Everyone, post your best homemade chicken feed recipes!

[Athaid]

Thanks for all the replies guys, very helpful

 

[chickengr]

I am biased, we are pure grassfed with our cattle. Corn is used commerciallyrics, but the biggest reason is it is cheap. The original question was can a chicken survive without corn, yes they can.

if I had cattle it would be 100% grass fed.

what would be balanced diet for chickens without corn?

what would eggs taste if there is no corn in chicken's feed? I like the taste of corn fed chicken's eggs.

 

[Athaid]

if I had cattle it would be 100% grass fed.

what would be balanced diet for chickens without corn?

what would eggs taste if there is no corn in chicken's feed? I like the taste of corn fed chicken's eggs.

There's probably many things you could substitute corn with. I imagine the eggs would taste pretty much eggsactly the same too. ;D

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I am biased, we are pure grassfed with our cattle. Corn is used commerciallyrics, but the biggest reason is it is cheap. The original question was can a chicken survive without corn, yes they can.

if I had cattle it would be 100% grass fed.

what would be balanced diet for chickens without corn?

what would eggs taste if there is no corn in chicken's feed? I like the taste of corn fed chicken's eggs.

if I had cattle it would be 100% grass fed.

what would be balanced diet for chickens without corn?

what would eggs taste if there is no corn in chicken's feed? I like the taste of corn fed chicken's eggs.

There's probably many things you could substitute corn with. I imagine the eggs would taste pretty much eggsactly the same too. ;D

I do offer chickens corn in the winter. But I agree any grain would be a decent substitute for corn. I personally freerange enough that my birds do not require much from me during the warm months. They get kitchen scraps (I have toddlers so I do have alot of kitchen scraps) and a little organic feed that they do not eat.
During the winter months: I grow pumpkins for them. I break up one pumpkin a week and they devour it. I offer some organ meat once a week. I always offer them some organic layer feed. Then as long as there is not a foot of snow on the ground the birds continue to range my yard.

 

[ShanandGem]

My birds get very little corn. They get some fresh frozen corn in the mush I make for them and I have changed my crumble recipe to include some COB, but percentage wise it would be in the single digits of their diet.
Corn's prevalence in any commercial feed is cost based. I think it gets a bad rap but chickens certainly like it and feeding it in moderation isn't going to do any harm.

 

[chickengr]

I do offer chickens corn in the winter. But I agree any grain would be a decent substitute for corn. I personally freerange enough that my birds do not require much from me during the warm months. They get kitchen scraps (I have toddlers so I do have alot of kitchen scraps) and a little organic feed that they do not eat.
During the winter months: I grow pumpkins for them. I break up one pumpkin a week and they devour it. I offer some organ meat once a week. I always offer them some organic layer feed. Then as long as there is not a foot of snow on the ground the birds continue to range my yard.

My birds get very little corn. They get some fresh frozen corn in the mush I make for them and I have changed my crumble recipe to include some COB, but percentage wise it would be in the single digits of their diet.
Corn's prevalence in any commercial feed is cost based. I think it gets a bad rap but chickens certainly like it and feeding it in moderation isn't going to do any harm.

there is no organic feed overhere and all the commercial feed contain gmo soya. that's why I prefer to feed my chickens non gmo corn. I also give them some wheat and barley, and when it is cold BOSS too. I have a vegetable garden so they get fresh veggies. I don't have a lot of kitchen scraps as I freeze food and eat it when I don't have time to cook.

 

[Idahofarmgirl]

Soy is a great source of protein but it is full of estrogen. Many people don't like to feed their animals hormones. Though it's true it causes the bird to reach maturity faster, it also causes early death. They used soy for many years in Hawaii to feed to parrots because it caused them to mature faster and they could sell them younger. However, years later, they discovered that they died much younger and had premature brain shrinkage (discovered with autopsies).

 

[Idahofarmgirl]

I have always fed my chickens their shells back, just as they are. I have never had a chicken break their eggs to eat them. I suspect that what trains them to eat their own eggs isn't feeding them their shells raw, but rather leaving so many eggs in the nest box that they break. I collect them regularly, worst case every other day, but I have a friend who goes a week before she gets to collecting them sometimes. Her eggs break in the boxes and her chickens have learned to eat them. In 25 years of having chickens and feeding them their shells, I have never had a chicken who learns to eat their eggs.

 

[ShanandGem]

Soy is a great source of protein but it is full of estrogen. Many people don't like to feed their animals hormones. Though it's true it causes the bird to reach maturity faster, it also causes early death. They used soy for many years in Hawaii to feed to parrots because it caused them to mature faster and they could sell them younger. However, years later, they discovered that they died much younger and had premature brain shrinkage (discovered with autopsies).

I think to say soy is 'full' of estrogen is a bit of an exaggeration. Soy contains no estrogen, but can have an effect on estrogen production and metabolism. However, its health risks have been massively blown out of proportion.
Like all foods, soy eaten in moderation is healthful. It's when we as a culture deem it a 'superfood' and try to consume it breakfast, lunch and dinner that red flags are raised.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/264891-does-soy-protein-increase-estrogen-levels/

It's a good source of protein. It should not however be the only source. My chickens eat a little soy, but their diet mostly legume based (peas and lentils).

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Soy is a great source of protein but it is full of estrogen. Many people don't like to feed their animals hormones. Though it's true it causes the bird to reach maturity faster, it also causes early death. They used soy for many years in Hawaii to feed to parrots because it caused them to mature faster and they could sell them younger. However, years later, they discovered that they died much younger and had premature brain shrinkage (discovered with autopsies).

I think to say soy is 'full' of estrogen is a bit of an exaggeration.  Soy contains no estrogen, but can have an effect on estrogen production and metabolism.  However, its health risks have been massively blown out of proportion.
Like all foods, soy eaten in moderation is healthful.  It's when we as a culture deem it a 'superfood' and try to consume it breakfast, lunch and dinner that red flags are raised.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/264891-does-soy-protein-increase-estrogen-levels/

It's a good source of protein.  It should not however be the only source.  My chickens eat a little soy, but their diet mostly legume based (peas and lentils).

How do you prepare your soy? I feed mine some during the winter, but it is very inconvenient. I boil it in large batches and then freeze it and then dole it out. If I could dry it after boiling it, it would be much easier to use