This is a mix I use in place of feed- if one uses commercial feed like Purina, there is no need for scratch: it merely lowers the protein content of their diets. We all know they love it and it makes them happy. I also feel strongly that the birds should have a less processed and more whole food, thus the whole grains- clearly they agree with their love of scratch.
Mixing the UltraKibble, which is a zoo quality feed of nearly 40% protein with spices, probiotics and nutrients is the way I've fed for some time now. When one uses scratch and UltraKibble together, they get a high-quality feed that they actually have to digest (it wasn't already ground and formed into pellets or crumble) and they enjoy what they're eating. You could mix it with water and they would go nuts. You can even sprout it.
In my opinion, this is a feed that stays in their digestive system for a long time and they derive a larger quantity of nutrients from it, so they poop less and eat less.
Again, I'm not trying to sell it, I'm just mixing it up and want to let others in on it if you are interested. For a long time a lot of locals ordered a mix from Perry using Pinwheel Farms' recipe, but it had tons of fine powder that sifted down and got wasted- that was the 'HOG44' and the other powders that had to be added to make it a balanced feed.
I liked the feed okay, but it didn't seem to be good on their systems...they had sticky poop that was very stinky...the HOG44 wasn't very good for their systems...I guess.
I've done a lot of research and came to the recipe using others' experiences and nutritional information about the various grains. Most scratch is over 50% corn, with a bit of milo, oats, and wheat. This is Buckwheat, Barley, Oats, Quinoa, Sesame Seeds, Flax, Safflower, Peanuts, fruit, Millet, Wheat, Canadian Peas, Maple Peas, Austrian Peas, all the supplements I mentioned, and so on...with only 15% corn. It's just how I prefer to feed.
In the end, it costs me less this way, whereas it seems to be more expensive if you look at the weight of the bag alone.
I was for some time using store-bought scratch again, and even All-stock, and just looking at the protein content alone...it doesn't seem to work nearly as well, though it's a lot better than just plain layer pellets. I'm tired of mixing it myself, and just want it the way I want it...
I'm happy to get it for everyone else at the same time! I have nearly 700# in the order now, so I'll be making a grand run!
Quote:
Sooooooooooo, is this in place of 'scratch', or in place of regular layer feed? Sounds a bit like a 'hybrid' of the two.
Oh how sweet. I am so lucky to have a young man next to me who has testosterone poisening!
