I’m just getting into the whole BYC world because my wife wants chickens for Valentine’s Day. This isn’t a “Christmas puppy” situation—we understand it’s a long‑term commitment.
I know this has been asked before, but I haven’t found an answer I really understand, so I’m asking again. My wife wants to feed a corn‑free diet because of something she read about our son’s corn allergy and corn proteins showing up in eggs. I don’t fully understand the science, but she is 100% committed to this.
On top of that, my wife and daughter both have Celiac and can get very sick from any wheat exposure. Our entire house is gluten‑free because I’m not willing to risk it. I’ve realized there really isn’t a commercial feed that meets those criteria, so I’m planning to mix my own. The problem is, almost every DIY recipe I find uses corn, wheat, or both as the main ingredient, which I assume is mostly for cost and availability.
I’ve seen people say “do your research and use a calculator,” but I’m honestly overwhelmed by the information out there, especially since nearly everything starts from a corn or wheat base. I’m hoping I can lean on the collective wisdom of this forum to help point me in the right direction.
Requirements:
I know this has been asked before, but I haven’t found an answer I really understand, so I’m asking again. My wife wants to feed a corn‑free diet because of something she read about our son’s corn allergy and corn proteins showing up in eggs. I don’t fully understand the science, but she is 100% committed to this.
On top of that, my wife and daughter both have Celiac and can get very sick from any wheat exposure. Our entire house is gluten‑free because I’m not willing to risk it. I’ve realized there really isn’t a commercial feed that meets those criteria, so I’m planning to mix my own. The problem is, almost every DIY recipe I find uses corn, wheat, or both as the main ingredient, which I assume is mostly for cost and availability.
I’ve seen people say “do your research and use a calculator,” but I’m honestly overwhelmed by the information out there, especially since nearly everything starts from a corn or wheat base. I’m hoping I can lean on the collective wisdom of this forum to help point me in the right direction.
Requirements:
- No corn, wheat, or barley
- Cost isn’t the main driver, but it does matter
- Ingredients need to be reasonably easy to source in Central Florida
