Best Broiler Feed?

[rosetarantelli]

Hey I'm starting my first round of Cornish cross broilers in the spring. What are some good quality reasonably priced feed options?

 

[iwltfum]

Depends on what's available in your area first. And second, how important are labels like organic and non-gmo to you.

Diving deeper....Some people want buy as local as possible - which you might be able to find - locally mixed and milled feed in your area. Some of the die hard purists buy their own grains individually and crack and mix them together on their own...

But if you're trying to keep it simple, whatever fits your budget and eco mindset (or not) at your closest feed store ought to be completely sufficient.

Edit to add: assuming you're in the lower 48 US

 

[rosetarantelli]

Depends on what's available in your area first. And second, how important are labels like organic and non-gmo to you.

Diving deeper....Some people want buy as local as possible - which you might be able to find - locally mixed and milled feed in your area. Some of the die hard purists buy their own grains individually and crack and mix them together on their own...

But if you're trying to keep it simple, whatever fits your budget and eco mindset (or not) at your closest feed store ought to be completely sufficient.

Edit to add: assuming you're in the lower 48 US

Thanks for this insight! It made me think more into what I want....
I'm not going to do organic or non-gmo even though it would be ideal- I'm just starting out and it seems too expensive to me.
I did find a local feed mill near me. I'm going to talk to them and then price compare because I want to support local.
I have heard some people say its cheeper to crack and mix your own if you have a large enough scale but I don't think I can commit to that either.
Is there controversy on feeding your chickens soy and other additives? Is that important?
Also I'm seeing videos of farmers saying they feed their chickens cooked venison organs in the winter to increase their protein consumption and they're producing TONS of eggs all through out the winter. Can anyone speak to this method or similar alternatives for egg production in the winter?
Thank you!!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is there controversy on feeding your chickens soy and other additives? Is that important?

Depends on what the additives are but to some people soy or additives are important, to some they are not. To me soy is OK as long as the nutrients in the total of what they eat is balanced.

Also I'm seeing videos of farmers saying they feed their chickens cooked venison organs in the winter to increase their protein consumption and they're producing TONS of eggs all through out the winter. Can anyone speak to this method or similar alternatives for egg production in the winter?

Could you please post a link to those videos? I'd like to see them in context.

What you feed them has little to do with whether they lay at all during the winter, let alone produce a ton of eggs. Unless you manipulate the lights so they cannot tell if the days are getting shorter most hens stop laying in the fall and molt to replace worn out feathers. Some pullets will skip the molt their first year and continue laying throughout the winter but practically all older hens are going to stop laying in fall/winter until the molt is over.

What chickens need to lay eggs is a balanced diet. That does not mean they need a precise amount of any one nutrient, there is a range that works. Those nutrients include vitamins, minerals, fats, fiber, protein, and more. There is nothing wrong with feeding them meat to increase their protein intake, I feed mine mice, rats, raccoon, possum, and skunks throughout the year when I trap them. Venison, whether organs or other meat products, would work well. If I hunted deer they would get some of that. But you do not want that meat or meat products to be their sole diet.

If you have it I'd feel comfortable in feeding it to them. But I'd feed it in moderation. It will not cause them to lay. The extra protein may make the eggs a tiny bit larger than otherwise. You may get a ton of eggs but it will not be because of the meat. You'd probably get the same number of eggs anyway.

 

[rosetarantelli]

Depends on what the additives are but to some people soy or additives are important, to some they are not. To me soy is OK as long as the nutrients in the total of what they eat is balanced.


Could you please post a link to those videos? I'd like to see them in context.

What you feed them has little to do with whether they lay at all during the winter, let alone produce a ton of eggs. Unless you manipulate the lights so they cannot tell if the days are getting shorter most hens stop laying in the fall and molt to replace worn out feathers. Some pullets will skip the molt their first year and continue laying throughout the winter but practically all older hens are going to stop laying in fall/winter until the molt is over.

What chickens need to lay eggs is a balanced diet. That does not mean they need a precise amount of any one nutrient, there is a range that works. Those nutrients include vitamins, minerals, fats, fiber, protein, and more. There is nothing wrong with feeding them meat to increase their protein intake, I feed mine mice, rats, raccoon, possum, and skunks throughout the year when I trap them. Venison, whether organs or other meat products, would work well. If I hunted deer they would get some of that. But you do not want that meat or meat products to be their sole diet.

If you have it I'd feel comfortable in feeding it to them. But I'd feed it in moderation. It will not cause them to lay. The extra protein may make the eggs a tiny bit larger than otherwise. You may get a ton of eggs but it will not be because of the meat. You'd probably get the same number of eggs anyway.

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Here’s the link I saw, he was giving the organs in moderation a long with their normal diet. I think he was saying they need more of those nutrients and protein in the winter because they’re trying to stay warm and they’re working harder and that’s why egg production was down for him. I know daylight plays a large part in it though and I’m still new to all of it but I thought it was interesting that chicken owners in the comments were saying similar things. I was wondering if I should be supplementing something in the winter when they might need a little more after seeing this?
Also, that’s cool that you feed them the critters your trap they probably love it. Do you cook or process them? Or are they servered raw and whole?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Served raw. Mice are served whole. The others are split open so they can get to the insides.

 

[rosetarantelli]

View this content on Instagram

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Here’s the link I saw, he was giving the organs in moderation a long with their normal diet. I think he was saying they need more of those nutrients and protein in the winter because they’re trying to stay warm and they’re working harder and that’s why egg production was down for him. I know daylight plays a large part in it though and I’m still new to all of it but I thought it was interesting that chicken owners in the comments were saying similar things. I was wondering if I should be supplementing something in the winter when they might need a little more after seeing this?
Also, that’s cool that you feed them the critters your trap they probably love it. Do you cook or process them? Or are they servered raw and whole

Served raw. Mice are served whole. The others are split open so they can get to the insides.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Ridgerunner]

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Here’s the link I saw, he was giving the organs in moderation a long with their normal diet. I think he was saying they need more of those nutrients and protein in the winter because they’re trying to stay warm and they’re working harder and that’s why egg production was down for him.

Thanks for the video.

He did not convince me that feeding some venison organs will greatly increase the number of eggs. He did not really address any reasons as far as I'm concerned. If you want to keep them warmer, feed them more carbohydrates or fat. It's easier for them to convert that to stay warm. But wild birds don't get extra fat or carbohydrates and they stay warm.

I have no idea how large his flock is or if he is increasing the lights. Was that one day's worth of production or a week? To me, if his production increased by TONS, it sounds like his chickens finished the molt and resumed laying when the molt was over. That may have coincided with deer hunting season.

Is there anything wrong with feeding them meat in moderation? No, but try to avoid heavily salted meat. Too much salt is not good for them. Does it matter if it is raw or cooked? Not really, it is still packed with many different nutrients, not just proteins. I feed scraps from the kitchen as well as critters I catch. Is it worth buying meat from the store just for the chickens? Not in my opinion.

 

[rosetarantelli]

Thanks for the video.

He did not convince me that feeding some venison organs will greatly increase the number of eggs. He did not really address any reasons as far as I'm concerned. If you want to keep them warmer, feed them more carbohydrates or fat. It's easier for them to convert that to stay warm. But wild birds don't get extra fat or carbohydrates and they stay warm.

I have no idea how large his flock is or if he is increasing the lights. Was that one day's worth of production or a week? To me, if his production increased by TONS, it sounds like his chickens finished the molt and resumed laying when the molt was over. That may have coincided with deer hunting season.

Is there anything wrong with feeding them meat in moderation? No, but try to avoid heavily salted meat. Too much salt is not good for them. Does it matter if it is raw or cooked? Not really, it is still packed with many different nutrients, not just proteins. I feed scraps from the kitchen as well as critters I catch. Is it worth buying meat from the store just for the chickens? Not in my opinion.

Thanks for the info!!
So basically it’s good for them to have on occasion in moderation if you have it on hand but it’s not necessary.

 

[iwltfum]

thugnasty_ufc?
I know it's tempting, but I would avoid paying too much attention to farming advice on Instagram.

I would have so many predators if I started leaving deer organs in or around my coop. I bring deer that I hunt up to my house to butcher them.., and the chickens eat a lot of the extras that get tossed off and that's all good, but then I clean up and get everything out and away from the dooryard that could possibly attract hawks, eagles, coons, mink, coyotes, etc.