Knowing alternative methods to feed your flock when SHTF puts you in an excellent position should the time ever come.
It is no rocket science that your chickens have to be kept fed if you want any benefit from them. It’s as they say: “never starve the hens that lay the eggs!”
The inability to keep your flock fed can have terrible consequences. A hungry flock does not lay eggs & it’s only a matter of time before you eat them all and have to barter your valuables with someone who has managed to keep his.
To ensure that this doesn’t happen, we discussed the use of biodegradable materials to keep your chickens fed. Let’s see what other options you can take to keep the wings flapping even when the food grid collapses.
Two Effective Alternative Methods to Feed Your Flock When SHTF
Free Ranging
If you & your flock live in an area you can consider safe; then free ranging is an excellent idea. However, I doubt that there’s a secure region when SHTF, so you may have to erect a large fenced-in space with a lot of meal opportunities. Some people may choose to allow their chicks to roam an unlimited area, but I think that’s not advisable. Chickens are natural wanderers & they may end up going too far than they should — although I should mention that they hardly do so.
Chicken in a large area where foraging can be practiced can be self-sufficient. I’m sure they’d have done very fine if they were the only animals in The Animal Farm. They always have insects & plant materials to feed on.
Here are steps to follow if you intend to employ free ranging:
Erect a Fence to Keep Them Limited
Find an area that has plenty of items that can be foraged by your chickens. Remember that rocks & clay should not be the only things in the area you choose to use.
Your flock needs access to soft soil to scratch their bodies with. They also have to be provided with non-poisonous plants from which they can eat. If you own an orchid, you should let your chickens roam around to eat fallen fruits.
Provide a Coop
Free-range or not, your chickens always need a place to lay at. They also need a place to find cover when it rains or blows too hard. Your coop can take the shape of a large structure where they are all packed when it’s nightfall, OR it could be several nest boxes, with each made to house a specific number of chickens. The latter is usually healthier.
Ensure Your Chickens are Getting Properly Fed
Not every bird takes well to free-range feeding. Normally, heirloom breeds like Rhode Island Reds & Leghorns are the best to use for free-ranging. So, you may want to start keeping some of them now.
However, if you find out that your chickens are not adapting to free-ranging very well, you’ll have to supplement their foods. You can set up a compost heap within the range for more nutrients. In fact, I suggest that you feed your flock kitchen scraps & other nutritious items whether or not they are doing well as free-rangers.
Give them that extra boost.
Pasture-raising
Pasture-raising is a great idea if your region contains a lot of low-growing vegetation. Here are the necessary steps should you choose to use this system of alternative feeding that’s becoming a far in recent years:
Decide if you’re Using Tractors or Allowing Your Chickens to Range
When practicing pasture-raising, there are two major approaches: a large, movable structure or a mobile fence.
Tractors may be better because they are an all-in-one technique. A single structure contains the coop, run & protection. The main disadvantage of this system is that you have to move the tractor at the end of every day.
Your structure must be colossal if you’re keeping a large number of chickens in a single movable pen. If the structure becomes too big, you’ll have to use a vehicle for daily moving.
Ranging your chickens is also good as the system allows them to feed in a particular location for some days. Fences built for this purpose are easier to move too.
The downside of this structure is that you need separate coops for egg-laying & night sleeps. The chickens also have to be released every morning & put away when it’s night.
Buy the Equipment
Having settled for one between a chicken tractor & mobile fencing, you have to buy what you need. You can always find a couple of chicken tractor designs online.
If you’re going with mobile fences, you’ll have to get an electric poultry fence if your infrastructure is still in good shape. You can build this around your structure using jumper cables, a car battery & chicken wire. This may not look very fine, but it is enough to prevent unwanted chicken movements.
Get Your Fence or Tractor Where Necessary
When you’re done buying what’s important, it is time to design the feeding area. If you’re using the tractor, you’ll have to attach it to your vehicle & drive it wherever you want. Your chickens know what to do when they see pasture.
On the other hand, place your coop where you want your chickens. Set up your fence around it & connect it to power.
Manage Your Flock
Pasture-raising does not require a lot of labor. If your setup is done properly, you shouldn’t need up to 45 minutes to do the feeding in a day. Move your fenced ranges every 4-5 days & your tractors every 2-3 days, depending on the size. Conduct daily checks to ensure the flock is getting enough to eat.
Concluding the Alternative Methods to Feed Your Flock When SHTF
Flock feeding in the absence of a functioning food network must be carefully handled. It is easy to let chickens starve to death due to the absence of their regular feed, but it would be very unwise to do so. It takes little effort to set up any alternative methods to feed your flock when SHTF as discussed above. There is, therefore, no reason not to keep your chickens cackling & laying. Keep those critters fed!