KW Homestead

Pasture Raised Poultry & Edible Landscaping Plants Since 2013

Tag: non gmo feed

Ethically Raised Meat in the Triad, NC

Ethically raising meat is about looking beyond oneself to the greater health landscape: the health of our planet, our family, and the animals we raise.

Raising meat in an ethical way is about raising animals with respect and considering their instincts and innate needs as living things: room to roam, healthy and wild food to eat, social interaction and freedom from fear, and optimal health.

This is why we raise all of our animals on pasture, outside, breathing the fresh air—where animals belong! This is also why we are committed to feeding all of our birds and mammals non-GMO feed. Non-GMO feed limits the pesticides that burn our soils, and keeps us (and our animals) from ingesting harmful doses of toxic chemicals.

Raising animals in an ethical way also means that we raise our birds so that we actually rebuild the soil, rather than destroy it. Our animals are moved to new pasture frequently, allowing the old pasture to regrow and rebuild. We practice rotational grazing so that different species (including the cows) rotate over the same landscape and add their own microbial and micronutrient contribution back to the soil, making the soil even richer and alive than when we found it.

We strive rebuild our land, our health, and our relationship with nature one day at a time.

Consider giving the gift of ethically raised meat this Christmas, as either a KW Homestead gift certificate or a Chicken CSA package! Message us for details!

How Does 4,000 Pounds of Animal Feed Sound?

We were desperately in need of animal feed for the upcoming season…

hallway

A sad, empty stairwell!

We decided that it was easier (in the long run) and better to order many, many bags of feed instead of our usual 15 or so.

And since we help supply the Triad area with non-GMO feed, we thought it was a good idea to prepare ourselves for the winter months.

We ordered our non-GMO feed from Barrier Farms, focusing on layer feed (for the laying ducks) and broiler feed (for the turkeys and next batch of Pekin ducklings that arrive before Thanksgiving) for the colder, time of sparser forage ahead.

Jason went and picked them up and then we stacked 80 bags of feed in the usual storage location…

Before!

Before!

After!

After!

So the next time you need local, non-GMO feed, give us a call… 336.419.0724!

Let's hope they don't slide down the stairs!

Let’s hope they don’t slide down the stairs!

.:.

 

 

Cleanup Ducks

Our flock of Golden Layer and Cayuga ducks are a hungry bunch. They spend their days hunting bugs and nibbling on weeds in between twice daily feedings of our non-gmo feed.

feeding ducks

Some of our ducks, lining up to be fed

We keep them on a pretty tight diet, otherwise they would get a little too big and their egg laying would suffer down the road. As such, they are always on the lookout for a snack, usually a grasshopper or a bite of clover, but their ravenous appetite can be put to other use on the homestead.

turkey tracto

hungry ducks following and cleaning up after the turkeys

You see, our heritage turkeys are currently in a move-able tractor that we paddock across the pasture daily. They also get a ration of non-gmo feed, but they tend to waste a good bit of it, especially the smaller pieces. This is where the ducks come in handy. Because they are so keen on finding food, we can easily herd our flock to the recently vacated space left by the turkey tractor where they furiously search for and cleanup any leftover and wasted grain. They glean a fair amount of food value form the turkey leavings, which otherwise would go to waste.

A win-win for all!

 

How Much Feed and Water do Ducklings Need?

Now that you have your day old ducklings  in their brooder(seriously, aren’t they cute?)it’s time to feed and water them.

feed ducklings

baby ducks!

What to feed them?

We feed Non-GMO Starter, a 22% protein mash that provides all the nutrients and energy for fast growing baby ducks. We also like to throw in a chunk of sod from the pasture, to give them some exposure to soil microorganisms, grit, grass and bugs.

ducklings grass

learning how to graze pasture!

How much do they eat?

The rule of thumb for ducklings, and most other baby animals, is to give them free choice access to their feed for the first days/week. After this point, ducks that are being raised to breed, or for egg production, are best off being fed a restricted diet based on age. This helps to control excessive weight gain, which can lead to lower fertility and decreased egg production.

ducklings water

ducklings are very messy, the paper towels help somewhat to keep their bedding dry

Metzer farms has a great article on the daily feed/water consumption and manure output for ducklings based on age. According to this chart, our 67 ducklings should have eaten .5 lb of feed each over their first week of life, or about 33.5 lbs. total. Judging by whats left in the 50 lb. bag of starter, I don’t think they have eaten quite that much, but they were traveling in a box for 2 days, so that might have skewed the figures.

The chart also shows that each duckling will drink almost 1/2 gallon of water during their first week of life, and up to 2 gallons of water per week as they get older. I think that our duck nipple waterers help them drink more efficiently though.

ducklings funny

you talking to me?

As for manure output, after 1 week, ducklings deposit almost 1 pound each, and by 7 weeks they are dropping 7 pounds each per week! That’s a lot of fertility! Now, these numbers are “wet” numbers and are mostly water,but still, that’s pretty impressive.

 

*Tired of feeding chemical genetically modified chicken feed to your flock? Check out our freshly milled, non gmo layer feed!

Non GMO Duck Starter

What do you feed 67 day old ducklings?

Non GMO Duck Starter!

In this video our new ducklings give their opinion on our 22% protein Chick Starter feed. It’s high in protein and nutrients for rapid growth and development of goslings, ducklings, and chicks and made from 100% GMO free ingredients with no antibiotics or hormones.

If you are in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Stokes or Rockingham county make sure to pick up a bag of the freshest Non GMO feed in the Triad. It’s duckling approved!

We also have layer, broiler/grower, pig, and any other livestock feed you can think of, as well as organic fertilizers and mineral supplements. Find out how to order here.

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