If you’re looking for how to grow free chicken feed, you’re in the right place. With rising feed prices and a desire for more sustainable living, many backyard chicken keepers are turning to their own gardens to supply nutritious, cost-effective options for their flocks. In today’s video, I’ll walk you through our very first attempt at growing five different types of grains for our chickens—sharing both the successes and the struggles—so you can get inspired and start planning your own chicken food plot, no matter your soil condition or experience level.
In this video, I take you on a walk through our very first chicken food plot and share our journey of trying to grow our own chicken feed from scratch. If you’ve ever wondered how to grow free chicken feed, this video offers a real-life look at both the challenges and the possibilities. We’re testing out five different grains for our backyard chickens this year: sunflowers, corn, amaranth, quinoa, and sorghum—each chosen for its ease of growing, caloric value, and ability to be stored for the winter months.
You’ll see what’s thriving, what completely flopped, and the honest lessons we’ve learned along the way. From poor soil and drainage issues to planting mistakes and unexpected wins, I’ll explain how each grain performed and why it may (or may not) be a good fit for your chicken feed garden. I’ll also give you helpful tips for harvesting and feeding—like how chickens can eat sunflower heads directly, or how sorghum doubles as a calorie-rich survival crop.
This isn’t a step-by-step tutorial on growing each crop, but rather a practical, inspiring guide to what grains you can grow on your own property to become more self-sufficient and cut back on expensive feed store trips. Toward the end of the video, I’ll share additional ways to reduce feed costs without planting anything—like utilizing kitchen scraps, garden leftovers, and fallen fruit from trees, which our chickens love.
Whether you’re dealing with poor soil, cold winters, or just want more control over what goes into your chickens’ diet, this video is packed with first-hand insights and ideas to help you move toward a more sustainable and affordable way of feeding your flock year-round.
