! Also my juice pulp, produce peels and any spoiled fruits or veggies are fed to the chickens. Melon rinds and corn on the cob are a favorite.
- Weeds: When I weed my garden, I put the weeds in a bucket for the hens. They love grass! Clover is one of their favorite things and they often fight over it!
- Bugs & worms: Chickens need protein too. My boys will turn stumps over looking for worms and grubs. We also look for rotten wood stumps that have termites or ants. We place the stump in the coop and let the girls go crazy.
If your flock is going through a ton of store bought food, try supplementing their feed with some commonly found food in your yard. It’s good for them to have variety and they love to scratch and peck the ground for goodies!
For more information on chickens, checkout my previous posts on raising chickens.
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