Home made chick feed mix

I've read through a lot of threads asking about homemade feed mixes for chicks but I'm not finding an actual answer in them, just a lot of commenting that gets off topic. I'm getting 40 meat chickens in the spring and I want to mix/grow their feed myself. I currently have 20 layer chickens I've had for 2 years and I feed them my own mix that I got from the feedmill, but I'm not sure how their feed would differ from a chicks (and yes, I know meat chickens get around 20% protein vs layers getting 17%). I don't feed my chickens corn or soy, but I don't feed them all organic either, just because it's way too costly in my area. I'm also starting to raise mealworms to feed them, so that'll be part of their daily feed.

Any recipes or lists of what could be fed to them is much appreciated, but please try to stay on topic!

Missi33 said:

I've read through a lot of threads asking about homemade feed mixes for chicks but I'm not finding an actual answer in them, just a lot of commenting that gets off topic. I'm getting 40 meat chickens in the spring and I want to mix/grow their feed myself. I currently have 20 layer chickens I've had for 2 years and I feed them my own mix that I got from the feedmill, but I'm not sure how their feed would differ from a chicks (and yes, I know meat chickens get around 20% protein vs layers getting 17%). I don't feed my chickens corn or soy, but I don't feed them all organic either, just because it's way too costly in my area. I'm also starting to raise mealworms to feed them, so that'll be part of their daily feed.

Any recipes or lists of what could be fed to them is much appreciated, but please try to stay on topic!

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No recipe, sorry, but since you know what ingredients you include in your layers food, I'd suggest reducing it and upping whatever you use as the protein component. Mealworms will be a good source of protein, as would millet, maize (among many others).

Chick food is basically milled into finer particles than regular feed, so that's something to consider. Also ensure that they have access to grit.

I recall there being recipes for home grown feed in publications relating to raising poultry the tropics. Try refining the search to "keeping chickens in east Africa" - there should be some publications from FAO (food and agric organisation- UN agency). I would have gladly sent you the books, but alas, I'm not at home - I'm visiting family in the uk, so I don't have access to my computer.

All the best

Ct

Some (potentially) useful links...

http://www.uvm.edu/newfarmer/production/livestock/Growing Broilers-Darre.pdf Table 2

Page4 in http://www.biovision.ch/fileadmin/pdf/d/services/downloads/organic_farmer/org_farmer111_14_red.pdf

Ct

Take empty containers to the local businesses, or talk to them first, and get their scraps at the same time day in day out if you can, or twice or three times a week.

If you supplement their regular feed with that lot, they should be able to peck through and find what they need.

I have serious doubts that chickens can eat one kind of food and be healthy any more than humans can.

Missi33 said:

I've read through a lot of threads asking about homemade feed mixes for chicks but I'm not finding an actual answer in them, just a lot of commenting that gets off topic. I'm getting 40 meat chickens in the spring and I want to mix/grow their feed myself. I currently have 20 layer chickens I've had for 2 years and I feed them my own mix that I got from the feedmill, but I'm not sure how their feed would differ from a chicks (and yes, I know meat chickens get around 20% protein vs layers getting 17%). I don't feed my chickens corn or soy, but I don't feed them all organic either, just because it's way too costly in my area. I'm also starting to raise mealworms to feed them, so that'll be part of their daily feed.

Any recipes or lists of what could be fed to them is much appreciated, but please try to stay on topic!

Click to expand...

I have been searching for a similar answer. I don't feed my chicks corn or soy either and I have not been able to find any starter crumble, even organic, that down not have soy. i have 3 & 4 day old chicks I just hatched and have been reading Gail Damerow's book "Hatching & Brooding your own Chicks". On pg 61 she writes

"If your have extra eggs on hand, mashed hardboiled or scrambled egg makes an excellent starter ration. I the old days before commercial rations were available, farmers typically started their chicks on mashed boiled eggs. After the first few days, chicks were fed oatmeal and cracked grains until they were able to forage for themselves. Baby birds that are fed cracked grains also need grit provided in a separate feeder" So this is the way I am going to go. Old school method.

I also read somewhere in the last few days not to give babies grain for the first few days and to make sure they are drinking before feeding. I have been feeding my babies scrambled egg which they love & are very active. I have Scratch & Peck brand Naturally Free starter that is soy & corn free that I order from azurestandard.com as it was too expensive to get it sent from S&P themselves. I believe their website is scratchandpeck.com and I believe they list the ingredients, but I don't think ratios.
Also check out Harvey Usserys website themodernhomestead.us. He has a starter mix recipe in his livestock tab-poultry-making your own poultry feed. it is in part 3 of this article. I intend to start making my own food myself too.

Hope this is of some use

Oh, and if you use oatmeal you have to grind it finer too

I really wish there was a specific recipe out there that made it easy to make the feed for chicks! The article from above was nice until it got to the part where you add in the different amino acids. I'd prefer that the chicks get all their food from natural sources and not a bag of vitamin mix. I'll have to look into the egg idea for them, as that sounds interesting. I'm not sure if they could live just on the eggs, however.

Whatever I feed them, except for the meal worms, I plan on grinding up as that's what I do for the adults these days because they were leaving the peas, alfalfa, and kelp to waste.

I ground up oatmeal a well and for the first week I put a tablespoon of sugar in their water!

Missi33 said:

I really wish there was a specific recipe out there that made it easy to make the feed for chicks! The article from above was nice until it got to the part where you add in the different amino acids. I'd prefer that the chicks get all their food from natural sources and not a bag of vitamin mix. I'll have to look into the egg idea for them, as that sounds interesting. I'm not sure if they could live just on the eggs, however.

Whatever I feed them, except for the meal worms, I plan on grinding up as that's what I do for the adults these days because they were leaving the peas, alfalfa, and kelp to waste.

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I wish there was a specific recipe too. The egg is just for the first few days. Today I am going to start mine on the S&P starter mix, corn and soy free, as it is the closest I can find to what I want. And it's not crumbles. It does have vitamin pre mix in it - doesn't thrill me either. Chicks have survived for thousands of years on natural sources. I have to do some more research myself. Sorry I couldn't help you more.

Missi33 said:

I really wish there was a specific recipe out there that made it easy to make the feed for chicks! The article from above was nice until it got to the part where you add in the different amino acids. I'd prefer that the chicks get all their food from natural sources and not a bag of vitamin mix. I'll have to look into the egg idea for them, as that sounds interesting. I'm not sure if they could live just on the eggs, however.

Whatever I feed them, except for the meal worms, I plan on grinding up as that's what I do for the adults these days because they were leaving the peas, alfalfa, and kelp to waste.

Click to expand...

Then you need to learn what those amino acids are, what they are for and how to source them naturally....they're not just added for fun.