Stop Buying Chicken Feed: Grow These 6 Free Plants Instead

What if you could dramatically reduce how much chicken feed you buy by growing food for your flock right in your own backyard? In this video, we're looking at **6 powerful plants that can become part of a low-cost, forage-based chicken feeding system**: comfrey, mulberry, sunflower, amaranth, moringa, and Jerusalem artichoke. These aren't exotic plants that require complicated equipment. Several can be harvested repeatedly, while others reseed themselves or continue producing for years. The goal isn't to suddenly stop feeding your chickens commercial feed overnight — it's to gradually build a more self-sufficient homestead where your flock gets more of its food from your own land. I'll show you what each plant offers, where it fits around your chicken run, and the important mistakes you need to avoid. Most importantly, I'll explain the lesson I learned the hard way: **protein isn't everything.** Laying hens also need adequate calcium and minerals for healthy eggshells. That's why the video covers oyster shell, grit, gradual feed reduction, and why forage should supplement your chickens' diet rather than blindly replacing a balanced layer ration. ### 🌱 THE 6 PLANTS 00:00 Stop Buying Chicken Feed? 00:45 The Real Cost of Chicken Feed 01:55 #1 Comfrey — The "Chicken Candy" 04:05 #2 Mulberry — Food for Decades 06:05 #3 Sunflowers — Energy-Packed Chicken Feed 07:55 #4 Amaranth — Leaves + Seeds 09:45 #5 Moringa — The Protein Powerhouse 11:35 #6 Jerusalem Artichoke — The Hidden Feed Crop 13:20 How to Combine All 6 Into One Feed System 14:35 How Much Money Can You Actually Save? 15:25 The Calcium Mistake I Made The script's central idea is simple: plant food for your chickens now, establish it properly, and gradually reduce your dependence on purchased feed over time. 🌱 **PLANTS COVERED:** • Comfrey • Mulberry • Sunflowers • Amaranth • Moringa • Jerusalem artichoke / sunchoke 🐔 **YOU'LL ALSO LEARN:** • How to grow your own chicken forage • Which plants provide protein and energy • Which plants can come back year after year • How to use a chicken run as part of a feed system • Why calcium matters for laying hens • Why oyster shell should remain available • How to transition gradually away from expensive feed • How to start even with a small backyard flock 💬 **QUESTION FOR YOU:** Which of these six plants are you already growing for your chickens? And tell me where you're watching from. I'd love to see how many different climates are represented in our homesteading community. 👍 If this video helped you think differently about feeding your flock, give it a LIKE and SUBSCRIBE for more practical homesteading, gardening, chicken-keeping, and food-independence ideas. The goal isn't just to raise chickens. It's to build a homestead that depends less on the feed store every year. #ChickenFeed #ChickenKeeping #BackyardChickens #Homesteading #Homestead