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Re: Protein levels in feed
I raise chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese
That is where the key of the whole problem is i really don't think it's a black and white thing, all my birds get access to the ground while the calls are penned they definitely get ahold of a variety of things vs birds in raised pens.
I generally don't either that said, you can never say never lol i don't have leg issues here either.. i did find my Pekin needed duck starter though.. whereas my Calls and Muscovy, buff do better on a lower protein all flock starter type.
Trouble is each area and situation is different, so you have to allow for that... your fortunate you can get custom feed.
Any feed mill can custom mix. I have lived several different places since I began raising poultry & have never been more than 20 miles from a mill that could custom mix. The only problem is that the mills require 500-1000 pound minimum to do a mix. Since I easily go through that much in 1-2 months it is not an issue for me. I also find that custom mix is far cheaper at about $10 per 50 pounds vs. $12-17 for 50 pounds of commercial feed. I also mix for very low soy content whereas commercial feeds are very high soy content.