Everyone, post your best homemade chicken feed recipes!

[OrganicFarmWife]

Everyone has to work with what they have and adapt as needed. Look at your resources and make something that works for your family. A great resource is your local elevator.

 

[Seatrout00]

Hey all ... question. I understand that cracked corn is devoid of most nutrients while whole corn has much more to offer. That said, is dried, whole corn worth much nutritionally to our hens? I have seen bags of whole, dry corn and wondered if it would be a benefit - very cheap I might add, about 40 pounds for $6 - sold in hunting shops.

 

[Seatrout00]

I dont understand how can something homemade CAN have a commercial "mash" or feed in it.....huh?
I know one thing its prob a whole lot better than just the plain everyday junk feed from big box stores If you look at the ingrdients its mostly corn and soy....
Oh well at least they prob waste less than picking out stuff they dont like first. LOL
I dont want my chickens to be just egg mchs.... course that just me....
thanks yall

This isn't regarding chickens, but with my dogs and cats, I prepare their meals at home, don't use commercial pet food (don't get me started on that heathen industry) and I do occasionally add commercially prepared vitamin/mineral mixes - while I add the vit/min supplement (which likely isn't needed, its just insurance) I don't feel my home made food is compromised. My carnivores are still getting chicken, beef, fish, bone and organ meat as pretty much 99.5% of their meal.

I know several folks on my Raw Feeding lists that also add in commercial dog and cat food out of convenience and still consider that they prepare home made diets. I even feed my cats canned cat food from time to time just out of convenience as they eat multiple times a day, where as my dogs only once.

 

[chickengr]

Hey all ... question. I understand that cracked corn is devoid of most nutrients while whole corn has much more to offer. That said, is dried, whole corn worth much nutritionally to our hens? I have seen bags of whole, dry corn and wondered if it would be a benefit - very cheap I might add, about 40 pounds for $6 - sold in hunting shops.

I feed my chickens dried whole corn + some fermented wheat. I add sometimes wheat bran, eggs, nuts, etc and they eat fresh greens every day. I never feed them layer mash and they lay a lot of eggs. they are in a run where they catch worms, bugs, etc.

 

[ladyearth]

what do you mean by "fresh greens" ??? do you mean stuff you buy or grow// or the wild stuff like edible dandelions, chickweed,etc, clover etc ???
thank you

 

[chickengr]

what do you mean by "fresh greens" ??? do you mean stuff you buy or grow// or the wild stuff like edible dandelions, chickweed,etc, clover etc ???
thank you

mostly wild stuff, some from my vegetable garden and in summer when I don't have a choice I buy some.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

mostly wild stuff, some from my vegetable garden and in summer when I don't have a choice I buy some.

You mean winter?

 

[Seatrout00]

What do you all think of this formula.

 

[Stout]

They I believe need to be at least1 year old or 6 months

 

[Chris09]

What do you all think of this formula.

His mix is nothing more than a "fancy" or a high protein scratch grain and not a complete chicken feed.

If you would mix 2 pounds each corn, wheat and milo then change the soybean meal to 4 pounds instead of the 3 1/2 that he said the mix would be about 19.60% protein but it will lack in vitamins, minerals, and I would be willing to bet that the mix will come short in the caloric need of the chicken so they (the chickens) will eat much more of the mix than a well made feed.