Corn, Wheat/Gluten Free DIY feed

[aseatmon]

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:

• 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

Note: I know things like oats are often processed on shared equipment and might not be certified gluten‑free. My goal is to reduce the risk enough that my daughter can safely help care for the birds. There’s a big difference between “processed on shared equipment” and having wheat dust all over the place.

 

[nuthatched]

@U_Stormcrow
This is your neck of the woods, literally.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

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:

• 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

Note: I know things like oats are often processed on shared equipment and might not be certified gluten‑free. My goal is to reduce the risk enough that my daughter can safely help care for the birds. There’s a big difference between “processed on shared equipment” and having wheat dust all over the place.

@aseatmon Welcome to BYC and GOOD LUCK on your chicken keeping journey. I am NOT an expert, this is NOT my day job. I am, however, paged to these sorts of questions because I've done some reading and actually built a calculator from scratch as a way of testing (some) of my understandings.

I work in an office, we'll call that work "law-adjacent". That means I have to start by being a downer.

1) The more I understand about feeding birds appropriately, the more I'm convinced "home brewing" recipes is not the way to go.
2) "Home brewing" involves accepting that "you just don't know". When I go to the store, I can look at a feed bag and be reasonably confident the contents meet or exceed the label disclosures. You can't do that with make at home.
3) Make at home is always more expensive - you don't enjoy the economies of scale that commercial producers do. The smaller your flock, the more that cost disparity becomes evident.
4) Central Florida is not, unfortunately, "chicken country" - while its not a desert, you don't have major chicken ops, or major mills close to you. That will affect (greatly limit) feed ingredient options.
5) I usually suggest those w/ serious gluten allergies (the sort that dust becomes a concern) simply not keep chickens - because it is so ubiquitous in feed.

Now, if you are still convinced this is the thing to do, become I can think about helping, I need to know a few more things...

How many birds?
What breed/breeds? (or what purpose)
Just hens, or roos too?
What ages? (only adult birds, raising hatchlings, mixed - and do you intend to hatch replacements?)
What farm/feed stores are near you??? or are you sourcing from Amazon and the Grocery Market?
Organic, non-GMO, or no particular requirement?
How do you feel about Soy?
How do you feel about animal proteins?
anything else I need to consider???
Free range? Caged?
What grains CAN you eat/tolerate??? (I have a so so understanding of Celiac's, you are the expert)

and yes, this isn't rocket science (I've done that too - see my Sig), but as you've already found, its not for novices, either. I'll try to find some time this weekend to whip something up. and yes, I think t here is a commercial option you could ship in which is both corn and wheat free, not sure if its barley free as well (I think so), but its also not very good nutritioally and quite expensive, even before shipping.

Will try and find some time this weekend.

 

[PeaShack]

I think it is possible to go corn and gluten free but would certainly require commitment.

I suppose it I were to do this, it would have to start with finding a really fantastic free ranging/foraging breed, have a diet with vitamin fortified kitchen scraps (perhaps using soluble or powdered poultry vitamins). Cooked rice, oats, and barley can be a base grain source if needed. Oyster shell grit/flakes for hens in a separate food bowl would be crucial for a calcium source.

https://blog.meyerhatchery.com/2021/01/best-chicken-breeds-for-foraging-free-ranging/

 

[saysfaa]

What I've been reading lately (in the published research world), is that grains are not hard to replace in chickens' diets as far nutrition goes. Grains are short of protein. They aren't very good sources of vitamins or minerals. What they do have is starch.

And they are easy to grow, easy to store, easy to transport, easy to process, well known, often very affordable, etc.. So the rest of the ration was/is about supplying the nutrients the grains don't supply.

Other plants also supply starch: potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, winter squash, parsnips, peas, cassava (tapioca). The many studies usually find foods like these can directly replace some but not all of the corn, specifically, or of the grain, generally. Usually, a quarter or it or half of it, sometimes more. Sometimes they try higher percentages and sometimes they don't. Sometimes the studies say why not all of it; mostly they don't.

At least part of the reason all the rations look so much alike is the that the researchers looking at alternatives don't start from scratch (no pun intended), They start with a grain-based ration and try to replace the grain without changing the rest of ration. They have to do it that way or they wouldn't show the results were because of the substituted starch as opposed to whatever else they changed.

You don't have to do it that way. You can do it the same way the people who first came up with the grain-based rations did it. Offer lots of options, see what the chickens eat then feed them that.

As long as the options are diverse enough to have the nutrients the chickens need they are amazingly good at choosing what they need. Well, and meals aren't skewed by too much of a social aspect (like calling them to get treats).

energy - starchy veggies, the non-gluten grains, other seeds

protein - animal protein has all the amino acids in the right proportions. Just pick low fat, low salt options.

vitamins - sunshine, wide range of greens, veggies, fruit

Minerals - mineral salt, egg shells, maybe others

Alfalfa, clover, and grass either fresh or as hay.

Some weeds and flowers are very nutritious

The categories overlap, of course.

 

[aseatmon]

@aseatmon Welcome to BYC and GOOD LUCK on your chicken keeping journey. I am NOT an expert, this is NOT my day job. I am, however, paged to these sorts of questions because I've done some reading and actually built a calculator from scratch as a way of testing (some) of my understandings.

I work in an office, we'll call that work "law-adjacent". That means I have to start by being a downer.

1) The more I understand about feeding birds appropriately, the more I'm convinced "home brewing" recipes is not the way to go.
2) "Home brewing" involves accepting that "you just don't know". When I go to the store, I can look at a feed bag and be reasonably confident the contents meet or exceed the label disclosures. You can't do that with make at home.
3) Make at home is always more expensive - you don't enjoy the economies of scale that commercial producers do. The smaller your flock, the more that cost disparity becomes evident.
4) Central Florida is not, unfortunately, "chicken country" - while its not a desert, you don't have major chicken ops, or major mills close to you. That will affect (greatly limit) feed ingredient options.
5) I usually suggest those w/ serious gluten allergies (the sort that dust becomes a concern) simply not keep chickens - because it is so ubiquitous in feed.

Now, if you are still convinced this is the thing to do, become I can think about helping, I need to know a few more things...

How many birds?
What breed/breeds? (or what purpose)
Just hens, or roos too?
What ages? (only adult birds, raising hatchlings, mixed - and do you intend to hatch replacements?)
What farm/feed stores are near you??? or are you sourcing from Amazon and the Grocery Market?
Organic, non-GMO, or no particular requirement?
How do you feel about Soy?
How do you feel about animal proteins?
anything else I need to consider???
Free range? Caged?
What grains CAN you eat/tolerate??? (I have a so so understanding of Celiac's, you are the expert)

and yes, this isn't rocket science (I've done that too - see my Sig), but as you've already found, its not for novices, either. I'll try to find some time this weekend to whip something up. and yes, I think t here is a commercial option you could ship in which is both corn and wheat free, not sure if its barley free as well (I think so), but its also not very good nutritioally and quite expensive, even before shipping.

Will try and find some time this weekend.

@U_Stormcrow

How many birds?
We’re planning on 8–12 birds.

What breed/purpose?
Primarily layers. We haven’t locked in specific breeds yet, but we’re focused on good egg production rather than meat.

Just hens, or roos too?
Just hens.

What ages?
We’ll be buying chicks from a local supplier and raising them up; no immediate plans to hatch our own replacements.

Nearby farm/feed stores?
We have Rural King and Tractor Supply locally, and Seminole Feed plus online retailers are also options.

Organic / non‑GMO?
Non‑GMO would be nice, but it’s not our top priority compared to the corn/wheat/barley issue.

Soy?
We’d prefer to avoid soy, if possible, but it’s optional. If a really solid formula needs some soy, we can live with that.

Animal proteins?
We’re comfortable with animal proteins (fish meal, BSFL, etc.).

Free‑range or caged?
Most likely confined/cooped with a run, with occasional supervised free‑ranging depending on predators. We’re in an area where predator pressure is a concern.

What grains can we tolerate?
Because of Celiac in the household, we are avoiding wheat, barley, and rye completely. We’re okay with things like oats, sorghum/milo, millet, rice, peas/legumes, sunflower seed, flax, etc., understanding that some may be “processed on shared equipment.” Our goal is to minimize gluten exposure enough that our daughter can help care for the birds—so no true gluten grains in the feed, but a small risk from shared‑equipment dust is acceptable compared to having actual wheat/corn feed stored and scooped in our space.


I know you mentioned a gluten‑free, corn‑free commercial feed that was a bit lacking nutritionally. We’re also willing to supplement a feed like that to bring it up to where it needs to be, if necessary.