All purpose feed

[Kayla's Lunch]

I watch some homesteaders on YouTube that seem to feed some kind of all-purpose to their goats and chickens. Anyone know what this feed is? TIA

 

[WingItRanch]

I watch some homesteaders on YouTube that seem to feed some kind of all-purpose to their goats and chickens. Anyone know what this feed is? TIA

Do you mean chaffhaye, maybe? I think some people give it to their chickens and ducks as a snack but I've never heard of using it as their entire diet.

 

[nuthatched]

I watch some homesteaders on YouTube that seem to feed some kind of all-purpose to their goats and chickens. Anyone know what this feed is? TIA

There's lots of misinformation on YouTube, especially on "homestead" clogs.
A balanced diet for either animal will be incomplete or harmful to the other.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Do you mean chaffhaye, maybe? I think some people give it to their chickens and ducks as a snack but I've never heard of using it as their entire diet.

No, pellets of some kind.

 

[WingItRanch]

There's a huge difference in the nutrition needs between goats and chickens so I'm not sure what they're using but I wouldn't follow that advice.

 

[FrostRanger]

I think the feed in question is all stock pellets. I would not feed it as chicken feed 'cause it does not have the nutrition chickens need. The most obvious problem is it only has 12% protein which is way, way too low. The absolute bare minimum chickens need is 16% but 18-20% is more ideal. I would just stick with regular chicken feed. YouTube is a great resource but while there's plenty of good information out there there is also a lot of bad information too. Question anything you see on there

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I watch some homesteaders on YouTube that seem to feed some kind of all-purpose to their goats and chickens. Anyone know what this feed is? TIA

Yes. Its the wrong thing to feed both your goats and your chickens. Spend more time here, less time on Youtube with people of dubious knowledge and limited experience.

Goats need more copper than any other critter commonly found on a farm. Without it they have a host of health problems, the first notable symptom being a dull coat. Its followed by anemia, with loss, deformity, infertility and problems resisting parasitic infection.

That same level of copper is downright dangerous to almost everything else - so you won't find it in a "stock" or "all purpose" pellet. Locally my all purpose and stock pellets are high fiber, low protein - either 10% or 12%.

That protein level is WAY too low to support health chickens, the amino acid balance is wrong (methionine levels too low, often others as well), while the high fiber that the goats (with their ruminant stomachs) absolutely need - helps prevent bloat - actively interferes with the chickens absorbing what little nutrition is in the stocking pellet.

There are more (LOTS MORE) problems besides, but if the Amino Acid, Fat, Fiber, Energy balance isn't right there's no sense worrying about the other stuff. That's like complaining about the color of the interior of a car with no engine, transmission, or brakes...

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Thanks for the responses. I feed fermented feed, but when the temperatures go below freezing, it's a little difficult. I don't like products with soy. I give them birdseed (black oil sunflower seeds mixed with millet) as a back up. What else can I feed them that won't freeze but is sufficiently nutritious as a back up?

 

[FrostRanger]

Thanks for the responses. I feed fermented feed, but when the temperatures go below freezing, it's a little difficult. I don't like products with soy. I give them birdseed (black oil sunflower seeds mixed with millet) as a back up. What else can I feed them that won't freeze but is sufficiently nutritious as a back up?

Birdseed isn't a complete or balanced feed at all. There are soy free chicken feeds available if you want to go soy free (although soy isn't harmful to chickens). Check chewy if none of your local places carry anything to your liking

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Thanks for the response. I haven't found a product that doesn't have soy. I don't like soy because it seems to make their poop more stinky. The coop is right up again my house, so I try to keep the odor down. I'll keep looking for something that doesn't have soy. I'm hoping to find a pellet feed that they can't pick through.