Everyone, post your best homemade chicken feed recipes!

[mrsteiner]

My first order of meaties arrive next week and I'm so excited. I found a farmer who raises organic chickens himself and sells organic feed--$17.00 for 50 lbs. If you buy 20 bags or more he'll give you a dollar off per bag. This is the best price I've found for organic feed. Looking forward to trying it out.

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

I am goig to attempt to feed some grains, but I fear that with the limited supply of grains in our immediate area (I am not willing to travel over 30 minutes to get feed for my birds and can't find wheat or barley to save my life) I've set up some hypthetical mixes using only what I can find and have used in the past:

16% Layer Mix (3%Fat)
Grain Parts
Corn 1
Oats 1
Soybeans 0.5
Alfalfa Pellets 3

18% Geneal Purose Mix (5.1%Fat)
Grain Parts
Corn 1
Oats 1
Soybeans 1
Alfalfa Pellets 2

19.6% General Purpose Mix (4.35%Fat)
Grain Parts
Oats 0.5
Corn 0.5
Soybeans 1
Alfalfa Pellets 3

I can add to these mixes complete rations the local co-op have for sale in order to better balance trace minerals and/or boost protein while lowering fat content. These mixes would come out like this:

16% Layer Mix (3%F*)
Grain Parts
Corn 1
Oats 1
Soybeans 0.5
Alfalfa Pellets 3
16% Layer 5.5

17% Layer Mix (4%F*)
Grain Parts
Corn 1
Oats 1
Soybeans 1
Alfalfa Pellets 2
16% Layer 5

19% GP Mix (4.8%F*)
Grain Parts
Corn 1
Oats 1
Soybeans 1
Alfalfa Pellets 2
20% Broiler 5

19.8% GP Mix (4.43%F*)
Grain Parts
Oats 0.5
Corn 0.5
Soybeans 1
Alfalfa Pellets 3
20% Broiler 5

20.8% GP Mix (3.78%F*)
Grain Parts
Oats 0.5
Corn 0.5
Soybeans 1
Alfalfa Pellets 3
28% GB 2.5
16% Layer 2.5

20.73% Meat Mix (4.9%F*)
Grain Parts
Corn 1
Oats 1
Soybeans 1
Alfalfa Pellets 2
23% Starter 2.5

Would these mixes be suitable for raising layers and meat birds (mainly Cornish X)? Should I add anything? The grains we have available are roasted soybeans, alfalfa pellets, cracked and whole corn, rolled and whole oats, BOSS, and some scratch. I tried adding BOSS, but I could not get the protein high enough or the fat low enough.

 

[mendozer]

WOW, there's a lot of info on this thread among others about feeds. I haven't gotten my chickens yet, but I'm planning to over spring break. I am thinking about the greener pastures recipe

http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/ChickenFeedRecipe.html

the things i probably won't find at my local store (Winco, bulk grains, love it!) are kamut, amaranth, kelp, grit and oyster. All the seeds, legumes, and grains should be easy to get. I suppose I could buy oyster shell for them from time to time along with egg shells.

BUT!!!!

I also am going to have them ranging in their tractor that I build. Even though my backyard doesn't seem like a plethora of food to me, they'll find something right? I was thinking I'd give little food at first and see if it's all eaten then increase to find a happy level. They'll be eating this mix, grass, bugs, and kitchen scraps. With that being said, should i even bother calculating mix %s or will nature work itself out?

I'm new to this so these will be my first ladies. I may be getting way over my head here, but the idea of having a chicken just seems easy for me from what i've been reading. "Optimal performance" isn't my goal, i'm no farmer. I'd just like fresh eggs daily or close to it.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Giving them all the things you mentioned to eat is great! The reason people are so focused on the protein percentage in the feed is that your egg production will drop if they don't have the daily protein to crank out the eggs, which are protein.

They simply go into self-preservation mode. The old-timers would just throw some corn and let them free range (and corn only has around 7-9% protein). Well, in the winter, the eggs might stop altogether. So I would never advocate (unless it was an emergency and you couldn't access chicken feed) just feeding corn or kitchen scraps as a feed along with eating grass. It just isn't enough protein or balance in the diet. If they are healthy they will also be less likely to get sick, IMO.

So today people want their eggs year round, and giving supplemental light in the winter can also help keep those eggs coming.

I too shop at Winco all the time. If you make the effort to find as many things at your feed store as possible, it will save you lots of $. The only things I get at Winco are my unsalted peanuts, split peas, and flaxseed. Everything else comes from the feed store (Wilco). MUCH cheaper, because it is animal-grade, not human food-grade.

 

[linmar]

Chix really do like grapes, and they love peach peelings. shrimp and ham bone peelings. but, we have only 7.

i am planning on planting a special garden for them this spring. giving them fresh stuff is better than dried, so i am planting for them corn, soy, and buckwheat. they can then eat greens, as well as grains. if we have a big crop, i will try to store it for them.

just had surgery on right shoulder and can't hit shift.

 

[mendozer]

shucks the nearest wilco is tacoma. ill see if bothell feed has it cheaper. although everything there seemed pre-mixed or in large bags

 

[GhostRider65]

Great ideas here, can wait to finish reading them all had to post so your easier to find. Kim

 

[HenalayLady]

Some of you use Kelp in your feed mixes. What is your source? Is it any old kelp, or just a certain type? I live near Monterey Bay and could harvest my own from the beach, if I knew what to pick up. Does anyone know? Thanks, Myr

 

[cuntryuppiechick]

I am following the ideas in Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps and a few other mixed bag ideas. The goal is to feed organics and natural. They are getting a variety, lentils, peas, orzo, barley, flax, sunflower, niger, potatoes, rye, egg, spinach and greens, corn and just about anything in the fridge that is edible for them. I also add some spirulina, as an alternative to kelp. It's super expensive and I wouldn't recommend it, I just happen to have some. They also get a tad of dog food in the mix too. I use Innova. I don't think I would feed low grade dog food to my birds but then again I wouldn't feed it to my dogs and they don't provide food for us. This time I also mixed in a few tabs of fish oil (people grade vitamin supplement) and they went crazy for it. The only problem is that I have fish fingers for a day.

 

[stonecottagefarm]

Wow! Great thread! Would have liked if people named their sources after the ingredients also though.

Has anyone used Azure? Or do people just buy from bulk bins at a store? I have a Winco that sells most of the ingredients on here for cheap. Thanks!