Soybean Meal?

[packinpreacher]

I am feeding a 16% layer ration with scratch grain free choice during winter. Also give them a little piece of baled alfalfa every other day.

 

[Paganrose]

When we first had chickens we experimented with feed mixes. My birds hated soybean meal. However once we got organic roasted soybeans from a neighbour that the chickens loved. It smelled like peanut butter.

 

[packinpreacher]

Living in Kansas you would think soybeans would be easy to find. The grain elevator only had the sbm because it was special ordered by a farmer. Might have to check and see if I can find whole roasted beans. :/

 

[chicklover 1998]

Welcome to BYC do you just layer their feed or foo you mix it together? Mine won't eat any thing separate but if it is mixed they will boss, scratch, pellets, they have a very weird way of being picky.

 

[Chris09]

I am feeding a 16% layer ration with scratch grain free choice during winter. Also give them a little piece of baled alfalfa every other day.

To be honest, with you feeding only a 16% feed you really shouldn't be offering free choice scratch grain. Especially in the winter.
You should offer there poultry feed free choice and limit there scratch grain to around 10% of there total feed intake.
Scratch grain is a good source of energy but it burns off quickly and chickens need to eat more to fill there caloric need.
There poultry feed fills there caloric need so that there not having to eat all the time and it also talks longer to process which is a good thing in the winter.
The longer process time and higher amounts of proteins will keep your flock far warmer than scratch grain.

I myself feed a high protein feed (close to 28%) to most of my birds in the winter and limit there scratch grain 15% +/- of there total feed intake.

Note ---
I'm feeding a high protein feed and my scratch is around 16 to 18% proteins so I can feed a little more "treat" with out depleting the poultry feed to much.

 

[packinpreacher]

Do you mix your own feed to get a 28% protein content? I did not know you could buy that high a protein content.I have been getting 16% layer from farm supply store - Orschelin's.

 

[Chris09]

Do you mix your own feed to get a 28% protein content? I did not know you could buy that high a protein content.I have been getting 16% layer from farm supply store - Orschelin's.

I mix mine but you can get high protein feeds (20% layers, "all flock" and 30% starter feed) from most any good feed mill that deals with Purina.
Go with there Un-Medicated Game Bird Feed.

 

[chicklover 1998]

Do you mix your own feed to get a 28% protein content? I did not know you could buy that high a protein content.I have been getting 16% layer from farm supply store - Orschelin's.

Welcome to BYC and I agree with Chris 09 what I do myself is mix orschelns 40 lb.-%16 layer crumbles with 40lb-%18 meat bird started grower and 20lb.-BOSS, without actually going to a feed mill that is about the highest amount of protein you can get out of commercial feed which is what I use for mine.

 

[packinpreacher]

Thanks for the input everybody.Will start making up a different ration.Another dumb question; what is BOSS?

 

[chicklover 1998]

Oh it's perfectly fine took me awhile to catch on too but it is Black Oil Sunflower Seeds high protein if you every get any for your birds don't get the grey striped like what we would eat for a snack