great score, but brings up some questions about feeding produce!

[heavyrebel]

Hey all! So, I have scored with a couple produce stands/stores around me and can get a LOT of trow away produce almost daily. IM talking boxes of corn, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, watermellon...anything really. So, while this is great, and we have our extra fridges and freezers full of veggies and fruits, I need some info!

We have 50 chickens, 2 angus cross calves, 3 meat rabbits and wonder how much of our feed can we replace with fresh? It seems to me we should be able to replace all of it with frsh items versus bagged feed. AM i missing something? How do I keep the diet balanced?

Currently the cows get pasture, hay and Cattle Chow (treat mainly), the rabbits are one pellet and alfalfa and chickens are free-range and Layena with Flax seed,scratch and BOSS.

All the extra that spoils or is spoiled goes into the compost, so its a great all around!

[Catalytic]

Get pigs.

[nehimama]

Chickens need a good protein in their diet to continue to lay well, so I might not replace ALL their bagged feed with the fresh. A pig or two would really help use up all the fresh goodies, though. Is there ever enough to warrant some dehydrating?

[Forerunner]

Be careful with your mammals. Introduce them to a change of diet slowly., especially as pertains to switching from dry feed to fresh/moist....except for if you get a pig. The chickens will be offended if you change their diet slowly.
Chickens eat anything.

[heavyrebel]

The cows think they have died and gone to cow-heaven (soon enough my sweet sweet walking beef!)! They really are happy cows though.

Chickens will still have the feeder out for now until I see how much they eat of it, then adjust amount and TIME I put the feeder out! ANd yes, Forerunner, chickens will eat anything! My brother swears "if chickens were much bigger, we might not be at the top of the food chain!"

Pigs. Yes, we are looking at Berkshires, but htey are 3 hours away from us. Really want Nubian milkers, but again, too far away for right now, and too expensive really, for now. But with this new score in produce, I think pigs are the next logical choice.

There is plenty to dehydrate, but theres not enough time in the day for any of us here to do it. ANd a lot of this is greens...arugala, spinach, romain...that stuff.

[7thswan]

During the summer all the animals get shifted over to greens. But the bunnies have to have that done slowly,especially babys.

[oregon woodsmok]

Geese, I give them all the greens they want; the greens are closer to their correct diet than grain is. Rabbits get balanced pellets and a small amount of veggie every day, mostly as a treat. Chickens, you have to keep the protein level up if you want eggs, but some greens will improve egg flavor.

The ducks get what they can clean up in 10-15 minutes, once a day.

Cattle, I would feed greens twice a day and give them what they can clean up in a reasonable time, maybe 20-25 minutes. You will have to build them up to it. Sheep, I would give them all they want.

I would not leave the greens out to spoil. Any animal can only have what it will clean up without any left to sit around and freeze or go bad.

I've raised pigs on 50% fruit and 50% grain. The lettuce won't do much for them but they can be acclimated to eating a lot of veggies and they will do well and the meat will be great.

[heavyrebel]

Well, we are into day 4 of the produce diet and no problems yet.

Still give the chickens what they want for the chicken feed and leave the veggies and fruits out. What ever the ydont eat that might go "soft" within the hour we remove: tomatoes, lettuce, herbs and the like.

Cows get as much of the stuff as they want, plus thier hay and whatever they graze. I fill thier tub twice a day and they love it. No problems with their manure yet and what they dont like I toss into the compost.

Rabbits still get thier pellets, and then some greens, veggies. They seem really content now. WE got them from a "strickly meat" rabbit guy, so they had never had anything but a cage and pellet. They now get to run around occasionally with the chickens, individually, and eat some more "interesting" food. My wife is big on animal enrichment, and they love it.

Since we never freeze here more than 2-4 nights a year, produce is available all year round. I can get upwards of 100lbs a day I think, and am looking into the pigs next.


And to think, 4 months ago we bought the place, with just two dogs and a 2 year old...renovated house, renovating the land and growing animals and veggie...

[plowjockey]

I would - in a heartbeat. (already do).

Just try to balance out, to cover nutritional needs.

Made a trip to the feed store yesterday - sadness. I'd swear I'm buying t-bone steaks, to feed the hens, instead of corn/soy.

Feed prices are going to get much worse, before they get better, if they ever do.

We'll see how "creative" we get, to attempt to make a profit, feeding livestock.