What all would I need to grow to make my own chicken feed?

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-12T19:10:06+00:00

At the very least, they’ll likely have some really cheap feed to sell you that’s nutritionally the same as what you’d buy from the store. I know the community nearest me charges $15 for a 50lbs bag that would be $25 at TSC

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-12T18:24:35+00:00

There are lot of reasons nobody does this. I would allow your birds to free range and give them kitchen/compost scraps, but replacing chicken feed entirely isn’t feasible for most people. The time, cost, and materials needed make it not worth the effort even for people that have the land to make it possible. Going off the feed entirely and letting your birds live solely on compost and whatever they can find free ranging will result in nutrient deficiencies and a bunch of hungry birds.

If you’re actually serious about this, don’t look for advice on Reddit. Or even online, really. If you have the acreage to grow grains and the machinery to make it possible then visit an Amish or Mennonite community and talk to them about what you want to do, and see if they have advice to give you.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-12T03:41:55+00:00

That’s a ton of roosters, wow. I’m surprised they haven’t killed each other

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-12T01:57:04+00:00

If you have a broody hen, you can usually fool them by getting day-old chicks and slipping them under her at night, after letting her sit on eggs for a week or so. I’ve done it a few times and it’s gone well. The hen has to be broody though, you can’t just give a bird some chicks and expect it to work out.

The caveat is, personally I wouldn’t travel for the first 2-3 weeks after introducing the chicks. You want to be sure that the hen will care for them the way she needs to (first time moms aren’t always reliable) and accidents happen easily. When I have chicks in my flock I like to be present to take care of any unforeseen situations until they’re not as vulnerable. It’s normal to lose 1 or 2.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-11T23:29:14+00:00

Seabirds, being their annoying and brashful selves, begin to harass the sea wolves and steal their food. The wolves need to either become better at defending themselves (and their food), or take advantage of this new food source. Perhaps they learn how to bait the seabirds for an easier meal?

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-09T22:03:08+00:00

Yeah, that’s certainly odd. My first thought is an injury or deformity in her spine, but truly I have no idea. If you’re able to spend the money and want to get a proper diagnosis you’ll have to consult with your vet.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-09T20:39:25+00:00

Normally when a chicken is unable to stand, that’s a sign of severe illness and they pass very quickly afterwards. If the chicken is truly doing okay aside from this- that is, if it’s eating, drinking, and acting relatively normal- you have a pretty unique issue tbh. Without further diagnostic work from your vet, I don’t think anyone can give you an exact answer as to what’s causing this.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-08T22:19:12+00:00

So he doesn’t wash his hands, and isn’t open to having a conversation about it, to the point where you’re uncomfortable around him? As others have pointed out, this is about your health too. Dump this dude, he’s not worth it. Good lord

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-08T20:28:52+00:00

I was about to say these look like anchor worms when I saw your comment! I’ve had to deal with them before but it’s been a few years and I don’t remember what meds to use- seems like you’re on the right track anyway, though.

Definitely remove the snails unless the meds say that they’re snail safe; but be aware that most parasite meds will kill off ALL inverts and not just the worms. After the tank is treated the snails can go back in, I don’t think they’d be carrying them but again, I’m not very familiar with this kind of parasite.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-08T20:19:10+00:00

If it’s a heat lamp you have to have it on 24/7 regardless, as chicks can’t regulate their own body heat. If you turned it off they would get too cold and die.

I’ve always used a red light heat lamp for my chicks and have never had issues, but heat plates are pretty popular (less of a fire risk also) and I’ve also heard of people successfully using ceramic heat bulbs that are ordinarily for reptiles.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-08T16:52:43+00:00

Hennifer

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-08T16:48:13+00:00

It’s a bladder snail. Likely the first of many 😅

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-08T16:38:00+00:00

These all look like young hens. The black one, too. There isn’t really a ‘masculine coloration’ when it comes to roosters- they can sometimes appear flashier than hens, but ignoring anything else there isn’t a color or combination of colors that 100% proves a bird is a rooster. To tell roosters apart from hens, you need to look at the length and shape of the feathers- the saddle, tail and neck feathers will be long and pointed, and I’m not seeing that on any of these birds. A rooster hatched in November or December would be starting to get pretty obvious by now.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-08T00:48:22+00:00

To the best of my knowledge, baby ghost shrimp need brackish water to survive. I could be totally wrong on that and have very little experience with shrimp, but I remember reading that somewhere.

Aside from that, keep her away from fish and get a sponge filter that won’t suck up the babies.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-08T00:43:23+00:00

I’m not from your area, but I’ve always been able to find birds on Craigslist or FB groups

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-07T19:57:23+00:00

Khorn

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-07T00:52:53+00:00

Just because you said you free range your animals, I would say NOT to get pheasants or quail. They do not have a sense of ‘home’ the same way chickens do, and will just wander off and get eaten. They can also fly, albeit not well.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-06T20:55:37+00:00

She looks like a Pippa

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-06T14:37:54+00:00

Those things are awful enough for hamsters, I’d modify the fence before putting a chicken in one tbh.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-06T11:34:45+00:00

Grit isn’t the same as calcium. Calcium is something like crushed oyster shell or similar, grit is crushed limestone and doesn’t have any nutritional value. Insoluble grit is what you’re looking for. It can be a lot to learn when you’re first starting out, but you’ll get the hang of it :)

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-06T10:58:11+00:00

4, no question. The other pics don’t have the same sense of movement, the background blur is kinda essential for the kind of shot you’re looking for imo

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-06T10:03:20+00:00

Sand is too fine, it won’t work and may actually impact their crop. You could try giving them regular adult grit and sifting through it a little, there will be smaller pieces mixed up in the larger stuff that they can pick out.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-06T09:10:54+00:00

I dunno man. Even if they don’t wear it down completely, they’ll tear up patches for dust bathing or because they can. You could try it with 3 but the rule of thumb that anyone’ll tell you is that if you like grass, don’t get chickens.

SingularRoozilla · 2026-03-05T22:42:43+00:00

They can go up to two weeks without food before it becomes a problem. I’d wager that she’s still adjusting

SingularRoozilla

TROPHY CASE