DIY feed

[Lizconti99]

Anyone here make their own chicken feed? I saw some videos on YouTube about it and I think it sounds like a really great idea? Does anyone have a recipes they use or can direct me to where to get more information. My chicks are still on starter feed so I have time but I like the idea of making my own feed

 

[Lizconti99]

Anyone here make their own chicken feed? I saw some videos on YouTube about it and I think it sounds like a really great idea? Does anyone have a recipes they use or can direct me to where to get more information. My chicks are still on starter feed so I have time but I like the idea of making my own feed

I saw one recipe that seemed simple all equal parts 50 pound Bags of whole corn oats black oil sunflower seeds and then dog/ cat food grain free with a protein other than chicken

Thoughts

 

[NatJ]

If you want a nutritionally complete feed, that will keep your chickens healthy, it will probably cost more to buy the ingredients and make it than to just buy it at the store.

Chickens can live on just about anything for a few days.

If you feed them a not-quite-right feed for weeks or months, they will start to have problems from not enough of [something] or too much of [something else.] They will also grow slower and/or lay less eggs if the food is not right. Depending on what things are wrong, they may stay alive but not be healthy, or they may die.

If your chickens are pets, and you want them to have a long life, you will not want to see problems show up a few months down the road!

I suggest you just have fun doing the research and continue to feed a purchased feed to your chickens. If you research to the point of understanding everything that needs to go into a chicken food (protein, correct balance of amino acids, energy, vitamins, minerals), then you can decide whether you really want to collect the right ingredients to make it.

I saw one recipe that seemed simple all equal parts 50 pound Bags of whole corn oats black oil sunflower seeds and then dog/ cat food grain free with a protein other than chicken

Simple recipes usually have problems. I'll tag someone who is good at checking those things.

@U_Stormcrow, can you check this prospective feed recipe? I can see the cat/dog food would provide protein, and the grains & sunflower seeds provide energy, but I'm guessing it's too high in fat and deficient in something.

 

[Lizconti99]

If you want a nutritionally complete feed, that will keep your chickens healthy, it will probably cost more to buy the ingredients and make it than to just buy it at the store.

Chickens can live on just about anything for a few days.

If you feed them a not-quite-right feed for weeks or months, they will start to have problems from not enough of [something] or too much of [something else.] They will also grow slower and/or lay less eggs if the food is not right. Depending on what things are wrong, they may stay alive but not be healthy, or they may die.

If your chickens are pets, and you want them to have a long life, you will not want to see problems show up a few months down the road!

I suggest you just have fun doing the research and continue to feed a purchased feed to your chickens. If you research to the point of understanding everything that needs to go into a chicken food (protein, correct balance of amino acids, energy, vitamins, minerals), then you can decide whether you really want to collect the right ingredients to make it.


Simple recipes usually have problems. I'll tag someone who is good at checking those things.

@U_Stormcrow, can you check this prospective feed recipe? I can see the cat/dog food would provide protein, and the grains & sunflower seeds provide energy, but I'm guessing it's too high in fat and deficient in something.

I appreciate this so much! Thank you thank you

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Not w/o knowing what dog or cat food is being used - though I can make some guesses.

Corn is your typical feed "filler". Not that its bad, its just not good. It provides ready energy, isn't an excessive source of fat, is low protein, and has a deficient Amino Acid profile in that protein. But its cheap, and its not so deficient that its weaknesses can't be compensated for with reasonable amounts of more [nutritional element]-dense food.
Oats have higher protein than corn, and an AA profile which is better than corn's, though it remains across the board deficient for the four we care about - Methionine, Lysine, Threoning, Tryptophan. Its also high in beta-glucans, which can block some nutrient absorption, and contributes to "sticky poops". Dehulled oats are actually a bit low in fiber, standard oats have about 2x the desired fiber levels in a bird's diet (though there's a pretty broad range of tolerance), and should be balanced with other low fiber ingredients to compensate.

BOSS is an off the shelf, readily available, solution to increasing protein levels when protein is all you care about. Which means, the kind of thing people do when they know just enough to be dangerous. It has the bare minimum in protein levels recommended here in the US (around 16%), and has an AA profile that meets or slightly exceeds the recommended levels of Met, Lys, Thr, Tryp. Sounds great. It also has 3x the desired fiber levels, and 10-12x the desired fat levels. Its a recipe for fatty liver disease and sudden poultry deaths. In my view, its benefits with protein and a good AA profile are MORE than offset by its high fat, and should only be used as a tiny portion of a chicken's diet.

and then we guess about the dog/cat food.... Lets Say we use Purina 1, Grain Free. That's 30% protein, 17% fat, 4% fiber.

The amino acid profile is unknown. It starts pretty low, but the first ingredient in the Purina One is beef, which should help with Methionine, then chicken meal, then canola meal and soy meal - all efforts that should help with Met and Lys both.

That calculates as 16.65% protein (target is 16% min, 18-20% preferred), 9.38% fiber (target is 3.5% +/-, with an acceptable range of about 2.5% - 7%), 18.68% fat. Target is 3.5% +/-, 4.5% for waterfowl like ducks and geese. The only poultry recommended for fat in the 5-6% range is CornishX during "finishing" to bulk them up for table - NOT a feed program intended for the long term health of the bird. Oh and ducks intended for foie gras.

But its the recipe of an internet "expert" demonstrating their ignorance, and hoping desperately that their reliance on a commercial feed prepared for a completely different animal compensates for their educational failings.

Needless to say, i am NOT a fan.

 

[Lizconti99]

Not w/o knowing what dog or cat food is being used - though I can make some guesses.

Corn is your typical feed "filler". Not that its bad, its just not good. It provides ready energy, isn't an excessive source of fat, is low protein, and has a deficient Amino Acid profile in that protein. But its cheap, and its not so deficient that its weaknesses can't be compensated for with reasonable amounts of more [nutritional element]-dense food.
Oats have higher protein than corn, and an AA profile which is better than corn's, though it remains across the board deficient for the four we care about - Methionine, Lysine, Threoning, Tryptophan. Its also high in beta-glucans, which can block some nutrient absorption, and contributes to "sticky poops". Dehulled oats are actually a bit low in fiber, standard oats have about 2x the desired fiber levels in a bird's diet (though there's a pretty broad range of tolerance), and should be balanced with other low fiber ingredients to compensate.

BOSS is an off the shelf, readily available, solution to increasing protein levels when protein is all you care about. Which means, the kind of thing people do when they know just enough to be dangerous. It has the bare minimum in protein levels recommended here in the US (around 16%), and has an AA profile that meets or slightly exceeds the recommended levels of Met, Lys, Thr, Tryp. Sounds great. It also has 3x the desired fiber levels, and 10-12x the desired fat levels. Its a recipe for fatty liver disease and sudden poultry deaths. In my view, its benefits with protein and a good AA profile are MORE than offset by its high fat, and should only be used as a tiny portion of a chicken's diet.

and then we guess about the dog/cat food.... Lets Say we use Purina 1, Grain Free. That's 30% protein, 17% fat, 4% fiber.

The amino acid profile is unknown. It starts pretty low, but the first ingredient in the Purina One is beef, which should help with Methionine, then chicken meal, then canola meal and soy meal - all efforts that should help with Met and Lys both.

That calculates as 16.65% protein (target is 16% min, 18-20% preferred), 9.38% fiber (target is 3.5% +/-, with an acceptable range of about 2.5% - 7%), 18.68% fat. Target is 3.5% +/-, 4.5% for waterfowl like ducks and geese. The only poultry recommended for fat in the 5-6% range is CornishX during "finishing" to bulk them up for table - NOT a feed program intended for the long term health of the bird. Oh and ducks intended for foie gras.

But its the recipe of an internet "expert" demonstrating their ignorance, and hoping desperately that their reliance on a commercial feed prepared for a completely different animal compensates for their educational failings.

Needless to say, i am NOT a fan.

Yes I watched a YouTube video from a homesteader lololol but this is what y’all are here for i appreciate everyone’s input. I just want what is best for my birds I LOVE THEM AND IM OBSESSED WITH THEM. TOU GUYS GET IT LOK

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and @Lizconti99 - I don't consider myself an expert on feeding chickens. I've read some things, looked at a bunch of studies, made some effort to educate myself. The more I learn, the less inclined I am to make a feed at home - and I guarantee its more expensive than off the shelf solutions enjoying an economy of scale we can't hope to meet.

If you *DO* nevertheless, insist on an at home mix feed, I have two recommendations:

1) Avoid Garden Betty like the plague. Your chickens will be healthier for it.
2) Look to Justin Rhode's reecipe, using commercial fish meal (not the stuff from the garden store), and Fertrell's Nutribooster. Take away the fish meal, and the whole recipe falls apart - but its relatively simple, the ingredients aren't hard to source, and its not outrageously expensive, pound per pound. Once you understand why he's chosen each ingredient he has, you can start to research potential substitutions on your own.

There's a lot of very good info out there, if you seek science, not "Likes". Most of it is free, needing only an investment of yoru time.

 

[Lizconti99]

and @Lizconti99 - I don't consider myself an expert on feeding chickens. I've read some things, looked at a bunch of studies, made some effort to educate myself. The more I learn, the less inclined I am to make a feed at home - and I guarantee its more expensive than off the shelf solutions enjoying an economy of scale we can't hope to meet.

If you *DO* nevertheless, insist on an at home mix feed, I have two recommendations:

1) Avoid Garden Betty like the plague. Your chickens will be healthier for it.
2) Look to Justin Rhode's reecipe, using commercial fish meal (not the stuff from the garden store), and Fertrell's Nutribooster. Take away the fish meal, and the whole recipe falls apart - but its relatively simple, the ingredients aren't hard to source, and its not outrageously expensive, pound per pound. Once you understand why he's chosen each ingredient he has, you can start to research potential substitutions on your own.

There's a lot of very good info out there, if you seek science, not "Likes". Most of it is free, needing only an investment of yoru time.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it

that's what BYC is for - just doing my little bit to give back for all the help I recieved when i started out, just two years and a few weeks ago.

 

[Lizconti99]

that's what BYC is for - just doing my little bit to give back for all the help I recieved when i started out, just two years and a few weeks ago.

I’m a first time chicken mom and I’m so excited! Thank you again for your insight