HEALTH BENEFITS AND BUSINESS VALUE OF SNAILS

Snails are one of the largest Mollusc subgroup containing ten thousand species and 400 living families. They are in every habitat, under water and on the land. Snail.are the common name given to a number to a class of Mollusc gastrapda. They are harmless creatures and they have many names according to the ethic groups , tribe and dialects where they are found.

General, snail meat contain vitamin A, E, B1 , B3, and B6.
Vitamin A is essential for the proper function of the eyes.
Vitamin E acts on an antioxidants, while vitamin B1,B3, and B6 are vital vitamin that help to prevent and control diabetes.
Snail are also rich in vitamin B12, which help in the production of red blood cells, keeps the nervous system healthy , released energy from food eaten and process folic acid , snails are low in colories and have a very high amount of protein which is essential for building and repairs muscle and worn out tissue in the body.
Snail are also good source of Iron needed for building red blood cells and transporting energy to the body.
More so , snail contain glycoprotein which help in fighting cancer , copper compound which help to heal injury and prevent heart disorder , Omega-3 fatty acids which assist in the development of the brain and memory of children, prevent heart disease and lower high cholesterol levels. Snail are also high in potassium and low in sodium , thereby , making them good for maintaining blood pressure levels and they also reduce the risk of stroke , heart and kidney diseases. In addition , snail are very tasty , delicious and nutritious.

With all these wonderful benefits hope you now see reason why you should also raise Snails at you backyard, for information on how to raise and start your snail farming, you can contact us on this email, bobbytoyese77@gmail.com. and we are ready to render our service to your satisfaction. Thanks.

Profitable ways to make money raising Chicken at your backyard

There are many ways to make money from your poultry birds
But for me, it is not so much creating a farm business, as much as creating a self-sustaining farm. I want all aspects of our poultry to bring in enough income to pay for themselves.
I will talk on how and  ways our poultry business will not cost us much money- but pays for itself with a little left over as income for us as well

Since chickens are probably the most common poultry livestock, I am going to map out all the ways you can use your chickens to make a profit- or at least make them pay for themselves!

remember, while I am going to focus on chickens- this all goes for other poultry birds too- especially ducks and quail.

These are how to Make Money Raising Chickens
 
Making money from your chicken eggs

This one is a no brainer. At one time or another most chicken owners will find themselves overrun with eggs and considering selling the excess to friends and neighbors.

We’ve been selling eggs at a local farmer’s market for a couple years now, at it’s a good market to be in. Here in Nigeria we can sell our eggs for about $2 per crate- and that is for conventionally fed birds.

You can charge even more for GMO-free or organic eggs. You can also post on your local Craigslist or contact local small markets and restaurants. Plus raising 25 chickens isn’t much different than raising 10….

Making money from hatching Eggs

If you’ve got a rooster- then you have fertile eggs! If you aren’t a breeder, you can probably sell hatching eggs for about the same price you might sell your fresh, eating eggs.
If you have a specialized breeding stock and highly sought after breeds you can charge much more even up to $1 per egg. Either way- it’s one more way to make extra money from your birds!

Making money by selling of day Old Chicks

There have been a few times- especially in the late winter, when egg production is picking up and the market season hasn’t started yet where we find ourselves with a lot of eggs.
This is a good time to stick them in the incubator! Chick days at the local farm stores usually start in February here in our area- so you can tap into that growing market.

You can hatch and sell day-old chicks for a couple dollars each if you are going straight run- a little more if you know how to accurately sex the chicks. This works particularly good if you have a flock that is just one breed- or if you have the ability to breed Easter-Eggers.

You never know- business may take off and you can expand and create a few breeding pens and raise all sorts of different breeds.

Making money with pullets/Layers birds

Some people just don’t want to deal with raising day-old chicks. They don’t want to mess with heat lamps or the high needs of babies.
Many of these people are willing to pay a much higher price to get already birds that are already feathered or even laying.

If you have a lot of space and storage this can be a very profitable option for you .

  Making money with frozen chicken

We all know that chickens only lay their best for a couple of years, after that they need to be replaced with newer birds if you want to keep egg production up. So what do you do with all those old layers?

Well, you can either butcher them for your own soup pot, or you can sell them for others! It’s a nice way to get rid of your old birds and make them an even more profitable part of your farm.
Here at our house, we sell our older layers live or frozed them and sell.to those who want frozen chicken..

Making money with chicken meats

Broilers is one of the fastest growing chicken and quickest ways to create an income from chickens. They only take about 8 weeks to grow to butcher weight.
Depending on laws in your area, you can sell straight from the farm and butcher them yourself at home, which will keep your costs much lower. .

If you  are raising chickens for eggs, you probably already have the brooder, run, and coop space to try out the meat bird business in your area.

HOW TO TREAT AND KEEP AWAY FLEAS, LICE, AND MITES NATURALLY FROM YOUR CHICKENS

No poultry owners will wants to think about creepy crawlies crawling all over their chickens, but it certainly not something you want to ignore, either. As we dive into poultry farming. I often look to experienced, knowledge friends for what to do in any given situation.

Knowledge is power, and gleaning that knowledge from someone else is a great idea! Mr Makinde is one of those knowledgeable friends and today, He is going to share with us how to naturally treat chicken fleas, lice, and mites! I love natural solutions! Let’s hand it over to Mr Makinde.

Treating Chicken Fleas, Lice and Mites Naturally

Chickens are naturally a resilient, generally disease free bird. But they do fall victim to several different types of parasites at times. In small numbers these seldom cause any issue, but given the right conditions, their populations will explode exponentially.

A heavy infestation on these blood sucking bugs cause stress, resulting in a decline in condition. Fleas, lice and mites are different bugs but similar natural treatments work with all of them as they all have similar aversions and weaknesses.

What are Fleas?

Chicken fleas are small and brown and visible to the naked eye. They live on the bird, and can survive off of animals in long grass for short periods. They hop from host to host. The adult fleas that you see only represents 5% of your flea population. The other 95% exists in egg and larvae form.

What are Mites?

Mites are like spiders, they even have eight legs and a quite tiny.

We have red mites: They live in nooks, cracks and crannies in the chicken coop, particularly the perches and nesting boxes. They come out at night and feed on the chicken’s blood. These mites are very difficult to get rid of once they’ve become established.

Scaly leg mite:
These live in between the scales on the chickens legs. Causing them to look rough and thick, then the chicken may go lame.

What are Lice?

There are up to 50 species of lice found on chickens They are all soft-bodied, pale-colored, flattened-bodied insects. They do not suck blood, but they eat skin flakes and chew feathers. If there’s a large population of lice living on your hen, they will cause irritation and can be so annoying that the bird will fail to thrive.

The colonies of eggs at the base of the feathers can be highly irritating to the chicken, and when they are in large numbers, even preening won’t remove them. Lice can be found on the breast, back, vent, and under the wings of birds.

It’s best to catch an infestation early, so monitor regularly for parasites, both on the your animals and in their living quarters. Once you have identified which ectoparasite you may be dealing with, there are several control options. To inspect your chickens, look amongst the feathers against the skin, particularly around the breast, tail and vent areas.

Scaly leg mite can be found on the legs . They lift the legs scales making the whole leg look rough and scaly. A chicken might have a limp and be favouring one leg.

Treatment for fleas, lice and mites in poultry birds:

Traditional pesticides are available at farm stores, but be sure to read and follow the label instructions before applying anything to your chickens! Many of us prefer a more natural treatment approach for ailments on our blocks so I have provided several natural treatment options. With natural treatments the management of these pests is best achieved using an integrated approach, using several of the options together.

When treating your coop and flock for fleas it is often necessary to repeat the process again 10 to 14 days continuously. Used for long term of these treatments can help prevent a re-infestation.

Always provide Dust Bath for your birds

Chickens LOVE their dust baths! Why not set up a suped-up dust bath for them to help treat parasites while they are at it? You will need one dust bath for every 10- 15 or so chickens, and put it somewhere it won’t get rained on so they can use it all year long.

What You Need to prepare you chicken dust bath:
A box, tire, rubber maid tub, old jam pan or plastic paddling pool.
2 parts dry dirt/dust
1 part wood or paper ash (not coal or from burning rubbish)
1 part sand
1/2 part diatomaceous earth
Gloves and mask
Optional – dried and powdered Sage, Lavender or Rosemary

Method:
I use a small bucket as my ‘part’ measure. You may want to wear a dust mask and gloves for this next bit as it does throw a bit up into the air. Put all ingredients into your container and stir together well. That is it really, simply leave somewhere out of the rain/snow and let the chooks have at it.


Use of Garlic

Garlic is a potent natural cure-all for many many things, including parasites! To feed chickens garlic is so easy! Simply put a couple of crushed cloves in their drinking water or some garlic powder in their dry feed to keep fleas, mites, lice, ticks and internal worms at bay.

Garlic Spray
You Need:
3 Whole bulbs of garlic
2C Water
Optional – 1 teaspoon (total) any combination of these essential oils – bay, cinnamon, clove, coriander, lavender, spearmint and/or thyme

How to use garlic

In a food processor, whiz up the garlic until finely chopped. Add the water and pour into a large jar or bowl to seep for a day or two. Strain out the garlic by lining a sieve with a coffee filter, paper towel or double layer or butter muslin/cheese cloth. Dilute with a further 4 cups of water and add essential oils. Then pour into a pressure sprayer to spray the hen house with or a misting bottle to spray the individual hens with.

Spray your poultry birds house weekly as a preventative or every other day for three weeks in the case of an infestation. Concentrate around the vent and under the wings on the birds and cracks and perches in the house.

To treat leg mites spray the legs daily with garlic spray, using an old tooth brush to gently get it up under the scales. Smother the legs in either petroleum jelly or a similar natural alternative like a home made bee balm .

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth works because the particles in it are incredibly sharp, these sharp edges cut the bodies of parasites causing them to dehydrate.
Using food grade diatomaceous earth in a sport sock with the top tied shut is a great way of powdering it on to your birds without throwing it everywhere. Simply dab the sock on the bird’s underside while parting the feathers.
You can sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the floor of the coop and in the nesting boxes as well.

Essential Oils

You can make a spray up to use 2-3 times per week anywhere that animals are living or sleeping inside or out to help keep fleas, lice and mites away.

You need:
1/4 tsp. of Eucalyptus or Wintergreen Essential Oil
1/4tsp total of any combination of the following: bay, cinnamon, clove, coriander, lavender, spearmint and/or thyme
1 1/2 cup of water

How to use it
Simply mix and spray around your chicken house.

RABBITS AS MONEY MAKING AND FOR PROVISION OF PURE WHITE MEAT FOR HEALTHY LIVING

Rabbits picture

Raising Rabbits

Rabbits meat is one of the best pure and healthy meat for both elderly and children.
This animal is lovely and neat animal,
I have not come in contact with any neat and easy to raise animal like Rabbit
Rabbits can be raise as pet, for meat at home and also as money making business. When thinking about raising Rabbits , you should know reason why you want to raise them , because this will guide you to know the breeds, and the kind of housing needed for raise them.
  The main purpose of this post is to analyze and summarize how you can raise rabbits as healthy meat at home and also as a money making business

  THE BEST RABBIT BREEDS  FOR MEAT AND FOR BUSINESS ARE

1. HYLAS
2. CHICILLA
3. NEWZEALAND

These 3 above breeds are some of the breed that are best for meat and business because of their ability to grow fast and their weight
To start a rabbit farming, you need just two female rabbits and a male, depending on your financial power. You can buy any of these above breeds at the age of six weeks as a begginer. Allow them to stay together for another 6 weeks, when they are 3 months, separate them into different houses to avoid unwanted pregnancy and fight. The female rabbits can get pregnant at the age of of 3 to 4 months which is not advisable and healthy for the female, a female rabbits will be fully grown and ready for pregnancy at the age of 5 to 6 months. The male will also fully grown at age 6 months.

HOUSING FOR RABBITS

Rabbits can be raise in a cage or in a room, but the best way to keep rabbits is caging system.
Your rabbits cages can be made of wood and net or full net cage. The house must be divided and each room should only house a rabbit.

RABBITS FEEDING

Rabbits can be feed on animal feeds and plant , they can also eat human home food leftovers.
There are many type of Rabbit feeds which can be bought from any animal feeds store around you, if you can't find any around you , your Rabbits can also eat poultry feeds, but you must make sure you buy chickens grower feed.
Your need to feed your Rabbits twice in a day, in the morning and in the evening.
Both young and adults Rabbits can eat same food.
There are many plant that are good food for your Rabbits.
They are ; Water leaf, morning leaf, banana leaf etc , don't forget , all home leftovers are also good for your Rabbits.
 
RABBITS AS A BUSINESS

Now that you have known how to raise Rabbits, I will let you known how profitable Rabbits farming can be , when you have the right breed and care,
Rabbits meat is one of the best pure and white meat, which is good for both adults and children, but is more beneficial to adults than the children.
  Many people who are on diet and those who didn't want red meat or fatty meat are looking for Rabbits meat every day , because of it low fat .
  For these above reason, hope you see reason why you should also go for Rabbits farming, even if not for business but for provision of pure and good meat for your family.
To buy your healthy and good breeds of Rabbits , both young and adults, kindly call Ariyo's farm on this number 08132648095 or you can email us on bobbytoyese77@gmail.com . For more questions and help.

WAYS AND HOW TO STOP CHICKENS FROM PECKING AT EACH OTHER

  If you have ever been to poultry farms such as the Ariyo's farm in Ibadan Oyo state of Nigeria, or just any other poultry farm, then you could notice that it’s almost a common phenomenon for chickens to peck at each other. And while this may seem like a norm in most poultries here in Nigeria and beyond, it is a bad habit that can most definitely be stopped. So today, we will be having a quick look at some of the ways a poultry farmer can stop their chickens from pecking at each other. But before we get into that, lets first have a better understanding of why these chickens, engage in such bad habit in the first place.
Why do Chickens have a Pecking Order
Why do Chickens Peck Each Other to Death
Why Do Chickens Peck at Each Other?

There are several reasons why chickens peck at each other and these include; They are a social Breed. They fight over ranking in the flock. This is where the term ” Hen Pecked” where the hens peck the male, rooster.

Pecking order comes in groups, Hens, Roosters, Roosters, and Hens, In Very large flocks there will be many groups of pecking orders.

Lowest in peck order size is usually from 15 – 20 in a number of chickens in the hierarchy, The lowest on the totem pole can get pecked by everything. These are What can Trigger a fight

Feed
Roosting
Water
Wrong Nest Box
Toys
Everything they can fight over

Peking each order is a natural process. It is the process where chickens structure Ranking order in the Coop. Who gets to eat first, who gets the best Box, Who’s been there the longest, usually older hens. Telling Everyone who is in Charge
Chickens will also peck at each other from boredom. Just having something to do they will fight and peck at each other. Below we have listed some ways to provide alternatives to decrease Boredom.

Find Creative ways to provide the entertainment
Natural Texture and Appearance
One of the reasons why chickens peck at each other is because of the natural texture and appearance of some of their features like feathers. Feather pecking, for instance, which is when one chicken pulls out a feather off the other chicken, is a destructive habit that can lead to a risk of skin damage.

However, feather pecking isn’t only limited to chickens, as most breeds of the bird family such as turkey and so on are also guilty of this habit. And feather pecking is always found amongst commercial chickens raised in less spacious quarts, which then takes us to the next cause.

Overcrowding
Overcrowding is one of the main factors why chickens peck on each other. This is because, in an overcrowded poultry setting, where all the chickens are kept in one confined space, it is often a reality for a competition to grow amongst the chicken, which often leads to the habit of pecking one another, in the battle of supremacy. So, ensure to take proper measurement of the poultry house’s inches and feet, in resonance with the volume of chickens you’ll be raising, so as to avoid overcrowding.

Overheating

Other than overcrowding and the natural appeal of their features, overheating is one way to encourage chicken pecking in your poultry. This is because higher temperatures will force the chickens to become uncomfortable, and thus, become more open to pecking one other. For instance, if you keep your young brood fowls, which are supposed to stay at an environment of about 95 degrees during the first week, in a temperature higher than that, let’s say, 110-115 degrees, you can rest assured that those fowls will start pecking at a very tender age.

Too Much Light

Same way with heat, having too much light shining in their faces could cause them to become more hostile, thus making them prone to pecking at each other. Put differently, exposing them to non-stop light rays for about 16 hours or more in a day, is undoubtedly going to stress them out. 

Nutrition

Studies have linked a deficiency in chicken’s dieting pattern, to the growth of cannibalistic traits such as pecking at one another. That’s why poorly feed chickens are often more susceptible to engaging in bad habits like pecking, more than the well-fed ones.
So, now that we’ve known the causes, how can a poultry farmer stop their chickens from pecking at each other?

HOW TO STOP CHICKENS FROM Feather PECKING

1. Proper Nutrition

Long story short, chickens will start to eat each other if they are not getting the proper nutrients from their food source. So, see to it that you feed them regularly with appropriate diets. Plus, you should do so on the floor, with litter (bedding material) cover on top of it, which invariably will decrease their tendencies to peck at each other.

This principle is important because, even when food is readily available, chickens still have the natural urge to peck around for food particles that are off the coop. And if you don’t raise them in an environment that allows for this, like the type with some bedding material, it will leave them with no other choice than to start pecking at each other.

2. Take out Wounded or Dead birds immediately

Whenever a chicken is wounded or injured, you should immediately take it out the poultry space because, again, chickens are naturally very curious, and won’t hesitate to start pecking on the red injury spots of the wounded one, thus imbibing the habit, and then using it on others. So, always ensure you take such chickens off as soon as possible.

Severe chicken pecking can lead to cannibalism. They can literally peck at a chicken until it bleeds, then many of the chicken’s peck at the sight of blood and kill the chicken

3. Separation of Groups

Another way to stop chickens from pecking at each other is by separating them based on age, color, breeds, and putting them in different coops. This way, there won’t be a state of chaos amongst the chickens when their struggle for supremacy begins as a result of mixing different ages, colors, and breeds in one space. And as I said earlier, conflicts like these amongst chicken often lead to pecking. 

4. Monitor Closely

If pecking starts to become aggressive, then you need to start by looking for reasons why the birds are acting out. Is the environment, okay? How many chickens do you have in the area? Does it fall within the appropriate ratio? There are many reasons for pecking that we have already discussed, so you need to identify the problem. Once you identify the problem, then you need to resolve it. Once you do that, then the problem might go away.

5. Isolation Pens

One of Your Chickens becomes a target and has had some of her feathers pecked off. Then the Blood, red color compounds the pecking. You need to separate the one pecked on. Put Her in an isolation Pen and let her heal up.

Chickens are Omnivores, meaning they will eat meat also, that is why they are attracted to blood.

Once the Chicken is healed up, normally it not a target anymore, feathers have grown back

6. Structured Feeders

Some farmers have experienced where the larger Hens, Bully the smaller chicks and do chase them away from the feed. You can modify a Feed Set Up where you build an opening where only the little guys can get the feed they need. Physically preventing the Older Hens from chasing them off.

7. Distractions method

Given that chickens will always be chickens by pecking around either on the floor or themselves, you can distract them a little by installing toys around their coop, which is going to take their mind for some moment off pecking the floor or one another.
Free-Ranging Your Chickens
When you free range your chickens, they have a lot more space, spend their time investigating, scratching, exploring, looking for bugs, scratching apart animal feces looking for parisite eggs, chasing bugs, butterflies, etc,
All these mentioned above will greatly lessens the problem of Chicken Pecking each other.

THE ANTICHRIST

  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. Revelation 13.1

“Anti-Christ” means opposition to our Lord Christ. The mission and purpose of the anti-Christ is to put himself in the place of Christ. He, therefore, opposes the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22; 4:3). He also denies that Jesus came in the flesh (2 John 1:7). There have been many antichrists (1 John 2:18), but there is also the coming  of the antichrist”. In the end time, a man will arise to oppose Christ and His followers more than anyone else in history. Likely claiming to be the true messiah, the antichrists will seek world domination and will attempt to destroy all “careless” followers of Jesus Christ and the nation of Israel during the period of the great tribulation. The world is drifting at a fast lane towards the appearance of antichrist in full force. The antichrist will be revealed at the beginning of the period of the great tribulation – after the rapture. 2 Thess. 2:3-4.

There could not have been a better description of the antichrist than what Apostle John saw in his revelation. He said, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” Rev. 13:1

This blasphemous beast has the nature of a leopard, bear and lion. These three animals have been long age enemies of the sheep and lamb. Like the mighty Goliath, who could make war against him? 1 Sam. 17: 34-36, Rev. 13:2-4. But glory be to God, David killed both the bear and the lion and cut off the head of the leopard (Goliath). We have a Captain in the Son of Jesse and a Champion in the Root of Jesse, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. 1 Sam. 17:37; Romans 15:12

ATTRIBUTES OF ANTICHRIST

i. He is the imposing, boastful king. Dan. 7:25
ii. He established and broke covenant with Israel. Dan. 9:1-27
iii. He is the abominable king of desolation. Mark 13:14
iv. He is the lawless man. 2 Thess. 2:1-12
v. The impersonation of the man of peace. Rev. 6:2
vi. The beast from the sea. Rev. 13:1-9
vii. The little horn. Dan. 7:8
viii. The man of sin. 2 Thess 2:3
ix. False Christ. Matt. 24:24-25
x. The liar. 2 Thess. 2:4
xi. Son of perdition. 2 Thess. 2:3
xii. The deceiver. Matt. 24:4-5
xiii. Vile person. Dan. 11:21
xiv. The wicked. 2 Thess. 2:8

THE MISSION OF ANTICHRIST

i. He will receive power from Satan to rule the world. Dan. 7:25-26; Rev. 13:2
ii. He will work great miracles to deceive people. Rev. 13:11-13
iii. He will position his images in strategic and holy places and force people to worship them. 2 Thess. 2:4; Matt. 24:15
iv. He will speak great thing s and blasphemies. Rev. 13:5
v. He will make war with the tribulation saints.13:7
vi. He will persecute the remnant that will be faithful to God and kill them. Rev. 12:17
vii. He will speak and prophesy lies to confuse people. 2 Thess. 2:4
viii. He will take control of both the political and economic powers of the world. Rev. 13:16-17
ix. He will give identification number to those who will accept him. The number is 666. This number will allow people to buy/sell, access social amenities, and them for eternal destruction. Some of those who reject the number will be killed. Rev. 13:18

        END OF THE ANTICHRIST

i. The antichrist and his followers will be bound and cast into the lake of fire towards the end of tribulation. Rev. 19:20.
ii. The antichrist will lose the kingdom to Christ and Christ will reign for ever and ever. Daniel 7:26-27.
iii. Christ will establish a millennial reign on earth. Rev. 20:6
The days of the Antichrist and his followers are fast approaching. Similarly, the day of Christ second coming is very near.  prepared.
Believers should prepare to go with Christ when He appears, to avoid staying behind with Antichrist. So be prepared. God bless you as you read.

CREATIVE WAYS TO LOWER YOUR POULTRY FEED BILL

Poultry farming have become very popular for both homesteaders and urban farmers. They provide eggs, meat, and others. However, feeding poultry feeds is most important in poultry farming, organic poultry crumbles can sell for as much as $25 per 50 lb bag. And at 1/3 to 1/4 lb per chicken per day, the costs can add up quickly! So to help lower your chicken feed bill, I have collections of most creative ways you can use to reduce your poultry feed budget.

These are how you can Lower the feed bill of your poultry Feed Bill

1. THIN THE HERD

This topic is probably the most difficult topic first. For a lot of us, our poultry birds are our pets. However, hens will slow down their egg production as they get older – making it not economical to continue to feed them. If each hen eats 1/4 lb of feed a day, a young hen will take that 1/4 lb and turn it into an egg a day. An older hen will still continue to eat that 1/4 lb a day, but only give you an egg every few days. So when should you cut them off? Like most things, it depends. Most heritage chickens breeds will lay less eggs a year, but will lay consistently for 3-4 years. Hybrid breeds will likely produce a TON of eggs, but only for the first 2 years. I just picked up some Isa Browns (a hybrid breed) that can produce 300 eggs a year, but probably only for the first year or two of their egg-laying life. Culling the older members of your flock ensures that the feed you are using results in the best production possible.

2. IDENTIFY YOUR PERFECT FLOCK SIZE

If you have been around chickens at all, you have heard of “chicken math”. Basically, more chickens = more happiness. However, as Justin Rhodes from Abundant Permaculture says chickens (and especially those adorable baby chicks) are pigs with wings. If your family only goes through 10 eggs a week, you only need 3 or 4 hens of egg-laying age. If you want to sell eggs or baby chicks as a source of side income, you may need more. I keep extra hens to give away eggs to a local food bank, but I understand that the money I spend on feed gets transformed into a donation, and I’m comfortable with that. If you only have the number of hens you need, you’re feeding the minimum amount to support your family’s needs.
.
3. MEASURE OUT YOUR CHICKEN FEED

Chickens will eat as much as you let them. In fact, backyard chickens will often become overweight which can lead to Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Syndrome. In a nutshell, Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Syndrome is where the liver becomes too fatty and bleeds, leading to death. Generally this only happens when flocks are given too much fatty foods like table scraps. However, it’s a good example of how chickens will eat to excess. Each hen should eat no more than 1/4-1/3 lb of feed per day. To find the sweet spot for your flock, cut down to measuring out 1/4 lb per hen per day for a week to see if it affects egg production. If it does, up it to 1/3 lb per hen per day and see what happens.

4. FERMENT YOUR CHICKEN FEED

Whether you’re using store-bought feed or a homemade mix, fermentation can actually create new vitamins for your flock – specifically B vitamins and Vitamin K2. In addition to creating new vitamins, soaked grains will plump up in size and make your hens feel fuller for longer. Fermenting your feed is super simple. I have a large metal trashcan next to the coop that I put feed in and then simply add water. Make sure your feed is covered by a few inches of water to ensure your feed ferments instead of molds. Simply continue to add more feed and more water and scoop out what you need for the day with a slotted spoon.

5. SPROUT SEEDS AND LEGUMEs

In addition to your store-bought feed, you can add a portion of sprouted seeds and legumes. Sprouting seeds increases protein digestibility by up to 30% and unlocks additional vitamin, mineral and enzymes. Wheat and barley are the two most common grains for chickens, but you can sprout oats, sunflower seeds, alfalfa, lentils, clover, mung beans, soybeans, etc. Having nutritionally dense foods means you can feed less of it. To sprout your seeds, soak them for 24 hours and the pour out the water. Rinse your seeds every 24 hours until they have sprouted, generally in 1-4 days.

6. FORAGE FOR YOUR CHICKENS

Whether your chickens are kept in a run 24-7, or you free range them, you can always go out and forage weeds for your chickens. If you’re already weeding garden beds, or walkways, or simply want to give the kids something to do, forage dandelion, burdock, lamb’s quarter, stinging nettle, clover, etc. to give to your girls. If you don’t have a ton of weeds (luck you!), you can always forage wild nuts and seeds like acorns, or berries like blackberries.

7. COVER CROPS

Similar to foraging, if you’re already growing a cover crop, grow something that can feed your flock after it’s done covering your garden. Winter wheat would be a great cover crop to collect the seeds from and sprout, or simply cut down and throw it in the coop with them. Between our hop rows, we’ve laid down a crop of clover to add additional nitrogen to the soil. Once the clover is tall enough, we run the chickens over it in a chicken tractor. Anything they miss, I then harvest the clover flowers, dehydrate them and make medicinal remedies with it! I love anything on the homestead that can serve three or four different jobs!

8. FEEDING YOUR CHICKENS COMPOST

If you have cook a lot from scratch or gardening, you’re going to have srything from cut grass, to veggie trimmings,leaves, weeds, manure, etc. Chickens are garbage disposals with wings. Make sure you chickens can access your compost area and let them eat what they will, you can also bring it to them.

9. GROW MEAL WORMS FOR YOUR CHICKENS

Bugs are a concentrated source of protein. Meal worms are the larvae form of a beetle and growing them is super easy. A female adult Darkling beetle can lay 500 eggs in only a few months. All you need is dark container like an aquarium or Tupperware container. You’ll need about 2-3 inches of feed for the meal worms to live in – usually wheat bran. If you can’t get your hands on wheat bran, then rolled oats, chicken mash, or cereal crumbs will work as well. You can buy your worms either online or at a local pet store, but make sure you know what they’ve been fed and ensure they have not been given a growth hormone.

10. ROTATIONAL GRAZING

This is possibly my favorite one. We don’t have other livestock, yet, but plan on doing rotational grazing next year. If you have other livestock on grass, you can keep your cows, horses, llamas, pigs, etc. on a specific piece of land until they eat it down. When you move them to the next plot of pasture, run your chickens (in a chicken tractor), over the spent land. Not only will they be able to eat and spread the manure, but they’ll eat the bugs that the manure attracts, and any grasses or grass seeds, leftover. We’re planning on running our pigs in our hop yard next year. We have fairly compacted, clay-y soil that does not drain water well at all. The pigs will turn over the soil, and add organic material (their poop), which will help the soil drain better. We’ll run the chickens after the pigs to spread the manure, eat the bugs the manure attracts, and add their own nitrogen-rich manure to the now exposed soil.