Pros and Cons of Growing Your Own Animal Feed

Whether you’re raising livestock to sell, eat or produce milk, eggs and cheese, feeding your animals high-quality food is a must. Of course, doing so can become quite expensive, especially when supply and demand fluctuate so quickly. By now, you might even wonder whether growing your own feed is a better alternative. After all, if you want to be fully self-sufficient, you’ll have to make the switch eventually, so why not now?

Weighing the pros and cons will help you decide which option is right for you and your specific situation.

Advantages of Growing Your Own Feed

There are numerous advantages to growing your own animal feed, the most notable being self-sufficiency. Once you’ve established your fields and gardens, you’ll no longer have to rely on other farmers and producers for feed. Thus, you won’t have to worry about fluctuating prices or whether a certain ingredient is available. Instead, you can go off-grid and maintain a self-sustaining operation.

Of course, doing so can also benefit your budget, you and your livestocks’ health and the environment. Plus, cultivating your own feed crops isn’t as difficult as it might sound, so it may be a wise option for homesteaders and survivalists who wish to live independently.

More Affordable in the Long-Term

One of the greatest advantages to growing your own feed is affordability. Letting your livestock out to pasture and raising free-range birds is much more cost-effective when compared to visiting a feed store each week. Plus, letting your animals graze is one of the easiest ways to promote optimal health and nutrition, especially in cattle and horses.

If you don’t have room for a full pasture, consider growing hay instead. Cultivating this herbaceous plant requires less space and a single acre can feed one to two large livestock. Meanwhile, goat owners may harvest enough to feed their entire herd, which stretches their feed — and dollars — much further.

Farmers and homesteaders who already manage cropland might also minimize feed costs by allowing their cattle to graze unused fields. Cows enjoy eating plant remnants, weeds and wildflowers, so they’ll quickly clear any unwanted growth. Plus, they’ll help fertilize the field as they munch, which aids in regenerative agriculture and allows you to easily rotate your crops once the cattle have had their fill.

Do you own pigs and chickens? These animals are even easier to feed as much of their diet consists of table scraps, leftover produce and lawn trimmings. Skins, tops and bruised areas on fruits and vegetables are all fair game, too. Even spoiled milk and meat cuttings can become food for swine.

Of course, you should still supplement your animals’ diets with grains. Raising your own fodder provides a cheap alternative to purchasing seeds and directly feeding them to your livestock. In fact, you can easily quadruple your feed supply by sprouting the seeds and harvesting the fodder every seven days. Try making fodder from wheat, barley, whole oats and even sunflower seeds to add variety and correct any possible nutrition deficiencies. 

Allows You to Control Ingredients

Growing your own feed also allows you to control the ingredients your livestock consume, which is especially important for pregnant, lactating and newborn animals. These creatures need more proteins, minerals and other nutrients during intense stages of growth to fuel higher energy expenditures. Luckily, you can alter the quality and quantity of various ingredients in their feed mix to help them gain weight and care for their young. 

Because you’ll do all the growing yourself, you’ll know exactly what kinds of chemicals — if any — were used on the crops. Meanwhile, if you were to purchase feed from the store, you’d have no way of knowing if the mix came into contact with pesticides during the production or distribution process. Unfortunately, a mix-up could prove fatal for your herd or create animals that produce contaminated meat. 

Homesteaders and survivalists who have convictions about raising GMO-free animals may also prefer to grow their own feed. That’s because most middle-of-the-road mixes will contain genetically modified ingredients. So, unless you’re willing to pay a pretty penny for organic feed, you and your animals will inevitably consume GMOs.    

Reduces Pollution

Industrial agriculture relies heavily on fertilizers and pesticides to control vermin and improve crop yields. However, these materials often contain chemicals that can pollute the environment. For instance, nitrogen-based fertilizers pollute the air with greenhouse gases and waterways with toxic runoff that can decimate wildlife populations and contaminate vital freshwater sources.

Chemical pesticides can also pollute the air and food, which may spell trouble for both animals and the people that consume them. Meanwhile, insects, fungus and other pests continue to build resistance to pesticides, thereby rendering them ineffective. Subsequently, farmers are adding more powerful — and potentially toxic — compounds to their fields in an attempt to protect their crops.

Fortunately, your animals can provide fertilizer and natural pest control for all kinds of crops. Once they do, you can get away with using little to no chemicals, which can minimize pollution and help protect fragile ecosystems.

For instance, free-range chickens enjoy hunting for food and will chase down locusts, grubs and other creepy crawlies that frequently feast on crops. Subsequently, you won’t have to use as much chemical spray to protect your fields. Chickens, cows and other livestock also fertilize the soil with manure, which means you can leave inorganic fertilizers on the shelf.

Minimizes Waste

Americans waste nearly 40 million tons of food each year — or 30 to 40% of the entire U.S. food supply. Sadly, most of this waste ends up in landfills where it decomposes and releases methane, a major contributor of climate change. However, those who make their own animal feed can minimize waste by feeding table scraps and extra produce to pigs and chickens. Of course, these animals will still emit methane, but they’ll add much less of it to the atmosphere than food.

Growing your own feed also reduces packaging waste. For example, when you purchase a bag of feed, you end up with the bag and a receipt, both of which will likely end up in the trash. However, raising your crops at home allows you to skip the packaging process. At the very most, you might rely on reusable bags to transport feed to troughs. However, this option uses fewer resources and, therefore, produces less waste at the end of its lifecycle. 

Intensive agriculture also tends to waste land through soil degradation. This process decreases the long-term ability of soils to produce food, eventually rendering certain plots of land barren and useless. In many cases, fertilizers, greenhouse gases, acidification and loss of genetic diversity are the main contributors to soil degradation and subsequent waste. However, as long as your system stays small and you rely on your livestock for fertilizer and pest control, you’ll likely preserve the soil rather than waste it.

Disadvantages of Growing Your Own Feed

Of course, there are a few downsides to growing your own animal feed, including initial costs and space requirements. Plus, if you don’t have a greenhouse or hydroponic garden, your crops will be at the mercy of mother nature, who could wipe out your entire crop.

Becoming more aware of these and other similar disadvantages will help you weigh the pros and cons and make the best decision for you and your particular situation.

Requires a Large Initial Investment

While growing feed for your livestock might save more money in the long run, doing so will require a larger initial investment. Therefore, unless you plan to slowly transition to homegrown food, you must save enough cash to start and maintain a self-sufficient setup.

For example, chickens and pigs might eat table scraps, but you’ll still have to grind their food before feeding it to them. This step is especially important for chickens because they don’t have teeth to chew. Thus, you may have to invest in a mill to grind grains and other produce into fine dust or paste.

Smaller operations may use a meat grinder or food processor instead. However, a mill is certainly superior in terms of speed and capacity, so you might end up dropping a few thousand dollars on machinery from the get-go. Gardening supplies, tools and materials for planters or a greenhouse can also increase start-up costs, especially if you don’t already have these items or want to upgrade to higher-quality ones.

Do you plan to graze your animals or keep free-range birds? While these solutions may save money on feed costs, you’ll likely have to purchase more land. Then, you must buy fencing to contain your livestock. Whether you choose electric, wire or wood fencing, you’ll likely shell out thousands of dollars just to keep the animals on your property.

Demands Space

Letting livestock graze will obviously demand more space. However, if you’re unable to purchase more land, you’ll have to work within your property lines, which can affect your family’s food supply. For instance, making a feed-specific garden might leave less room for a personal one, thereby forcing you to buy groceries rather than grow them.

Storing equipment, seeds and feed mixes will also require a fair bit of space. Therefore, you may have to build a shed or rent a storage facility to accommodate your storage needs. Use old grain bins to protect feed from precipitation and grain bags to keep pests out. These two methods are the most effective. Meanwhile, those who don’t have enough space might make grain piles, which are more susceptible to animals and the weather. 

If you truly don’t have the space to store equipment, food and other necessary materials, consider working with a like-minded neighbor to access more land. For instance, you might offer meat, dairy and homemade canned goods in exchange for a small plot in your fellow homesteader’s backyard. Many farmers and herders will also trade land for goods and services. However, making these connections will take time and effort. Plus, the more deals you make, the less self-sufficient your operation will become.

Puts You At the Mercy of Nature

Unless you have enough indoor space to accommodate a large garden or plenty of fodder, your crops will live and die by mother nature. Inclement weather like early frosts, high winds, extreme temperatures and heavy rainfall — or lack thereof — can dramatically hinder crop yields. Meanwhile, you’ll have to purchase more food to replace lost crops.

Regions that experience the seasons may also have trouble producing feed year-round. Unless you have enough room to cultivate an indoor garden or greenhouse, most of your crops will die during the winter. Consequently, unprepared survivalists and homesteaders will have no choice but to hunt down imported feeds or purchase ingredients from indoor farming facilities.

Extreme temperatures may prevent cattle, birds and other free-range animals from grazing, too.  In this case, you must provide food and shelter, which could present challenges if you’re unprepared for inclement weather.

Supplemental Feeds Might Be Necessary

Despite your best efforts to meet animals’ nutritional needs, some livestock may still require dietary supplements. That’s because different animals need different nutrients and producing a large quantity and wide variety of food is often difficult for small-scale farmers. Therefore, you may still have to visit your local feed store and purchase high-priced, nutrient-rich foods.

For example, rabbits need more minerals to maintain good health while chickens might require a higher calcium intake. Goats, on the other hand, will need an extra dash of sodium bicarbonate in the form of baking soda. Purchasing animal-grade varieties can keep costs low. However, supplementing animals’ diets with kelp and other fancy ingredients may be inevitable and will certainly add to your monthly expenses.  

Today’s feed mixes also contain additives to help improve digestion, increase weight gain, prevent disease and support good health. These additives, which are difficult — if not impossible — to add on your own, often provide more nutrients than a homemade harvest. Thus, you’ll have no choice but to rely on other producers to feed your livestock, which contradicts a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Finding a Method That Works for You

The wisest, most sustainable option is the one that works best for you. Therefore, it’s important to take all of the factors above into account when deciding whether or not to grow your own animal feed. Finally, consider how much work you’re willing to put into this endeavor.

You already spend a fair amount of time and energy watering, brushing, milking and feeding your livestock. Are you ready for the extra responsibility of growing their food, too?

If you still aren’t sure, adopt a hybrid method and feed your animals pre-made and homemade mixes. This solution will help you organize a trial period and ease into the transition if you do decide that growing feed is right for you.

[Note: This was a guest post.]