Does anyone have a good chicken feed spreadsheet they will please share?

[LaurenRitz]

I did my research about a year ago, but as I recall no one used it for more than 10% of their overall feed.

I'd have to go back and look at my notes, but I believe I settled on 1 part in 7 of duckweed. Any higher and it just got left in the feed bowl. Half as much flax as duckweed, but I could have probably cut the flax considerably.

 

[TooCheep]

I'd have to go back and look at my notes, but I believe I settled on 1 part in 6 (7?) of duckweed. Any higher and it just got left in the feed bowl. Half as much flax as duckweed, but I could have probably cut the flax considerably.

Can you give some more detail on how you fed it to your birds? Do you mix your own feed, offer a bowl with a bunch of different items, something else?

 

[LaurenRitz]

Can you give some more detail on how you fed it to your birds? Do you mix your own feed, offer a bowl with a bunch of different items, something else?

I haven been able to get duckweed to grow here.

At the time I just mixed it all together and fed it dry. When I can get duckweed to grow or find a local source, I'll try fermentation again.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Be careful when introducing duckweed into local waterways as it can be invasive and disruptive. Research!

 

[LaurenRitz]

Be careful when introducing duckweed into local waterways as it can be invasive and disruptive. Research!

I am trying to grow it in my aquaponics tanks. No waterway within a couple miles.

 

[Chickeeaholic]

Sounds like a good setup. Some foods are more like candy (tasty, high calories, but little nutrition) and may need external moderation. I believe most other things that are higher in important nutrients, but not exceptionally tasty, will be more likely to be eaten as their bodies require it.

And yes @Chickeeaholic, I'll keep people posted on how I'm progressing with duckweed. I did my research about a year ago, but as I recall no one used it for more than 10% of their overall feed. I have no idea how they mixed their feeds, so that's why I started with direct feeding. I'm sure not everything in commercial pellet feed would be desired by chickens if offered straight up, but are only included to balance nutrients.

I was interested in duckweed because when you try to feed your chickens outside of commercial feed, protein (and in particular Lysine and Methionine amino acids) is harder to come by and duckweed, azolla, mealworms and black soldier fly larva were some of the easier sources that you could produce at home.

I'll go back out and re-search for some of those research links and drop them in this thread for anyone interested.

That would be great, thank you.

On the subject of black soldier fly larva, I have a compost bin that I threw one of the bags of pellets in when the chickens were disagreeing with it.

A week later larva were everywhere. It provided a nice supply. Now that it’s getting cold here their numbers are few. I didn’t know It was so easy to do.

 

[TooCheep]

I haven been able to get duckweed to grow here.

At the time I just mixed it all together and fed it dry. When I can get duckweed to grow or find a local source, I'll try fermentation again.

I just went out to check on my chickens for the night and saw that their duckweed was 90% gone. Not sure if anyone ate it other than the first two, but that is definitely positive.

Duckweed is fairly simple to grow- they need good light, still (not flowing) water, and nutrients as provided by fish waste or other sources. Azolla is nitrogen fixing, so presumably that latter requirement is less important.

Be careful when introducing duckweed into local waterways as it can be invasive and disruptive. Research!

Agreed. I'm currently only growing in an aquarium and am even careful to avoid allowing any live duckweed into the sink to avoid introducing it to the water system, though that is likely overkill. Assuming I scale up my setup, it would be in a small pond that I put into my backyard so the water plants won't be able to spread anywhere.

I definitely don't recommend throwing it into any pond that you don't fully own. Depending on conditions, it can cut off much of the light from any potential plants growing below. On the upside, it will feed certain fish, aquatic birds and help to hold down algae.

 

[Chickeeaholic]

I am trying to grow it in my aquaponics tanks. No waterway within a couple miles.

I was reading there are things you might be able to add that up the nutrients in the duckweed.

Im sure growing your own might get you a cleaner and more nutritious product.

 

[TooCheep]

I am trying to grow it in my aquaponics tanks. No waterway within a couple miles.

Well, I would say good as at least the duckweed will not spread beyond your system. Since you are having problems, then it is likely that agitation/water flow or lack of nutrients is the problem as they are competing with other plants.
Edit: Also, if the duckweed is in your fish tank, then the fish may be eating it before it can go very far.

On the subject of black soldier fly larva, I have a compost bin that I threw one of the bags of pellets in when the chickens were disagreeing with it.

A week later larva were everywhere. It provided a nice supply. Now that it’s getting cold here their numbers are few. I didn’t know It was so easy to do.

Unfortunately, BSF don't naturally come this far north or I'd be very interested in them. BSF are supposed to have a much better nutrient balance than mealworms, so you might want to research how to make a good setup for them.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Since you are having problems, then it is likely that agitation/water flow or lack of nutrients is the problem as they are competing with other plants.
Edit: Also, if the duckweed is in your fish tank, then the fish may be eating it before it can go very fsr.

I tried it in a still tank outside. Barely any growth all summer. Put it in my aquaponics tanks, but I think the fish stocking density wasn't enough to support any of the plants. I have four linked IBC totes and maybe a dozen small fish for the whole thing. I saw babies, but I think the adults were eating them. Now that it's too cold for some of the fish, the duckweed is growing very slowly. Lack of nutrients, temperature, being eaten...