Feed crops

[SkizzlePig]

In our preparation for animals, I've heard over and over again ... "my feed prices have ..." Usually the statement ends with some description of pricing models that mirror the ascent of the Space Shuttle into orbit.

So ... I want to grow as much, preferably all, the feed on-site.

That said, does anyone know what we'll need to grow for the following animals:

1. Horses

2. Dexter Cows (I know they mostly graze)

3. Guinea Hogs

4. Chickens (Meat and Layers)

5. Rabbits

[paintlady]

I think it depends on where you live and what types of soils you have. We raised black angus beef on nothing but grass in the summer and alfalfa hay in winter. We never gave them grain and it was the best beef ever.
We fed our rabbits rabbit pellets and alfalfa cubes with the occasional apple thrown in. The chickens were free range in the summer with a corn/oat/wheat mix ground up also in summer and winter. We fed them scraps from our garden in summer and picked up veggie scraps from our local grocery store in winter. They loved that. We fed them oyster shells so the eggshells would be hard. When I ran out of that I ground up the egg shells themselves and fed them.
I have never raised hogs or horses so I don't know about those. This was in northern Wisconsin.

[themamahen]

I will be growing hay/alfalfa Sunflowers, Corn and soybean they will be pastured so they will also have free range most of the time, i live in idaho now and Feed costs are enormous and you cannot grow many of the things to seeds ( soybeans n sunflowers) so a lot depends on your loction.

[SkizzlePig]

Location and Zone are important things that I mistakenly left out ... my apologies.

We'll be in Midland South Carolina ... zone 8. So we should be able to grow, pretty much anything. I just don't know what is best/easiest.

[lonelyfarmgirl]

hogs and chickens will eat winter squash.
freeze all the extra tomaotes, and zukks you can for chickens and hogs, if you have the space.

[paintlady]

You might want to check with horse people about what to feed them. I think they feed them timothy hay instead of alfalfa.

[sarhound]

Around here, we feed coastal hay or tifton to horses. Many horses get too "hot" to handle on alfalfa, but I do know some performance horses or hard keepers who do well on it.

The place we're moving to has coastal, and they got 50 large round bales off of it last year. That will keep my 3 horses, and then some.

I'll probably still have to plant some alfalfa, since I want dairy goats. Alfalfa runs high in price around here.

[turtlehead]

There's a sticky in the rabbit forum about natural feeds for rabbits.

That said, they should do pretty well on grass hay, some alfalfa and/or clover, and a mineral block.

You could also put the fryers in a tractor and move them about in the yard/field and feed them that way much of the year. It requires building and moving the tractor so you have to decide if you'd rather spend your time and energy moving the tractors or gathering the feed.

[hotzcatz]

Sell or slaughter most of the animals before winter so you don't have to winter feed.

We free range chickens and feed them table scraps. Not as many eggs but no feed costs to offset. The geese don't even get the table scraps although we do feed them garden scraps. We were going to look into sheep, a miniature horse or donkey for mowing the upper back yard but the geese do it without any feed or farrier bills.

[JessieinMO]

Hotzcatz has a great point. You do not have to keep it all during the winter. You can cycle the same as nature does.

Here in MO I grow lots of mangels. The cows and the hogs love them. The chickens will eat them but not their favorite. I also grow turnips, field corn, and amaranth. I do put up hay to feed the cows and pigs for winter but I do not think I would have to if I trimmed the herds a little more each year. I could make each pasture a little smaller and rotate them all winter long (the cows.) The mangels keep throught the winter and I could feed them to hogs.

I free range my chickens behind the cows which keeps down the flies and bugs and also keeps down the feed bill.

[Mare Owner]

Pasture all the livestock you can in the summer/warm months.

For growing, start with hay. Horses eat grass hay or grass/alfalfa mix. They really don't need any grain unless they are hard keepers or you ride a lot, then I would start with plain whole oats if you need to grain them. Even the Guinea Hogs will do good on hay, and you can supplement with just about anything you can grow. They don't grow fast and they are a lard hog so can get fat quick, so don't feel they need a lot of extra things. Even they can be pastured during warm months!

[SkizzlePig]

Thanks ... this is great info.

I appreciate the tips.