chickenbreederinchina
In the Brooder
- Jul 10, 2025
- 5
- 5
- 14
Just started making my own chicken feed pellets – looking for some advice
I’m pretty new to raising chickens—just keeping around 20 laying hens in the backyard for now. Nothing too big, just something for our own use. Lately I’ve been trying to make my own feed pellets, mainly to cut down on costs and have more control over what goes into their feed.
I’m using a small pellet machine at home. For ingredients, I’ve been mixing cornmeal, wheat bran, and a bit of soybean meal, then adding some water to press them into pellets. So far, the chickens seem to really like it. They eat it quickly, and there’s definitely less waste compared to the mash I used before.
That said, I’ve run into a few issues. Getting the moisture right is tricky—too dry and the pellets fall apart, too wet and it jams the machine. Sometimes the pellets aren’t firm enough and crumble easily. I recently tried adding a little corn flour as a binder, and that seems to help.
Just wondering if anyone else here is making their own feed pellets at home? What kind of ingredients do you use? Any tips on natural binders? I’m also curious whether this kind of homemade feed needs extra supplements to keep the hens healthy in the long run.
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to learning from you all.
I’m pretty new to raising chickens—just keeping around 20 laying hens in the backyard for now. Nothing too big, just something for our own use. Lately I’ve been trying to make my own feed pellets, mainly to cut down on costs and have more control over what goes into their feed.
I’m using a small pellet machine at home. For ingredients, I’ve been mixing cornmeal, wheat bran, and a bit of soybean meal, then adding some water to press them into pellets. So far, the chickens seem to really like it. They eat it quickly, and there’s definitely less waste compared to the mash I used before.
That said, I’ve run into a few issues. Getting the moisture right is tricky—too dry and the pellets fall apart, too wet and it jams the machine. Sometimes the pellets aren’t firm enough and crumble easily. I recently tried adding a little corn flour as a binder, and that seems to help.
Just wondering if anyone else here is making their own feed pellets at home? What kind of ingredients do you use? Any tips on natural binders? I’m also curious whether this kind of homemade feed needs extra supplements to keep the hens healthy in the long run.
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to learning from you all.