Everyone, post your best homemade chicken feed recipes!

[squiggledoodle]

Hi! I created an account to get a little help. I'm going to be getting silkie trio this spring and will be mixing my own feed. My base protein source will be mealworms (might be gutloaded with different vitamins). I have been reading, but need some help finding what else to add. I'm in the central US if it helps any

 

[mobius]

Ok folks, I need you to weigh in here!

Organic whole-grain chicken feed mix. I downloaded Garden Betty's spread sheet ( a huge shout-out to her) and priced the various grains/feed on Azure.

Here is the proposed recipe (parts are by weight, so I figure per mix one pound per part):

10 parts Whole Peas

10 Parts Alfalfa Pellets

10 parts Whole Oats

5 Parts Barley Grain

5 Parts Wheat Middlings (bran, germ, pieces and whole grain)

1 Part Kelp.

Ok. That's it. According to the spreadsheet, this is exactly 17% protein for my 6 little layers.

They get grit and crushed eggshells free feed and they forage during the day in a safe area (but winter is coming of course and will limit this activity).

I am also looking forward to fermenting and/or sprouting the above mix for the ladies.
My babies are molting so they are getting a handful of BOSS and a handful of homegrown live mealworms every day at the moment to supplement their non-organic pellets.

Also for the molting I am fermenting their feed and doing some wheat sprouts (poor things)...and they get garlic and ACV with mother in their water...

Cost of Organic Grain Recipe: The above recipe would make about 41 pounds of feed at a time and the cost would be about $0.75 per pound, or about $30.67 per 41 pounds at today's prices.

Please please tell me what you think before I make a big whopping order and am fully committed! Many thanks!

 

[ShanandGem]

Ok folks, I need you to weigh in here!

Organic whole-grain chicken feed mix. I downloaded Garden Betty's spread sheet ( a huge shout-out to her) and priced the various grains/feed on Azure.

Here is the proposed recipe (parts are by weight, so I figure per mix one pound per part):

10 parts Whole Peas

10 Parts Alfalfa Pellets

10 parts Whole Oats

5 Parts Barley Grain

5 Parts Wheat Middlings (bran, germ, pieces and whole grain)

1 Part Kelp.

Ok. That's it. According to the spreadsheet, this is exactly 17% protein for my 6 little layers.

They get grit and crushed eggshells free feed and they forage during the day in a safe area (but winter is coming of course and will limit this activity).

I am also looking forward to fermenting and/or sprouting the above mix for the ladies.
My babies are molting so they are getting a handful of BOSS and a handful of homegrown live mealworms every day at the moment to supplement their non-organic pellets.

Also for the molting I am fermenting their feed and doing some wheat sprouts (poor things)...and they get garlic and ACV with mother in their water...

Cost of Organic Grain Recipe: The above recipe would make about 41 pounds of feed at a time and the cost would be about $0.75 per pound, or about $30.67 per 41 pounds at today's prices.

Please please tell me what you think before I make a big whopping order and am fully committed! Many thanks!

I would add cod liver oil to that as a source of vitamins A and D. One teaspoon per lb of feed.

Also, roast the peas and then grind them. The heating reduces protease inhibitors and the grinding makes them easier for the chickens to eat and digest.

 

[mobius]

Perfect ty I can do this and unless I am sprouting or fermenting I will process the peas like you said! Wow thanks again!

 

[ladyearth]

members claim on here chickens need the correct ratio or amt of amino acids.. a balanced mix something about - Lysine Methionine and metholiane
its above my paygrade...
just a saying

 

[ShanandGem]

members claim on here chickens need the correct ratio or amt of amino acids.. a balanced mix something about - Lysine Methionine and metholiane
its above my paygrade...
just a saying

Lysine and methionine are what are called limiting amino acids for chickens. If there isn't enough of both present a chicken can't absorb the protein in their food.
That's why I think it's important to feed real meat and things like sesame and pumpkin seeds that are naturally high in both amino acids.
Some chicken feeds guarantee levels of both lysine and methionine. None that I can buy locally do though.

 

[ladyearth]

yeah but who can afford real meat very often..? Unless you have farm animal or fish leftovers..
Yeah I got some sesame seeds bargain priced at local salvage store. bought the two or three on the shelf...
I give my chickens most of my pumpkin seeds from previous my grown pumpkins. Also gave them most of squash seeds.. I got canned tuna, salmon, for them on sale. Got quite a few jar of Geltfish cheap at salvage store that's dated till 2018... I gave them 2 big pieces pulled apart with a spoon and added ground peas, amaranth, teff, some cooked brown and wild rice, with the Ferrel premix, some ground up vitamin B complex, dry vitamin E, chia seeds , my fresh thyme leaves,fresh oregano seed heads little fresh rosemary,1/2 tablet of selenium tablet ground and turmeric sprinkled in before roost time....
course I have to hold the dish and move it around so one or two, three PIGGIES don't eat the whole shebang.
they filled up little later on grass and ORGANIC layer feed..water with garlic in it.... then went in their two coops...
Now if it wasn't for the great salvage store here I couldn't AFFORD TO feed them as well
I keep hoping while the are free ranging they find and eat something to cure them of their WATERY WATERY squirty poo....

 

[mobius]

Perhaps I should add fish meal? It is on my list of potential add-ons...comments welcome? We
can do this!

Not to mention ACV in the water...

Oh and! mealworms? (as opposed to meat/fish) I was so fortunate to figure out to start a "farm" of those in April and it is surely coming in handy now when they are molting which was the BIG plan...live worms, I think nothing beats it....just making suggestions here....

This subject is a bit above my pay grade too which is why I appreciate all the feed (!) back!!

 

[ladyearth]

Mobius checkout our homemade pvc Xmas tree lights brooder gentle heater ... It was so neat Hubby so great......Got th idea from Youtube.....

Yeah but its hard to remember to feed the mealies some carrots etc. You cant exactly hear them crying... Plus need to change their bran. Got them in 5 drawers.. empytied one to the chickens other evening. Now its down to four DRAWERS of millworms
Read some stuff on here about fishmeal not always good..
I dont see why raw in shell bulk peanuts cant do for protein, too. I bought sev 50lb bags a while back. so worried about them being safe started dry roasting them and cracking them and then cracking the nutmeats....
Hubby was doing it the faster way out giving them the whole raw shell. But I was concerned with mold etc. So started dry roasted the peanuts, hammered into pieces inside a tall big loaf pan...
Course the spoiled bunch wouldnt eat the shells or "paper" on the peanuts...
now trying to get a scoby to make kombucha tea and kefir starter for me and the feather bunch....
wow its late thanks all

 

[ShanandGem]

Perhaps I should add fish meal? It is on my list of potential add-ons...comments welcome? We
can do this!

Not to mention ACV in the water...

Oh and! mealworms? (as opposed to meat/fish) I was so fortunate to figure out to start a "farm" of those in April and it is surely coming in handy now when they are molting which was the BIG plan...live worms, I think nothing beats it....just making suggestions here....

This subject is a bit above my pay grade too which is why I appreciate all the feed (!) back!!

Fish meal can be a good additive if you can get it. I can't buy it where I live. It's easy to go overboard with it though. Make sure you are always calculating your protein percentages.
I have fed my chickens just about every kind of meat out there (other than chicken, I can't bring myself to do that) and weirdly they like beef more than anything else.
You may be surprised by how much freezer burnt meat you have hiding in a deep freeze once you start to dig. I only feed the equivalent of one burger patty of real meat to 45 chickens daily. It need not be a lot as long as they have other protein sources. I use field peas and a variety of seeds.