Based on the recommendation from long-time internet acquaintance, a dairy farmer in New York who also raised numerous other livestock and who sees what’s coming in this country, I picked up two copies of Morrison’s Feeds and Feeding: A Handbook for the Student and the Stockman off Amazon or Ebay, one for each of my younger daughters. However, I would never call it a handbook. I don’t think I could carry it in one hand for more than a minute before starting to cry. My copy is basically a college level textbook of the 1940s with over 1000 pages of fine print. (Get those reading glasses out. As well as some heavy caffeine.) It’s not exactly what you would call a page-turner, unless you’re just hoping to get to the end faster.
Morrison’s Feeds and Feeding is written for professionals rather than the individual with only a couple of animals and no concerns about feeding them properly. It would be of little practical use to the casual hobby farmer today. If, however, you’re concerned about being able to raise a herd or flock without the benefit of commercial feeds (because there is none being manufactured or shipped), this just might be the reference for you. And if insomnia plagues you, reading this will put you to sleep. That or being knocked on the head with it.
This manual is packed—absolutely loaded—with detailed information on exactly what to feed livestock and when, taking into account the quality of pasture and other feeds so that you can adjust feed options to what you have on hand—plants you can grow and utilizing alternatives like pumpkin, etc. In addition, nutritional needs based on desired nutritional value of the end product are also discussed. We learn that in some cases, the quality of the feed does not affect the nutritional value of the product, say milk, but poor feeds will reduce the amount of food produced. If we’re really trying to provide for our families in uncertain times, and if choices in feed are restricted, we need to know what the consequences will be. It’s important to know whether the product is so low in nutritional value that it shouldn’t be consumed, or whether the food perfectly acceptable nutritionally but simply will not be produced in the volume it used to be.
Unfortunately, Feeds and Feeding does not cover the feeding of chickens or other poultry, rabbits, nor exotic animals like llamas and alpacas. (At least, my edition, the 20th, published in 1947, does not.) The focus is strictly on beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. It does include discussion of the nutritional needs of animals in their various stages of life—pregnant, newborn, yearlings, males or female, as well as recommendations for supplemental feeding based on whether the animals are grazing on fair, good, or excellent pasture.
If you’re raising livestock and are concerned about being able to feed them without access to commercial feed, and you have the land to be able to grow feed for them, you may want to pick up a copy. I bought my hardback copies for around $12; it appears prices have risen a bit, unfortunately, though it is also available on Kindle for about $10.
Pre-Purina chicken feeding. Everybody knows about cracked corn, chicken love it but it's high carb, low protein. The candy bar of chickens.
ReplyDeleteCracked corn is my "Shake the can" get the chickens in the henhouse treat. Nice for predator or storm is nearby.
You need to add protein for their health and EGG Production.
Cooked field peas and beans were mashed along with cracked corn and grains. Recipes from "Scientific Farming Bulletins of the 1890's" used 50% beans-peas to 50 percent mixed cracked corn and grains.
Often the whole mixture was boiled and served moist.
Modern alt Chicken raisers use fermentation as part of the process, and I can understand as most grains (and beans not cooked) are not very digestible. THAT and records show same egg production-meat gain with noticeable less feed purchased. Some claim almost 10% less feed needed.
Chickens are Omnivorous. It's quite the sight to see a field mouse make the error of getting into the chicken's yard and be hunted down. Extra fun to watch the ENTIRE Flock CHASE that Chicken to get that mouse.
Chickens will happily eat slaughter waste, roadkill and predators you've killed defending them. They cannot open the furry carcass so you must slit it open. They'll leave but fur and bones when done.
Unless you're swamping your flock with massive roadkill stuff little smell as they clean up every drab.
Some folks use roadkill in a bucket trick for soldier fly-larvae breeding. You can look that up. Very smelly in my experience but effective.
Heritage Chickens love to forage as well as go broody. Mostly bred out of more modern chickens but I notice most of them can learn from other Heritage Chickens how to BE Chickens instead of cage critters.
If you try to feed them just what they can forage and cracked corn your production of eggs and meat will be almost halved from expected from Purina Laying chow.
These are great recommendations. And I totally concur about their love of mice. We found, unfortunately, after a long winter in Missouri that mice had infested our tractor barn. And in the process of cleaning out the barn we came across a couple of mouse nests. Those babies are like Jelly Bellies for chickens.
DeleteI agree this is the best handbook on livestock feeding out there.
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestion! The "survival library" is my job & I see a whole area that needs attention. Thank you.
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