2uandtrilogy.com

Do you have chickens in the garden?

You are right because it allows you to make great savings!

The only thing is, you have to feed these chickens ...

... and that is not free! Far from there.

We can even say that our organic eggs from free-range hens are not cheap.

So how can we feed them properly without exploding our budget?

We buy organic food from a local farm.

A 20 kg bag of grain costs us around € 20 and lasts around 3 months for 4 hens.

Initially, I bought the grains and calcium to mix them into their diet.

But I quickly realized that there were some simple tips to save on their food.

Here are 6 simple tips to feed your chickens without breaking the bank. Look :

1. Use table scraps

On our kitchen counter we have a small compost bucket that sits right between the sink and the trash can door.

Almost all food scraps go into this compost bin which is emptied once a day in the hen house.

You would be amazed to see how all these leftovers are quickly liquidated by our hens ... and suddenly do not fill our trash.

Yes, chickens are omnivorous, and it shows! ;-)

Be careful, they don't eat everything either. They hate: tomatoes, potatoes, onions, citrus fruits, avocados, beans, too salty dishes, dry rice, chocolate, candy and apple peels.

2. Let them run around the garden as much as possible.

Another way to give them a varied diet and cut your food bill is to leave them to their little things in your backyard.

And it works both summer and winter. They will pick up insects and weeds, which is perfect for a balanced diet.

In addition, this "diet" makes them happier and healthier because they get a little exercise.

It is still in their nature to run everywhere, and if you can give them that possibility, even in winter, they will know how to find what they need to eat.

Don't have a fenced yard to let them run around in the garden? Or are your hens still too young for you to trust them?

Well, make them a mobile park. We made ours with fine wire mesh and kindling. We mainly use it in the summer.

Here is a practical tutorial to create a removable enclosure for your hens.

Otherwise you can also buy them ready-made but it is not cheap. Look here.

3. No need to buy gravel

If your hens spend part of their time in your garden or yard, then they will peck small stones and sand.

So there is no need to spend money to buy them gravel to mix in their food.

Indeed, it is essential for them to ingest a few grains of sand because it helps their stomach to grind the hardest foods.

We didn't know this at first, and we mixed purchased grains of sand into their food every day. Not anymore !

4. Feed them their own eggshells

Yep, chickens can eat their own eggshells!

In fact, it gives them a calcium dose extra which makes their eggshells harder.

Calcium is particularly contained in oyster shells ... which we do not eat every day given the price ;-) However, they must peck it regularly.

We have found a solution: all the eggshells are crushed and put in our famous bucket of kitchen compost.

It's fun to see them fighting over eggshells when we throw the bucket. This is definitely the best way to recycle eggshells!

5. Collect damaged grain bags

If you know someone who works in a food company or a professional silo, then consider contacting that type of company.

Ask if they have damaged seed bags.

Indeed, when the bags are damaged or pierced, they are no longer salable by stores. It is therefore a loss for the company.

Instead, they can sell it to you if they know you're interested in it.

Last year, we collected the equivalent of a 20 kg bag to feed our chickens.

Sometimes the company charges us a small amount, and sometimes it's even free.

If 100% organic food is not essential for you, then consider contacting this type of company to save money.

6. Collect cracked corn from a farmer

We know several farmers in the area and every fall, after the corn harvest, we pay them a little visit to collect a few buckets of cracked corn.

In fact, on a farm, under silos, grain chests and grain dryers, you will find small piles of cracked corn.

A bit of it is lost every time the corn is transferred from one place to another.

This cracked corn is usually used by farm animals, birds or other wildlife.

But the farmers in our region are nice enough to let us take this corn for free for our chickens, on condition of doing them a little favor when they need it.

We mix it with their food (if we need to supplement one of their meals) or we just scatter it around the lawn for them to seek it out.

Results

And there you have it, you now know how to provide quality food to your chickens without breaking the bank :-)

And this, even in the middle of winter! Do not hesitate to sell your eggs to your neighbors either.

For us, it is a good way to earn money to buy the bags of grain.

In addition to the savings we make, our hens have also enabled us to reduce our organic waste by more than 30%. Not bad, isn't it?

Your turn...

Do you know any other tips for saving on chicken feed? Share them with our community in the comments. We can't wait to hear from you!

Do you like this trick ? Share it with your friends on Facebook.

Also to discover:

Grandmother's trick to Stimulate Chicken Laying.

The Easy Way To Remove Lice From Hens.