Custom Feed Recipies

[Jashdon]

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience blending your own chicken feed recipies. If you have I would love to hear about it.

 

[LorenaAZ]

I got my first chicks not long ago and the first thing I researched was organic feed recipes. I tried the regular chick starter feed from the feed store and their poop smelled bad. With their home made mix, their stool almost doesn't smell. Here is one that I have used (the chicks are doing very well):

2 parts organic whole corn (in winter this is increased to 3 or 4 parts)
3 parts organic soft white wheat
3 parts organic hard red winter wheat
1 part organic hulled barley
1 part organic oat groats
1 part organic sunflower seeds (in winter this is increased to 2 parts)
1 part organic millet
1 part organic kamut
1 part organic amaranth seeds
1 part organic split peas
1 part organic lentils
1 part organic quinoa
1 part organic sesame seeds
1/2 part organic peanuts
1/2 part organic flax seeds
1/2 part kelp granules

I put the harder grains (corn, wheats, barley, kamut) in my food processor first. If you put it all together at the same time you'll get the softer grains into a powder and the harder grains will still be whole. I place them in the food processor because my baby chicks can't swallow the whole grains.
The recipe also calls for free choice of granite grit and free choice of oyster shell. My chickies also free range in our yard and our organic garden, so they get plenty of fresh greens and bugs.
I feel much better making their food at home from certified organic ingredients than buying feeds with dubious ingredients lists, byproducts, and the occasional contaminated batch.

 

[BayCityBabe]

Where do you get all that? How much does it cost?

 

[LorenaAZ]

I can get it at my local supermarket or at the health food store -- and it's really cheap. All the grain ingredients are sold by price per pound, so you can put as much as you'd like per bag. The kelp I already had in my kitchen (is also used as seasoning).

For 10 chicks, I spent about $20 and made enough feed for a month. I keep it in a tupperwear container in my fridge (takes a whole lot of room, but we adapted).

 

[Dennis1979]

Quote:
Its a good question. From what I have been able to learn, it is hard to do without spending a fortune. Not to take away from what LorenaAZ is doing, that is her choice, but to do it Lorena's way will cost a lot. Most of those grains, if purchased from a health food store will run more than $1.00 a pound. So 50# mix of organic feed will cost your $50 or $60. I don't know about you but I can't pay that much for chicken feed.

To get conventional, non-organic feeds custom mixed is pretty much impossible unless you can buy a lot at a time, like a few thousand pounds or something. For backyard chickens you pretty much have to stick with pre-mixed bagged food.

This is what I believe anyway. Maybe someone else knows differently.

Dennis

 

[Dodgegal79]

I feed my hens and ducks this recipe

1 bag flatted corn
1 bag layer pellets
1 bag whole wheat

i have fed them barley, they don;t like it, oats too. For the young guys I take the layer pellet out and use chick starter or duck pellets.

 

[tadkerson]

I made the following feed

Everything is in pounds

8 corn
6 soybean meal
2 oyster shell
1 oats
1.5 wheat
.25 dry molasses
.5 alfalfa meal
.25 poultry nutrient or use .25 of gold star pig pass
if you can get it .25 of algae meal

Tim

 

[kinnip]

Quote:
Do your birds free range as well? Or get lots of treats? I spend more than $20/mo. in milled feed.

 

[LorenaAZ]

They free range from 8am until sun down.

We don't give them lots of treats. The occasional leftover pasta, and tomatoes. They are either extremely picky or not very bright, but they won't eat bread, tortillas, grapes, etc.

 

[sugarbush]

I used to mix feeds for Blue Seal Feeds. Wish I could remember what went in all those mixes. All of it was corn based...we added soy and fish meal and a mineral mix....wasn't much else in it.