Anyone NOT feeding commercial pelleted/mash feed to your layers?

[HorizonSon]

Ours free range. Though as our flock is increasing; ill be looking to bug farming for some of their winter needs. Coupled with a few handfuls of scratch in the am and pm (mostly to boost their body's core temperatures during the cold days.

 

[dsc6]

I'm interested in this thread as I just started feeding my small flock this way. I kind of want to post what we give each day and get comments.

Today: plain Greek yogurt, olive oil, nutritional yeast flakes, fresh lentil sprouts, hot pepper flakes, whole wheat berries, rye berries, millet, quinoa, steel cut oats, some milk to drink. They also free range. And some run of the mill scratch grains. Free choice oyster shell grit. I'm going by Resolution's edict to feed them what they will eat in 15 minutes twice a day. I don't take food away after 15 minutes, but what I mix up is all I provide twice a day.

If you always have sprouts going, that goes along way to cover the no-greens-during-the-winter situation.

I think variation is the key here.

I fed children without using preformulated anything. Chickens can't be all that hard--a small flock, I mean. Different totally for large flocks. Kind of like having to feed 20 kids, in that case.

I have easy access to lots of different kind of whole grains, even organic. So that helps. I have a grain grinder, but stick pretty much to whole grains.

Debbie in PA

 

[shortstaque]

Quote:
Debbie, have you noticed any change in health, laying habits or egg quality, either positive or negative? About how much grains and lentils are you feeding a day to how many birds? Are you using someone else's ration recipe or did you come up with it yourself? If so, did you run it through a protein calculator or any other nutrient analysis tool? I'm curious how folks decide what to feed with this kind of feeding, as there are so many options. I think I would have done this sooner if it weren't so overwhelming at first.

Debbie, Cindy and anyone else in PA--do you know of any feed co-ops/buying clubs in the area?

 

[Organics North]

Hi!

Sorry I am late to the party.
For over a year know my birds from day one get home made feed. I feed the same ingredients two ways. The first way is all freshly ground and fed in feeders. They get that 24x7. The second way is I sprout Wheat, oats, BOSS and mix it with the other ingredients which are ground up. I give this twice a day. Just what they can eat.

I use Azomite as a mineral supp. I am quite positive it is not needed, with a diverse selection of grains.

I am 80% organic. (The BOSS is not organic) My costs are around $16 per 50lbs.

I am GMO and Soy free. (IMO soy gives chicks pasty butt.) My chicks eat clover sprouts at week one, they get grit, and get to eat organic dirt/lettuce roots right in the brooder...

I am a huge fan of field peas instead of Soy.

Anyway I am feeling pretty good about the way the birds look and perform. I read so many threads of people with heritage breeds that take forever to mature and lay. My birds seem to mature quickly with great feathers, and start laying on the early side for the breeds I keep. Also birds get through molt fast and have beautiful new feathers in a hurry!

Here is some correspondence from a very good very experienced breeder:
Hello (From me),
> Just letting you know I am enjoying my birds I got from you very much.
> The pullets are laying well the April hatch birds started laying in
> October.

Response: hi 11-4-10
Thanks for the update and congratulations on the wins. It takes good
caregiving for them to do this well! Our very hot summer has our birds
way behind where they should be. We have had only two to lay. We were
beaten in the black and blue classes at the recent national meet with
birds out of birds that we had sold in the past.
Thanks again,

Kind words like that coming from a very high end breeder means a whole lot to me......

I know it is the home made feed...

ON

 

[shortstaque]

ON,

Congratulations! I'm a big believer that if you put quality in, you get quality out.

Thanks too for posting your feed recipe on your homepage, its so helpful to someone like me in the beginning stages of feeding a whole grain based diet. When feeding the fresh ground grains do they pick out only the bits they want, or do you find they eat pretty much everything you feed them?

Thanks!

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
I bought a cheap grinder off ebay....After the fact..... I thought I could feed just whole grains, but they did pick out what they want..
Many different philosophies, many feel this way the chickens take what they need... I can see that and respect that. (I do free choice oyster shells, and have free choiced other ingredients.)
However my birds did not like the peas or alfalfa SO I grind up the stuff they do not like and it sticks to the sprouts they do like so the eat my calculated ration. The dry food they pick out the bigger chuncks but eat it all.

Be well
ON

 

[HeritageHens]

Quote:
What is the reason for doing this? I can understand it if the birds are allowed to free range though.

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
What is the reason for doing this? I can understand it if the birds are allowed to free range though.

I do that with the sprouts and mash, but they have other feed to eat or free range for the rest of the day..

ON

 

[HeritageHens]

Quote:
What is the reason for doing this? I can understand it if the birds are allowed to free range though.

I do that with the sprouts and mash, but they have other feed to eat or free range for the rest of the day..

ON

Yes, that makes sense for wet foods too! But for dry foods????

 

[Organics North]

I agree... Good question..
Me I like my girls to have all the food they want and when they want it... SO they make me more eggs
ON