Home Feeding Ideas and Solutions Discussion Thread

[Kassaundra]

This is from the fermenting feeds thread I just mentioned... there is currently a discussion going on about using older canned goods to supplement your feed so that is the subject matter.

"This is absolutely perfect food for BSF - Black Soldier Flies
They are very high is protein and calcium.
I would use the BSF as a good go between for old foods and then you will have awesome animal protein after the conversion.
That's what I do. Although because I free range in the summer, I freeze all my BSF in the summer and then feed them in the winter.
I have many gallon size bags full already that I've accumulated this summer.
This is a great way to assure quality animal protein year round."

I thought of you when reading this and figured I would share it. There are also mealworms that you could raise... they're not difficult. There's another link for that. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/492636/mealworm-farming/6130#post_11690474

Oh and don't forget about dubia, she lives in NM, if it is the warm area of NM perfect climate.

 

[TwoCrows]

Thanks again Lacy! There was a big discussion in the quail section about the BSF and at the time I didn't pay much attention. LOL (I hang out in the quail section of the forums a lot) So I guess I need to do some reading here and see what I can do. Thank you for the links as well!

I need to head outside and give my chickens more of this mix I just made for them this morning, but I will come back here and do some reading.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Arielle]

My crew must switch between mills often and eat all sorts of things from compost, spilled horse grain and into the veg garden, oh, and woods. I do try to provide FF regularly too, to keep the right microbes going in the gut. I suspect like any case of diarrhea or complete emptying og the GI, the natural source is depleted and needs replenishing w/ FF.

I feed my cornish X only FF. To slow feed consumption.

And I chop grass and clover for the birds as treats = fiber, natural microbes on the vegetation, fresh vitamins. Clover is higher protein.

We prromote a flouishing population of grass hoppers and earth worms.

i'm looking for healthy birds not speedy growth.

 

[RiddleMe]

TwoCrows question had me thinking and I was curious if anyone has ever used the various Payback Poultry concentrates? They look interesting, have animal protein (pork meat and bone meal, fish meal, feather meal) and all the vitamins and such, basically just add some sort of grain. But a quick search didn't turn up ordering/price info so I never really pursued it.

 

[Zanna]

TwoCrows question had me thinking and I was curious if anyone has ever used the various Payback Poultry concentrates? They look interesting, have animal protein (pork meat and bone meal, fish meal, feather meal) and all the vitamins and such, basically just add some sort of grain. But a quick search didn't turn up ordering/price info so I never really pursued it.

I have several feedstore suppliers of the Payback feeds in my area. The local mill that makes the Payback feeds apparently does not make the concentrate as there is not enough demand. They would make it for a 1 ton lot but nothing less. You use so little of it, buying a ton would not make sense for most of us. I buy wheat, dried peas, and oats directly from local farmers straight out of the field. Just had dumped into our pickup bed tonight 2600 Lbs of wheat (will last me a year) for $7.88 a bushel (60 LBS). It would be pretty easy and inexpensive to mix my own feed if I had the payback concentrate but I could not get anywhere with trying to get a 50 LB bag. Also the challenge of what to use to make it stick to the grains so they would have to eat it, I figured oil or molasses. Instead I free-feed a feeder of the mixed grains and another feeder of the payback egg feed which is made to be fed with 50% grains. The only thing I feel is missing is the meat protein. All except for my breeders free-range and I do supplement with meat/fish scraps (we hunt and fish) some occasional dried cat food and fish meal and lots of garden goodies!

 

[TwoCrows]

Ok....so for emergency rations here, till I can figure out just how to feed these birds, LOL, I mixed the following....

1/4 cup each:
Scratch
Hulled Sunflower seed
Millet
Cockatiel Fruit and Nut Mix
Cockatiel Molting and Conditioning seeds
Farmers Helper Ultra Kibble
1 Tablespoon Calcium powder

Put all this in the grinder and ground it down into a nice course consistency. And while they are eating it, they are not too thrilled. I tasted it myself to make sure it wasn't too salty or sweet. And to be honest, it smells pretty good and it doesn't taste too bad either. LOL

They went to bed with only half full crops last night. Is it because it is new to them and they aren't eating much of it yet? Or do they sense something about this that is not correct about it??

 

[Arielle]

PErsonally I dont hold stock that any animal can pick out all the foods that are good for them. THere is a hit and miss factor. Look at humans for example.

I think you can offer that mix without grinding as my birds really like whole grains and grass far better than the commercial pellets. ANd for the calcium offer egg shell crushed or get oyster shells which they pick up like rocks and gulp down.

Bet they will eat more for you this way.

I feed back eggs, meat bones with bits of meat, all food scraps from the table, unfinished yogurts, and everything else.

WHile I too would use a meat supplement, just know that IMO feathers are undigestable protein. It is included because it comes with the poultry waste and not worth trying to separate which would be close to impossible anyway. So IMO the useable protein is not as high as the CP listed; but as I said I would feed it as the amino acide panel of meats is far superior to any veg or grain combo.

 

[Erika123]

Quote:
I read somewhere on the site that pine (or some kind of needle evergreen) shavings keep away mites.
Also, straw technically shouldn't attract bugs and things either because there is no nutrient value in it.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:

I read somewhere on the site that pine (or some kind of needle evergreen) shavings keep away mites.
Also, straw technically shouldn't attract bugs and things either because there is no nutrient value in it.

Honestly there is not much that is sanitary about chickens laying eggs. If you consider they stand in the nest boxes before dropping that egg, and that other "things" pass thru the same opening as the egg . . .if you want sanitary, try a battery hen set up, otherwise you will do fine with whatever bedding you choose. Mine like hay. Often over shavings. Change often. Perhaps the nesting box pads are to your liking?

 

[TwoCrows]

OK....All you feed mixing experts out there, I need more advice.

I am diving into this head first and I am not going back to processed bagged feed again. And while I am not ready for meal worm farms or growing flies, I am ready to start the road to making my own chicken feed. I ran this past another member here on BYC and was hoping for any other info that anyone might have for me. So here is where I am at. I am open to ALL opinions and information on how to better my mix here. Being that I live in the middle of no where, I do not have much available to me, so ingredients are all I have to deal with. Here it is....

Wheat: 11%
Hulled Sunflower seed: 20%
Millet: 13%
Corn: 7%
Oats: 9%
(these are the minimum protein percents)

I took:
3 parts Wheat
2 parts Sunflower
2 parts Millet
1 part Corn
1 part Oats

In order of parts:
3x1=33
2x20=40
2x13=26
1x7=7
1x9=9

Total protein: 115

115 divided by the parts, 9, =12.7% protein for this mix

I also added a handful of ground Flax, was not sure how much of this to add. Calcium powder as recommend on the packaging. (this I am not worried about. They have oyster shell on the side)

Now I also purchased a bag of alfalfa pellets at 16%, however I have not yet worked it into this mix, as I am not sure how much to add as well. Don't want to over do the fiber.

Ok...so all these "parts" were in pounds. So I basically have almost a 10 pound mix.

Now for adding animal proteins, vitamins, omega's, amino acids, minerals and other essential things....I am thinking of going with Farmers Helper Ultra Kibble. Its animal proteins come from fish, it contains probiotics, many nature vegetable products and is loaded with natural and added vitamins and minerals. I have used it before in their feed during molting and the birds seem to do well on it. It contains, I believe, 9% protein per ounce. (If this is incorrect, PLEASE let me know.) Here is a link to the product...I would love your opinion.

http://www.wildbirdsuets.com/foragecakes/kibble.htm

I added about 7 ounces of Kibble to this approx. 10 pound mix. (at 9% protein per ounce) My original question was, does this amount become a ".5" part in this mix? If so:
7x9=63 protein from the kibble. So...115+63=178 This sum divided by parts....178 divided by 9.5=18.7 total protein in this mix.

I grind all this down in a grain grinder. I add a tiny bit of water at feed time if the consistency is too fine.

Is any of this correct? Or am I way off? Is this enough to sustain my birds? They do not free range, but I do offer up salad greens and other table scraps once a day. They were diagnosed with MS several years ago and I have to say that it was one year of pure hell to work that out of them. But they seem to be quite healthy now and I do not want to put their immune systems in danger of slipping, should they still be carrying this bacteria. And I do not want to feed them the only feed that this county seems to be offering up, Layena.

Anything anyone can tell me about this mix will be much appreciated. I am still doing research and learning tons of things on mixing feed. But being that BYC is loaded with knowledgeable folks, this seems to be the best place to learn.

Thanks so much!