Mixing Grains for Feed verses Buying Corporate Crumbles...

[Chef JimmyJ]

This is from a complete Newbie here.
I do A LOT of Reseach before I take on a new project, so take my words or opinion for whatever value you place on it. There are very friendly and knowledgeable folks here and I value what they have to say. I really Love this Place!

Not every person raising Chickens has the land or time to Free Range. Even tossing the Girls lawn weeds and some grass, garden trim and seasonal leftovers or wilted greens and people food is good. But for these Chicken Fans, it's Feed that makes the bulk of their Chickens diet.
I'm not a Chicken Nutritionist but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...
After 3 years of research, I'm retired with a lot of time on my hands, this is what I have determined. Since the Domestication of Chickens, some 9000 years ago, when they foraged and ate a portion of whatever their keeper was growing and eating. They ate vegetables and assorted Grain. It was some 8000 years, turn of the Century, until Factory Farmed Poultry was born and another few Decades, the 50's, before sufficient knowledge of Vitamin and Minerals effect on health became a field of College Study, aka the Chicken Nutritionists. Their focus, Originally, was and is the Health of the birds...BUT...It was not too many years before Farmer Joe and Sons Poultry, became Tysons Inc, Pilgram's Pride and Perdue. While chicken health is of major concern, you can't sell Dead Chickens, Chicken health at a MINIMUM COST, is paramount. While Chickens live, grow and produce amazing eggs at 24-30% Protein, Protein is the most expensive ingredient in feed. The " Nutrionists " researched and determined with 16% Protein, artificial Vitamins, Hormones and Antibiotics, the birds grow at sufficient rates, to turn a profit. Is it possible or worth while for, Crazy Chicken Lady 85 to try to do better? Absolutely! Go to Shop-Rite, buy a Tysons Chicken and a Dozen Eggs. Next stop at your Local Farmers Market and get a Free Range Cornish Cross and a Dozen Free Range Buff Orpington Eggs. Roast off the Chickens with just Salt and Pepper for seasoning and make Soft Boiled or Sunny Side Eggs...How do the chickens look, smell, how does body conformation and Taste compare? Now the Eggs, how far do the Whites Spread, how Viscus are they, what Color are the Yolks, pale yellow or Vibrant Orange, how does the Taste of the two compare? You will be surprised...
There is a REASON over the last 50 years, people taste some unusual foods like, Snake, Alligator, Etc, and say," It taste like Chicken..." That's because modern Factory Farmed Chicken has a very small discernable Taste of its Own!!!! Virtually everyone here under 55 years of age, especially growing up in the city, has probaly not tasted what Chicken is SUPPOSED to Taste like, you were raised on Grocery Chain Chicken and the Tastless Store Eggs! Free Range Eggs have a Rich, Depth of Flavor that coats the mouth and lingers beyond swallowing. The Intensity is like a Full Flavored pot of Grandma's Sunday Gravy, aka Tomato Meat Sauce, that has simmered all day, her Loving Hands stirring and coaxing every ounce of goodness from the Home Grown Ingredients.
The Poultry Feed conglomerates soon took the opportunity to take the " Scientist " designed Feed they sell Factory Farms by the Train Car load, and make More Money. They started bagging it in 25 and 50 pound bags, printing some pretty picturesque farms, from days when chickens were hand raised and tasted great. They then market and sell it as, The Best Feed Money Can Buy!
I DON'T THINK SO!
I am old enough to have eaten the Chickens my Grandfather raised and Grandma cooked. The birds were born and raised on their small PA Farmette. The Chicken free ranged the property, were fed what my Grandfather raised in the Garden during the summer and a blend of Grains and Dryed Vegetables purchased from the local Feed Store in the winter. They could get Purina Chicken Chow but Gramp's would never feed His Girls that New Fangled who knows what. The flavor of Grandma's Chicken Roast or Soup was Amazing and the Egg Yolks, from their Ladies, were the color of Sunkist Oranges! Those meals were on visits and Holidays. I longed to return and missed those Chickens. In contrast, I was born and raised in Post War Suburban New Jersey. Chickens and the Eggs we ate came from Factory Farms and fed " Nutritionist " designed grain crumbles that have to be artificially enhanced because the Grains were/are the cheapest money can buy. They get ground and stored for Who Know How Long until ALL their Natural Nutritive value is Oxydized and Lost. Same goes for Layer Crumbles in automated egg farms. The birds and eggs were tasteless, having to be covered in BBQ SAUCE, Gravy or Marinaded. Hot Sauce on Eggs at least gave some flavor.
There are still plenty of folks around, Members Here, YouTube Channels and countless Blogger's, that have been taught the Old Way of How to Mix Nutritionally Balanced Blended Feed. They use Whole Grains that will Keep their Nutritional Value. Maybe add high Protein ingredients like Fish Meal, Kelp and Others or search out Organic, Non-GMO Roasted Soy Beans and Corn. Since Seasonal Rain, or lack of it and Weather changes can effect Nutitional Values, a little Fertell's Nutri-Balancer can make a great Insurance Policy that your birds diet is not lacking essentials. Do it right, lots of folks do, and grow Healthy, Beautiful, FLAVOR FILLED CHICKEN and Eggs that are worth eating.
Read, Watch Videos, Study the vast material on the subject both here and on the Net. THEN decide, Mix Your Own or Buy from the Checker Board Square folks. BTW...FERTRELL'S is accepted as Organic and made from all Natural ingredients. Add to your mix at 3% by weight to supplement any needed or missing Vitamins and a whole range of Probiotics. Oh Yeah, A NUTRITIONIST worked with Fertrell's Farm owners to develop their Nutri-Balancer. They are really good folks just doing what they are asked to do. NOT Evil Corporate Stooges.

So that's my thoughts on the Subject. Like I said. I'm just a Newbie with a lot of time on my hands...JJ

 

[21hens-incharge]

While it would be nice to have free range chickens that feed themselves times have changed.

For most people the use of pesticides and herbicides have greatly decreased or eliminated nutritious bugs and weeds....even if I do not use those chemicals it has affected my land.

Many chicken keepers are in suburbs or towns and all those tasty bugs have to cross a sea of poisoned yards to get near a chicken.

As people have become more and more crowded living in "the old ways" has become harder and harder.
As a society there is a huge disconnect between us and where our food comes from.

Sorry, I definitely don't have good forage for my birds. They will keep getting Corporate Crumbles.

 

[paneubert]

Corporate Crumbles are my favorite brand! Haha.

If you have the time, patience, and access to the "correct" ingredients to create a balanced feed, then I think the answer is to mix it yourself.

That being said, I think it is not usually cost, nor time effective for a small flock.

In my case the perfect middle ground is buying from a small mill that mixes a great feed that is corn free, non-GMO, super fresh, etc... Not that I actually care about non-GMO or corn free aspect of it, but those are a pleasant side effect to buying feed from them.

Maybe this could be your answer? Avoid the mass produced corporate crumbles and find a mill that can supply you something of their own creation.

 

[gtaus]

It's not possible to produce meat or eggs at home on a small scale, and compete on price!

Yeah, our local supermarket is selling Grade A Large eggs for 88 cents per dozen this week. You just can't compete on price.

The other day my brother and I were out fishing. He asked me why I was raising chickens when I can buy eggs at less than a dollar per dozen. Great point, I conceded, but then asked him why we were out fishing when it costs us about $75 per pound for the number of fish we caught! And that was before the carb went out on the pontoon and cost us another $300 in marine repairs.... FYI, the Dollar Store sells fish sticks for $1 a box.

 

[gtaus]

The bottom line.... There are a lot of laws that make growing/raising our own food difficult and at times impossible.

Yes, I agree. However...I have lived in places where some people just don't have the same idea of keeping things clean. I would not want to live next to someone keeping chickens who did not clean up after them so the place smells terrible downwind. And I would not want to live next to someone who is butchering chickens and leaves remains out to attract rats and other varmints. When people are not responsible, other people pass laws to protect their communities.

I currently live outside the town limits, and don't have many restrictions as to raising my own livestock. But I have heard stories from the local town where someone was raising chickens inside the town limits, had way too many birds (100+) for a backyard flock, and this was causing problems for the neighbors. They brought their concerns to the city council and a law was passed banning all poultry, even those people with small, well tended flocks. It took years to overturn and modify that law and allow small flocks of well tended backyard chickens inside the city limits. It only takes one irresponsible owner to make things difficult for all others who are acting responsibility.

 

[Shadrach]

Well said. The older I get, the more I appreciate the advice from people with real world experience in their subject matter. They are usually the kind that will tell you what worked for them, and what did not. And they usually don't pass judgement on others who want to try something different for themselves. There is great value in that.

I respect the value of a professional degree, but sometimes I think studies done by Ph.D's are paid for by a company to support their sales or interests. Their main interest is in supporting the company that writes their paycheck. How else do you explain all those scientists working for the tobacco companies telling us cigarette smoking was harmless?

Do you know anything about the nutritional absorption rates of whole grains versus commercial crumble versus fermented or fodder? I once read an article on the benefits of growing fodder, and they claimed something like 80% of whole grains pass through a chicken undigested, whereas about 70% of fodder is digested by the chicken. I can't remember the exact percentages, but it was astonishing. Along those lines, I seem to have read somewhere that commercial crumbles are broken down and absorbed by the chicken much better than mixed whole grains. If this is the case, I would think you would have to factor in the absorption rate of the feeds in a true comparison. Just a thought.

There is an element of truth in this but there is also a shed load of shite written on this topic and just about any other. While academia has it's faults a bit of research regarding who funded the research can go a long way. You need a certain level of knowledge to seperate the wheat from the chaff as the saying goes and what Auntie so and so fed her chickens before you or I were born possibly isn't the best starting point.
The 'It worked for me' type of advice is fine if you can verify that it did actually work and know the circumstances in which it worked. Take yer man above with his 'chcikens will pick out the best stuff and come back later for the rest'. That certainly wouldn't and hasn't worked here. They pick out the best stuff and go and eat other stuff elsewhere leaving the rest for the rats, mice dogs, goats and sheep.

 

[Folly's place]

That's why coq au vin is meant for older birds, and why it's complicated!
It's also why modern recipies for chicken add so many spices and sauces, to hide the fact that those birds have nearly no flavor alone!
Mary

 

[Shadrach]

Likewise, Not everyone in these media outlets touting the virtues of Organic Mixed Grain Feeding is a Sandle Wearing, Hemp Cloth Covered, Incense Burning, Neo-Hippy or publisher of Trendy Hipster, Beware of Franken Food, Agro Rag, Quasi-news Reports.

when you consider Mixed Grain Feeding was what fed the Chickens that nurished America's GREATEST GENERATION (Born between 1900 to 1930) and Generations before them.

The patriotic lid banging is wasted on me. I'm a Scott, living in Catalonia Spain.

 

[Shadrach]

And I have no idea what's available in commercial feeds in Spain!
Almond juice isn't milk!
Many people can't manage lactose after childhood, even if they could earlier. Especially cow's milk.
I did know three children, siblings, your contemporaries, who had anaphylactic reactions to peanuts, and it wasn't pretty.
Wonder bread? You bet! It was awful!
Nobody knew the cause, or had a name, for celiac disease.
I do think that there are more allergies now, and there's data showing that raising children in too 'clean' and environment ain't good.
It's well known that pet rodents, and pet birds, and chickens, can have issues with whole seed diets. Not all of them, but a fair number of individuals will eat the best tasting stuff, and leave the rest, causing malnutrition in those individuals. That's one reason that I prefer to feed a crumble or pelleted feed, with a recent mill date.
Mary

We have the same sort of stuff you get in the USA. I think the only difference is there is still quite a lot of fish based feeds further South. I was very disappointed when the local mill discontinued it due to cost.
I am the only person on this mountain that feeds the chickens commercially produced feed. I get the Micky taken out of me at just about every chicken club meeting we have about this.
Some here make their own feed, often meat or fish based. Others don't officially feed their chickens at all. The game fowl breeders here are extremely fussy about what they feed their fowl with. I'm waiting for a recipe from one guy at the moment. His family have been breeding game fowl for 5 or 6 generations. Unfortunately in the past they were bred to fight. Thankfully it's illegal here now but they still breed.

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

To quote; "that coats the mouth and lingers beyond swallowing" is the ABSOLUTE BEST DESCRIPTION!! I buy the checkerboard since that is all they sell around me, but they have 'candy' which is just seeds (sunflower, sesame, nigella, poppy, caraway) & whole grains (wheat, millet, oats, quinoa) I mix in a jar for treats. Seems I need to do more research. I really like your style!!