Whole grain layer feed

[chicmama307]

Who uses a whole grain layer feed? I’ve wanted to feed it to my hens and I currently have to switch feed because my feed store is done selling chicken feed so I’m trying to figure out what to put them on before they start laying. They are currently on straight pellets which I don’t think they love. Before that they were on crumbles but they waste a lot. Tell me your experience with a whole grain feed and what you use. I’m looking at healthy harvest for the price vs grubblies

 

[DLA]

I don't use whole grain personally but I've heard more than one person mention that they can be problematic as the chickens will pick out only the pieces they like and not eat all of it which can cause nutritional issues in the future.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

I’ve tried to use whole grain but my chickens would pick out their favorite stuff and throw the rest on the ground. It caused a tom of waste. However whole grain is best for fermenting feed if you want to do that.

 

[rosemarythyme]

As others have mentioned, the key with this sort of feed is fermenting it to get the grains and fines (powder that contains minerals and vitamins) to stick together. If that's something you're willing to do, then these feeds work just fine. If not, best to stick with pellets or crumble. I use Scratch & Peck grower for my ferment and feed that in the morning, but I also offer Payback layer pellets as a dry feed so that I don't have to monitor how much more feed I need to put out later in the day.

 

[chicmama307]

I don't use whole grain personally but I've heard more than one person mention that they can be problematic as the chickens will pick out only the pieces they like and not eat all of it which can cause nutritional issues in the future.

Thank you. I’ve heard this too. Maybe I’ll just get crumbles again and add what I want then I can adjust accordingly to what they do and don’t eat.

 

[chicmama307]

As others have mentioned, the key with this sort of feed is fermenting it to get the grains and fines (powder that contains minerals and vitamins) to stick together. If that's something you're willing to do, then these feeds work just fine. If not, best to stick with pellets or crumble. I use Scratch & Peck grower for my ferment and feed that in the morning, but I also offer Payback layer pellets as a dry feed so that I don't have to monitor how much more feed I need to put out later in the day.

Thank you!!

 

[landgirl1775]

My hens don't love the pellets so I've been looking into soy-free whole grain layer feeds; but they are so expensive, and often only 16% protein. A farmer will make me a custom 18% feed but only in bulk, and it's mash. I've never given my hens mash, and have barely ever seen it or heard of it. So I've been looking around on here for consensus on whether I should look into mash or stick with my whole grain plans!

Seems like mash can be mixed with water to make a wet mash, or even fermented. And wouldn't have the cherry-picking issue with whole grains. Any thoughts on this thread about mash vs. whole grains?

 

[rosemarythyme]

My hens don't love the pellets so I've been looking into soy-free whole grain layer feeds; but they are so expensive, and often only 16% protein. A farmer will make me a custom 18% feed but only in bulk, and it's mash. I've never given my hens mash, and have barely ever seen it or heard of it. So I've been looking around on here for consensus on whether I should look into mash or stick with my whole grain plans!

Seems like mash can be mixed with water to make a wet mash, or even fermented. And wouldn't have the cherry-picking issue with whole grains. Any thoughts on this thread about mash vs. whole grains?

I assume this farmer's custom mash is a ground down type of mash (powder, basically), vs a whole grain mash (like Scratch & Peck brand) that you're talking about initially?

I believe both types should work the same if served wet or fermented, though I have no experience using a ground up mash as it's not a common type of feed.

If protein % is a concern for you you could opt for whole grain grower or starter instead of layer mash.

What works for me (but is a bit of micromanaging) is I ferment whole grain grower mash PLUS offer dry layer pellets for a more customized calcium & protein level as the laying season comes and goes. As the mash is fermented the birds eat all the feed, and even the layer pellet dust gets added to the FF bowls to reduce waste as much as possible. And having dry feed available all day ensures that no one goes hungry even if they eat up the mash faster one day versus the next.

 

[Perris]

My hens don't love the pellets so I've been looking into soy-free whole grain layer feeds; but they are so expensive, and often only 16% protein. A farmer will make me a custom 18% feed but only in bulk, and it's mash. I've never given my hens mash, and have barely ever seen it or heard of it. So I've been looking around on here for consensus on whether I should look into mash or stick with my whole grain plans!

Seems like mash can be mixed with water to make a wet mash, or even fermented. And wouldn't have the cherry-picking issue with whole grains. Any thoughts on this thread about mash vs. whole grains?

you might find this interesting
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...eat-tears-a-calculator-or-deep-pockets.78655/

It is not difficult or expensive to make your own whole grain feed. So-called 'cherry-picking' is a good thing not a bad thing - each chicken takes what it needs from a nutritious buffet amongst which it can identify each food and instinctively knows what it needs. And a good home made feed does not need the expensive vitamin additives (aka 'fines') which may or may not get eaten, or may or may not expire before even reaching the food bowl.

 

[landgirl1775]

I assume this farmer's custom mash is a ground down type of mash (powder, basically), vs a whole grain mash (like Scratch & Peck brand) that you're talking about initially?

I believe both types should work the same if served wet or fermented, though I have no experience using a ground up mash as it's not a common type of feed.

If protein % is a concern for you you could opt for whole grain grower or starter instead of layer mash.

What works for me (but is a bit of micromanaging) is I ferment whole grain grower mash PLUS offer dry layer pellets for a more customized calcium & protein level as the laying season comes and goes. As the mash is fermented the birds eat all the feed, and even the layer pellet dust gets added to the FF bowls to reduce waste as much as possible. And having dry feed available all day ensures that no one goes hungry even if they eat up the mash faster one day versus the next.

Yes you're right, the farmer's mash is essentially a ground-down whole grain feed, a bit finer than crumbles - this one has a lot of really nice amino acid/calcium/yeast additives that I don't think most people would bother with if mixing a whole grain feed at home. I was worried it would be too fine and powdery, but it mixes really well with water actually and I anticipate it will ferment well too.

I'm doing a similar feeding setup at this point - I leave dry whole grain feed in the run and then put out the mash mixed with water into an "oatmeal" when I let the hens out in the morning. They plow through the wet mash pretty quickly. It seems nice to give them options.