Feed Production on the Synchronistic Subsistence Homestead

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Every animal on the homestead must eat, including the homesteader. It is therefore surprising that so little attention is paid to producing the feed to feed them. So often we purchase our feed, and use our farming capabilities only to feed ourselves.

However, there are many negative marks for buying our feed. First, we have no idea what is in it. I had an older lady friend, Evelyn, that met a man who was a production turkey raiser. One day she was out at his farm purchasing some turkeys, and she noticed that he was going to a lot of trouble to preserve the turkey excrement. She asked the man why. He told her it was sold and used as a protein supplement for chicken feed. Evelyn's words to me were, "I decided right there that I could feed my chickens something better than turkey S**t!". I agree!

Then there is the issue of genetically modified organisms in our food, as well as the glyphosate which the feed is inevitably treated with. This food has been shown to be terrible for both humans, and the animals themselves, causing cancer, and other illnesses. There is also the issue of our pollinators being negatively affected as well. Now I am not going to go into all the details of this. Do your own research. However, I will say, I don't want it in my food! Do you want it in yours?

In addition, there is the excessive cost of producing meat, milk, and eggs, with purchased feed. Purchased feed is expensive, and if you choose to buy Organic feed, it is even more expensive. This cost is passed along to the homesteader.

No matter what, if one raises animals, there is going to be some cost, whether to a feed dealer, or through labor. However, the homesteader must decide just why they are homesteading in the first place. Is it to eat better, healthier food? Is it to prepare for the very real possibility that they might have to survive when there is a crash, or a war, or any other kind of devastating event? Either way, at the very least, there has to be a feed production PLAN!

So let's come up with a plan. I'm not saying one has to head out tomorrow, and produce all their own feed. What I am saying is that if indeed the homesteader is going to be self sufficient, we need to at least decide on what that looks like. Let the reader think about himself, or herself. If one had to produce all their own feed tomorrow, or starve, what would one do? I don't think the "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" approach will work very well in such a case!

Then we'll talk systems. Each animal system on the homestead has its own food needs. You've got your omnivores, and your ruminants, and even your carnivores in the form of dogs, and cats. The homesteaders also, if living in a cold climate, needs to figure out how to get their animals through winter, where nothing grows. The tropical people are lucky dogs! Ehh, maybe not, what about monsoon season?

The homesteader then not only needs to consider how to feed their animals in the their main growing season, but also how to store feed for their respective off-seasons. The size of that task depend upon the climate in which the homesteader lives. This means that each system will require a certain amount of storage crops, and living forage to survive.

Each system requires a basic level of nutrition for its survival, but more than that, it requires the proper nutrition to produce, meat, milk or eggs. I cannot hope to cover all of the nutritional needs of every animal in this context, though when we start to talk about each individual system, in their respective articles, I will attempt to gather as much information as possible, or I may do their individual nutritional needs in separate articles all together. In the meantime, I highly recommend the book from 1949: https://www.amazon.com/Feeds-Feeding-Handbook-Unabridged-Anniversary/dp/B0013PMO7S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504912064&sr=1-1&keywords=feeds+and+feeding+morrison This will be my primary reference.

Here, I think I will list as many of the feeds a homesteader can conceivably produce, as well as discuss some innovative ways to produce them, and generally give an overview of what can be done. So the following is a good starting list, and commentary.

Hay:

I thought I would start the list here, because hay has become the foundation of feeding much of the cattle across the United States. Hay is important. Hay is dried green plant matter, cured in the sun. This is not to be confused with straw, which is the already dried stalks from harvested grain. Hay, and straw are very different nutritionally, with straw having much less nutrition.

The question then becomes, what kind of hay? Hay can be made out of all kinds of plants. Some animals do better with a higher protein profile than others. Other animals will founder with too much protein. For instance goats do better with a southern pea hay, or an alfalfa that have more protein. Cattle do better on a good grass hay. Or better, a half and half mix, if one doesn't want to protein supplement. Here in OK, horse owners have to be careful with alfalfa, because of blister beetle which can make them very sick, if not kill them.

Hay is a great thing, but how about producing it on a small homestead? Locally, we have an Amish community, which still cuts their hay by hand. If one doesn't have a baler, it is still possible to put up hay with a sicklebar mower, and some good rakes, or even a string trimmer mower. I have made hay with a trimmer mower before, and it does a great job of cutting the crop close to the ground for raking, drying, and stacking.

How about storing hay in a stack? There is a learned talent to judging when hay is dry enough, but not so dry that it has not lost nutrition. When stacking hay it is very important to finding that perfect point, because if hay is too wet, it can spontaneously combust.

The best place to stack hay is in a metal building with a sound roof. This protects it from moisture, and helps it maintain it's nutritional value. Outdoor storage can be accomplished with good tarping, and by creating a domed shape to help the stack shed water.

I had a friend who made a special wooden box, just to make tiny hay bales for his rabbits. He laid cord or wire across the bottom with the ends hanging out, packed the box full of hay, smashing it down tightly with a tool to compress it, and then tied the bails closed. This done with a variety of hay, is an excellent choice for rabbits.

Let me just add the following article here on Southern Peas as hay. Southern peas can be raised across much of the US, though northern climes might be better off with a canadian pea, or some such.
https://www.feedipedia.org/node/233

Silage:

Another method of preserving green material for winter is silage. Silage is the process of preserving cut green material by fermentation. Now normally, in the past this was done in large farm silos. However, it can be done in something as small as a large leaf type garbage bag, tied closed to keep out air. Of course, these bags of silage would have to be stored carefully to keep them from breaking open. However, it is possible for the homesteader to store the bags on pallets. It is certainly not as light as hay, and would likely need to be an adjunct to some other winter feed, but it could be a viable resource to feed animals.

Cereal Grains:

Certainly the homesteader can grow a variety of these. It is a lot of work. However, it can be rewarding. Some choices are oats, wheat, barley, rye, etc... Once again the trimmer mower can come in handy here depending on the application. The grain can be cut, and raked, and shocked, then the chickens can be turned in to clean up the remains. Using a trimmer mower, will definitely leave some remains. Or the grain can be cut with a scythe, and the same plan followed.

Of course, it is also a good idea as I suggested in a previous post to take the opportunity to use you animals to harvest some crops themselves. This is best done in the fall of the year. A field, or fields, can be sown with more than one useful feed crop, and then the animals turned into that field to harvest for themselves, This can be very effective but some grain storage will still be needed to get the animals through winter.

Corn and Milo are also easy crops for the homesteader to raise. Milo being an excellent grain for chickens. Most flocks of chickens up to the early part of the 20th century, were raised with a good deal of Milo or Sorghum in their diets. Milo, corn, and free range can constitute a chicken's whole diet.

Seed Crops:

Sunflowers are also an excellent resource for feed, as are sesame, flax, amaranth, and other such things. These can be very easy for the homesteader to grow, and can produce a lot of important nutritional components to the diets of homestead animals. Seed crops can be grown as an adjunct to the garden. Even weed seeds from around the surrounding countryside can be collected in the fall to feed the animals, and even wider diet. Nothing wrong with hitting the highways and hedges for extra feed sources that require no labor on the homesteaders part in planting.

Root Crops:

Root crops such as, turnips, radishes, beets, carrots, celeriac, hamburg parsley, and a variety of others, can be raised for feeding to pigs, chickens, rabbits, goats, etc... Some of these crops are very easy to grow, grow in a short season, so are ready quickly, and produce a HUGE harvest of feed! These crops can be stored in clamps, and some like carrots, can be stored in the ground. I have also used turnips to crowd out perennial weeds, while growing into fine pig food. A decent field of root crops can provide a LOT of feed for winter, and can also feed the homesteader as well.

Pumpkins and Squash:

Pumpkins, and squash are great feed for just about anything, and they will store a long long time, in the proper conditions, which is a frost free environment. My problems here hasn't be getting enough pumpkins, but having enough frost free space for it all! However, nearly everything thrives on at least a little squash. The seeds also help control parasites. A small field of pumpkins will produce plenty for the average homestead.

Peas and Beans:

There are some beans and peas out there that can really also add to the feed nutrition, with their high protein, and ease of storage. Sprouting them, even makes them better feed. It is important to pick the right ones, as some of them such as Kidney beans have poisonous lectins that are better left alone in large quantities. However things like, soy beans, mung beans, and peas, can make high protein additions to the feed.

Bugs, Larvae, and Worms:

The homesteader who can take advantage of these for his omnivorous livestock, can really boost his protein content, and also provide, an inexpensive resource to his animals. Worms are great for the garden, and great for the poultry as well. Meal worms, are another great protein resource. Even fly larva, can be a resource.

Now Obviously, the best diet for most animals is the widest variety the homesteader can provide. In other words, the homesteader should not just pick one feed, and focus all his energy on that, as animals need variety to meet their nutritional needs. However, by even adding a few of these things to the homestead, the feed bill can become a thing of the past. It is labor intensive, but can provide great reward, and can insure that the homesteader is fully prepared to survive, and thrive in any eventuality that can be survived.

So there you have it, Feed Production. I will be returning to this as we go along, because I want the time to do some of these things in detail, providing pictures, and greater instruction. But this is a good overview to get the Steemit homesteading community thinking about true self-reliance. Love to all! See you next post!