Feed is one of the most important resources on a farm. Everyone must eat, and what they eat makes a huge difference in the quality of the finished product. Traditional wisdom points farmers to commercially produced animal feed for each species, containing everything that the particular animal needs to meet nutritional requirements. The problem with this, for me, is that I have no faith that "man" does a good job in understanding the needs of a species. Even with humans, nutritionist are constantly making new discoveries, mostly about the mistakes of previous discoveries. Every decade the nutritional guidelines for humans have shifted dramatically. Why would we assume that this is any easier or better for animals than humans?
So, the question is what to do. Our goal at Little Sprouts is to provide as natural a life as possible for each animal. This includes food. I am therefore on a mission to discover just what these animals eat in nature, and how to provide that at the absolute lowest cost on the farm. This is a new and exciting problem to solve. Everyone I turn there are conflicting ideas and advice. As usual, I expect to find the best truth hidden across all these extremes.
The animals most critical at this time are the hogs, turkeys, and chickens. The lambs are good with nothing but grass as long as the pasture grows green. As we explore these issues, I will post findings and ideas here. If any readers have ideas to add, feel free to post comments below. Its never bad to collect more information and views!
Follow along our adventure as we make the transition from corporate city life to the world of natural farming. Each day brings a new experience and brings us to a deeper understanding about the life and spirit that made America great. At our farm we do our best to give the animals we raise a natural, free, happy, stressfree lifestyle. Our mission is to learn and share how to manage a farming operation that is both profitable and humane.
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