Creating supplement homesteading chicken feed with veggie scraps is a win/win situation for both the homesteader and the chicken flock. Happier healthy chickens create better tasting eggs, it is just a fact.
Being a part of a family that has chicken in the back yard, we have learned over time ways to cut costs. Part of the reason for having chickens, and maintaining a garden, is our way, to reduce our monthly food bill, at the local grocery store. Prior to having a having chicken and a garden, the grocery receipt total always struck pains to the chest, knowing that we, like many others in American, pay a large portion of our income in the store feeding our families.
Our solution was chickens and a garden. It requires some hard work, but after four years of having nearly twenty chickens, our monthly grocery bill has decreased, in regards to fresh fruits, vegetables and eggs. We have achieved some savings, but we have acquired some new costs, with the additions to our family. The costs for chicken feed at your local feed store. In the beginning, as new chicken owners, we paid the prices for numerous bags of feed per month. But over time, we have managed to reduce the feed prices at our home dramatically. And this is how we did it.
The our current cost fee per month was roughly twenty dollars per month, not including the cricket treats we buy on occasion, at the local pet store. Chickens love crickets! We managed to keep these our cost low by feeding our chickens from our garden and scrapes from the kitchen and allowing the natural hunting instinct take hold. Our chickens are not free ranging, so their hunting grounds are limited. We have found that chickens like to eat insects, lizards and any small creatures then can find. Though it sounds gross, it is actually a good source of protein depending on the insects or lizards they eat.
Our chicken love fresh vegetables, and many of the left overs that come from our evening meals. Though we have found that they do not like meats, lettuce, quash, fruits, and like items seem to be a big hit in our chicken coops. I am sure that the diets of chickens are similar, so these options could be a good choice for your chickens as well. Finding the right combinations, that work for your chickens, may require a little research on your part. The research will pay off in the best way.
Cost savings for the family and happy chickens!
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