Homestead Level Feed Store Independence

[NickF]

Wanted to share an old tech with anybody who is unfamiliar with it. The concept of Tree Hay, or Chaffhaye, fermented tree leaves or dried tree leaves. Lots of people are probably familiar with silage (corn stalks and fresh cobs ground and fermented). What most people don't realize is you can do the same thing with tree leaves and stems.

My favorite tree for this purpose is white mulberry. Spring protein content is 25%-33%. Late summer closer to 12%-18%. High digestibility and relatively broad spectrum amino acid profile makes for a 92% pig replacement feed, a 60-80% replacement lactating cow feed, 12%-20% chicken replacement feed. And a 90% replacement beef steer replacement feed. Sheep and goats can almost live exclusively on it.

If you add the two adjunct trees I like to grow, then sheep and goats can get all their higher protein feed concentrate needs from these tree leaves. Putting the higher production and better body condition goals within the reach of a typical homesteader without the cost of GMO feeds.

Top 4 Fodder Trees:
1- White Mulberry - Morus alba
Highest protein and digestibility, slower initial growth, lower yields per acre
2- Hybrid Willow - Salix nigra X sp.
High protein and digestibility, fast growth, high yields per acre, thrives in saturated conditions
3- Hybrid Poplar - Populus deltoides x sp.
Extreme growth, good protein, highest yields biomass per acre, thrives in saturated conditions, makes good fuelwood
4 - Lacebark Elm - Ulmus parvifolia
Beautiful form tree, good protein, thrives in horrible conditions, handles saline, and alkaline soils as well as drought

For the torah observant switch out the rabbits with another leaf eater like sheep or goats. I prefer to keep them as fertility machines and to make me lots of dog food for my large livestock guardians.

 

[Bartato]

Great post. Thanks for sharing

I didn't realize the fodder trees were also so good for pigs.

Speaking of rabbits, there is a huge gulf between the people who raise rabbits as "livestock" and those that keep them as "pets". I discovered that one time when a coworker mentioned that he and his wife raised rabbits.

I went off on a little dialogue about how great rabbits were, and how easy they are to process relative to chickens.

He abruptly interjected that their rabbits were pets, and that they also took in abused and neglected rabbits. They did not eat them.

Tense situation. We never spoke about rabbits again.

 

[Joleneakamama]

Speaking of rabbits, there is a huge gulf between the people who raise rabbits as "livestock" and those that keep them as "pets". I discovered that one time when a coworker mentioned that he and his wife raised rabbits.

That gulf exists between the religious adherants of veganism and everyone that eats meat.

Over 30 years ago a lady I know was reported for animal cruelty because a pig she had died from lack of water. The person investigating the claim couldn't fathom her caring for the pig (she watered it before she went to work) but planning to eat it (she was very dissapointed it was dead) as whoever it was was in that other class of people. She was not charged as the monetary loss made it obvious to some that it was unintentional. The pig dumped/flipped the water container and in Phoenix in the summer didn't last until she got home from work.

Tense situation. We never spoke about rabbits again.

That is funny....but sad. I am always curious if such people realize that the world we live in has a food chain, or if they are illogical enough to think they can live in a different world if they just "believe." Like the warm fuzzy lies like trans ideology being sold to young impressionable minds who might also believe they are teenage mutant ninja turtles.

 

[NickF]

Like the warm fuzzy lies like trans ideology being sold to young impressionable minds who might also believe they are teenage mutant ninja turtles.

Oh man, it’s sad but dadgum I almost bust out laughing at that Tmnt reference.

 

[NickF]

Tense situation. We never spoke about rabbits again.

Man, in the ten+ years doing consulting on the subject. I’ve done the same thing in a professional setting a couple times. Now i take more time to get to know the client before i open my big fat mouth.