Can I get feedback on this homemade feed recipe?

[Sally PB]

I also like a higher phosphorus number, and look for 0.6 when I can get it.

Because...?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Because phosphorus acts as a calcium buffer, and people following my culling thread and comments elsewhere know I feed my birds in ways I don't personally recommend to others - my roos get too much calcium.

Also, most biological processes (apart from shell production) use CA : P at a 2:1 ratio, so 0.4 is obviously too low. when typical calcium content in a feed is 1.0 +/- min

Finally, chickens almost can't use phytate-phosphorus (plant based phosphorus) sources, most passes right thru them. Since my birds get a substantial portion of their diet free ranging, ensuring the P number is a bit high in their feed is a bit of insurance against potential deficiencies in my pasture.

Not that I've given it any thought, mind you.

 

[Sally PB]

Not that I've given it any thought, mind you.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

You are a treasure. Happy to have brought a smile.

 

[bousky]

I know that it is easier to get the proper balance of nutrients using commercial layer pellets, but my husband and I grow most of our own organic table vegetables, and we have been itching to get into mixing our own chicken feed.

We have been growing our own chickens (and occasionally ducks) since 2007, as well as supplying 4 month old pullets in a timely manner to several local Farmer’s Market egg sellers. We supply our henhouses with 14 hours of light year round and have a both heat panel and heated waterers in every house, so that it never gets excessively cold (under 40 degrees) in their sleeping quarters. We know the difference between slow down of egg production due to inadequate light levels, molting, or winter cold.

So when our birds quit laying in December, we knew it was not a normal situation. We finally got them back to laying by making up a crude homemade mix of corn, oats, BOSS, split peas and kelp meal. Things we already had hanging around the farm.

We know that is inadequate for the long term. We just wanted something quick, until we could come up with a better recipe. And get all its ingredients together.


Thanks to Spaceylocust and U-Stormcrow on another thread, we have come up with a recipe that we think will work.

We would like your feedback or suggestions for possible improvement of the recipe.

But we respectfully ask that you do not get in here just to say you think we would do better using commercial feed.

Maybe we would, maybe we would not.

But either way, after several months of few or no eggs, we want to try our hand at making our own. We surely cannot do worse than the commercial feed we have been buying.

So, here is the recipe. If you have suggestions for improving it, or other insights to offer about what we might encounter, please share. We are listening.


The recipe:

Alfalfa meal (1 part)
Fish meal (1 part)
Flax seed (1/2 part)
Hard Wheat (4 parts)
Kelp meal (1/2 part)
Lentils (2 parts)
Oats (1 part) - probably crimped, but that is still up for debate
Split Peas (2 parts)
AND finally,

Adding in the manufacturer’s recommended amount of an all-in-one pre-mix (vitamins, minerals, probiotics and digestive enzymes) from Advanced Biological Concepts. (This is similar to Fertrell’s Nutri-balancer, except that it has some digestive enzymes that are supposed to make the feed mix easier for chickens to digest.)


In addition, we will offer both oyster shell and granite based grit as free choice 24/7, and DE from time to time, as needed.


Our thought is to ferment the seeds and grains over a period of about 3 days, and then mix in the dry powder based components completely, (that is, the fisn meal, alfalfa meal and pre-mix meal) to coat the wet mix right immediately before serving.

This way, the dry powders wlii coat the wet, fermented mix, and hopefully they will be eating a well mixed grub, and not just picking out the ingredients they prefer.

So, what dou all think about the recipe?

How did this play out? Did they like it? Did it keep them healthy?

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I agree.

I really appreciate you taking your time to analyze my feed plan, U_StormCrow !

You got the right person for the job thats for sure!