BEST chicken feed recipe, ever.

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vavavroom

Hatching
11 Years
Nov 18, 2008
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I just want to thank Greener Pastures for this chicken feed recipe.

I had been feeding them commercial layer feed and treats. The first eggs didn't taste that good - they looked great, but their taste wasn't kinda gross. So, I bought all of the whole grains from the recipe below and have mixed up a small batch. The girls love it AND their eggs taste completely different and SO much better. It's a completely different egg. (My hens also free range during the day.) I am more convinced now than ever that you are what you eat!

The grains are a little expensive, but you can order them in bulk, and it's completely worth the expense. DELICIOUS.

RECIPE BELOW:

"Ronda's Whole Grain Chicken Feed Recipe

That said, here is the recipe that I devised in '99 and have been improving with additions, but using the ingredients in more or less the same ratio since 1999. Note that all items are whole grains, and certified organic. If you are looking for the cheapest feed, this isn't it. If you are looking for a healthy, natural feed for your flock, this is one way to go!

*** It's not necessary to follow this recipe exactly... just make sure your birds are getting enough protein, which is predominant in the hard red wheat and the legumes. Free-range birds usually find plenty of protein from bugs, etc.

2 parts whole corn (in winter this is increased to 3 or 4 parts)
3 parts soft white wheat
3 parts hard red winter wheat
1 part hulled barley
1 part oat groats
1 part sunflower seeds (in winter this is increased to 2 parts)
1 part millet
1 part kamut
1 part amaranth seeds
1 part split peas
1 part lentils
1 part quinoa
1 part sesame seeds
1/2 part flax seeds
1/2 part kelp granules
free choice of granite grit
free choice of oyster shell"
 
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Hey, thank you! I've been trying something similar to complement my Blue Seal feed store feed - had to stop buying organic when prices spiked - this is a great recipe and I will be using it for sure!

Thank you!
 
That looks awfully complicated. I'd think once you combine all those things, it would rather cost-prohibitive.

But I don't doubt for a second it would result in great-tasting eggs.


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I actually ordered them from a man named Tim at Homegrown Harvest.

www.HomegrownHarvest.com

They sell organic and natural whole grains for human consumption. So - I figured, fit for me - fit for my ladies.

You can also buy most of them from the bulk food sections of any health food store. Not sure what you might have in your area - but I have real limitations, so I had them shipped to me.

It wasn't cheap - but I wanted to feed them natural whole grains and not the chicken feed, which is usually chemically processed.
 
I came across that recipe on the internet somewhere before.

I roughly follow it to make a wet mash - I cook all of the ingredients. Then I plop in some really high quality dry dog food based on salmon and bison.

To that I add enough spirulina to tint the whole thing green - this ups the xanthophyll content to keep the egg yolks orange even when they have no pasture.

I give a glob of this almost every day in the winter - not as a main food source, just as a treat. I do think it helps keep the eggs nice and tasty.

I can not find the kamut. It's not even in the health food store. I can get most of the other stuff in bulk at wholesale prices from a cooperative in town. Even at wholesale prices I think it would be pretty expensive as the sole food source.
 
I buy my organic grains from a co-op located in Oregon. They are much cheaper than many places. The requirement for a co-op in an area for purchasing once a month (if you choose to order that month) is $55.00 per person/order to meet the full requirement of $550.00 per order. So you would either need 10 people with an order of at least $55.00 or often times people in the co-op order $300.00 or so at least, so many times you don't need 10 people to make an order. They have a HUGE selection of organic foods. The name is Azure Standard and they have a website online. Prices include shipping as far as I know unless you live in Alaska like I do, we have to pay a little extra for shipping:/ We have been extremely happy with their prices and service. Here is a link to their site:

http://www.azurestandard.com/

You may have to enter it on your search bar up above (sorry, I'm a little computer ignorant as to the names of some things) to get to it. In order to see the prices, you will need to create an account which does not obligate you to purchase anything.
 
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I am looking into this too myself! trying to find a way I can do this with out paying an arm and a leg. I would like to find some variations of the recipe too. I saw somewhere where someone only used the red hard wheat and another grain ( only really like 2)plus other kelp flax etc. Basically simplified. Wonder if anyone else has some other recipes out there for organic grain feed. I have joined the Organic Chickens yahoo group as well.
 

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