If you raise chickens let me ask you a question: Would you like to know where you might get some free food for them? Some time back our friend Herrick Kimball wrote a post at his blog about free chicken feed. You can read it here: http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2006/11/free-chicken-feed.html
Well, in the interest of helping my fellow poultry keepers, I want to share another story about free chicken feed.
About 30 years ago I was the assistant manager at Fantastic Caverns north of Springfield, MO. http://www.fantasticcaverns.com/ At that time my wife and I were living in our mobile home out by the caverns. It was there we raised our first batch of 25 fryers. Lacking an outbuilding, we set up a brooder box for them in the extra bedroom. When they had feathered out and were ready to leave the brooder, I made a pen for them that measured about 8 feet by 8 feet. Half the top was solid and the other half was poultry wire on a wood frame.
Among my many responsibilities at work was the overseeing of the snack bar. Each evening I would bring home the left over popcorn. Yes, we made fresh everyday. Generally this amounted to 2 - 4 gallons of popped corn. The chickens loved it and thrived.
Well I got to thinking about that the other day and got to wondering where I could get free popcorn now. Actually some friends of ours own Ozark Mountain Popcorn http://www.ozarkmountainpopcorn.com/ so I asked them if they ever had any waste popcorn. Well sure they do and they are happy to give me some now and then. Typically I receive 55 gallon plastic trash can liner full. The corn is "plain" that is without any added flavors or salt. In return I take them a dozen fresh hen fruits from time to time.
The hens love the popcorn. During these cold winter months, I continue to feed a commercial feed but only about 50% of what I was feeding before. Once spring arrives and the vegetation and bugs re-appear, I expect to cut out all commercial chicken feed.
Now where can you get free popcorn? I suggest you check with movie theaters, indoor sporting arenas (don’t overlook college or university sports arenas), and baseball or softball facilities. The corn you receive at these sources will likely be salted but based on my past experience, that will not be a detriment to your flock.
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3 comments:
That's a great idea. I think I'll call some of the local theaters. We have found that gleaning local fields after a fall harvest has produced a lot of chicken feed for us, especially sorghum fields where the heads were cut and left, or where the plants were too small and left intact. Thanks for the heads up
So glad I have found you through Missouri Rev's site! Don't know how I missed it before. Great site and uplifting to find 'another one' out there.
Hello Pilgrim!
Thank you for stopping by. Hope you'll come back now and again.
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