Everyone, post your best homemade chicken feed recipes!
- Thread starter jmofaustin
- Start date
25% Red winter wheat
25% White proso millet
15% Green Field Peas
5% Barley
15% Oat Groats
5% Sunflower
10% Flax seeds
This mix is >17% crude protein.
I like whole seeds and grains. I ferment in the winter months and sprout them in the spring for extra nutrition.
I sell my homemade mix on ebay $28 for 20lbs with free shipping and locally $25 for a 5 gallon bucket or $40 for 50lbs.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/132059463011
I grow oregano and parsley where the chickens free range as well.
I am fortunate that my husband does not mind milking our family cow, so the chickens get organic raw milk for their calcium.
25% White proso millet
15% Green Field Peas
5% Barley
15% Oat Groats
5% Sunflower
10% Flax seeds
This mix is >17% crude protein.
I like whole seeds and grains. I ferment in the winter months and sprout them in the spring for extra nutrition.
I sell my homemade mix on ebay $28 for 20lbs with free shipping and locally $25 for a 5 gallon bucket or $40 for 50lbs.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/132059463011
I grow oregano and parsley where the chickens free range as well.
I am fortunate that my husband does not mind milking our family cow, so the chickens get organic raw milk for their calcium.
So, I have been feeding a base of wheat and peas, balanced out with fish meal, crab meal, alfalfa,
and kelp, protein around 18%, then fermented. The base is around two parts wheat to one part peas. Reading through this thread, I found references that state that peas should not be more than 25% of a ration. The local feed store makes their non gmo mix with peas listed first, and this label is from a well respected feed mill, with peas first also. Am I having an Alzheimer's moment, or does this have to be more than 25% when the next two ingredients are wheat and oats, then going to Calcium which obviously is a much smaller percentage? Does this then mean that I am ok in my proportions?
A complete soy and GMO-free feed for laying hens and waterfowl Guaranteed Analysis
crude protein crude fat, min crude fiber, max lysine, min
methionine , min calcium, min calcium, max phosphorus, min salt, min
salt, max
18% 2.5% 5% 1.1%
.5% 3.25% 3.75% .5% .10% .25%
Ingredients
Peas, wheat, oats, calcium carbonate, pumpkin seeds, fish meal, kelp,
Diamond V XP brewer’s yeast, dicalcium phosphate, Redmond trace mineral salt, d l methionine (amino acid), direct fed microbials and enzymes, a proprietary blend of organic herbs and botanicals, calcium propionate, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, riboflavin, d-calcium pentothenate, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (source of Vitamin K3), folic acid supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, manganese sulfate, manganous oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, zinc sulfate, zinc oxide, sodium selenite.
and kelp, protein around 18%, then fermented. The base is around two parts wheat to one part peas. Reading through this thread, I found references that state that peas should not be more than 25% of a ration. The local feed store makes their non gmo mix with peas listed first, and this label is from a well respected feed mill, with peas first also. Am I having an Alzheimer's moment, or does this have to be more than 25% when the next two ingredients are wheat and oats, then going to Calcium which obviously is a much smaller percentage? Does this then mean that I am ok in my proportions?
A complete soy and GMO-free feed for laying hens and waterfowl Guaranteed Analysis
crude protein crude fat, min crude fiber, max lysine, min
methionine , min calcium, min calcium, max phosphorus, min salt, min
salt, max
18% 2.5% 5% 1.1%
.5% 3.25% 3.75% .5% .10% .25%
Ingredients
Peas, wheat, oats, calcium carbonate, pumpkin seeds, fish meal, kelp,
Diamond V XP brewer’s yeast, dicalcium phosphate, Redmond trace mineral salt, d l methionine (amino acid), direct fed microbials and enzymes, a proprietary blend of organic herbs and botanicals, calcium propionate, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, riboflavin, d-calcium pentothenate, menadione dimethylpyrimidinol bisulfite (source of Vitamin K3), folic acid supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, manganese sulfate, manganous oxide, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, zinc sulfate, zinc oxide, sodium selenite.
mobius
Songster
I don't have a great answer to your question and I am curious too!
FWIW, my organic non-GMO, non corn non soy mix that I buy lists the first three ingredients:
org. kamut wheat, org barley, organic peas...
I also ferment this, I think it is amazing stuff and so does my small flock (and so do my dogs if they were allowed to eat the chicken food, which they would very much like to...)
Interested to know your recipe, though!
FWIW, my organic non-GMO, non corn non soy mix that I buy lists the first three ingredients:
org. kamut wheat, org barley, organic peas...
I also ferment this, I think it is amazing stuff and so does my small flock (and so do my dogs if they were allowed to eat the chicken food, which they would very much like to...)
Interested to know your recipe, though!
HaHa!! Overthinkers, Unite, indeed!!
What percentage protein is your feed?
My "recipe" is based on what can be scooped out a bag with a dog food bowl (btw my dog is right in the feed gutters with the chickens too) and an old tablespoon. I finally weighed everything out in ounces and did the Lion's Grip averages thing.
So, apologies for the strange numbers...
in ounces, more than enough for two days, twenty chickens
I ferment in a couple buckets.
78 wheat ( what is available locally, they don't seem too keen on whole oats unless sprouted) 12.5
55 peas 24.5
3 alfalfa 18
1.5 crab meal 26.3
2 fish meal 62
1 kelp 10
So much variation in numbers found around, so all is very approximate and should be checked for accuracy, I never was much for numbers.
I get the fish meal, kelp and crab meal from either Concentrates or Naomi's in Portland. Haven't found a mail order connection yet. They also have camelina meal, I have seen that in formulas, they grow most of it in your territory. It is not supposed to go rancid very quickly, unlike flax, so might be worth incorporating.
I give boss for afternoon treats, add some azomite, but not sure if it is needed, and also not sure about the total selenium in this, as the crab, kelp, fish and azomite all contain it. I am also trying crumbled dried nettles, 28% which they seem to eat ok when fermented with feed. Dried duckweed, 30%, seems like something to work toward as I have a couple ponds.
They all free range inside a large electronet, have compost to dig through, need to get that more worm active.
I have a small market garden, so lots of kale and other greens in the summer. They love aphids. Working towards drying kale and dandelions, other weeds like purslane for winter feed too, throwing greens up in thin layer into a hot loft out of the sun through the summer.
My advisor likes a feed around 20%, the more I look around the more I see that backs a higher protein level, paleo for chickens!
Feedback welcomed.
What percentage protein is your feed?
My "recipe" is based on what can be scooped out a bag with a dog food bowl (btw my dog is right in the feed gutters with the chickens too) and an old tablespoon. I finally weighed everything out in ounces and did the Lion's Grip averages thing.
So, apologies for the strange numbers...
in ounces, more than enough for two days, twenty chickens
I ferment in a couple buckets.
78 wheat ( what is available locally, they don't seem too keen on whole oats unless sprouted) 12.5
55 peas 24.5
3 alfalfa 18
1.5 crab meal 26.3
2 fish meal 62
1 kelp 10
So much variation in numbers found around, so all is very approximate and should be checked for accuracy, I never was much for numbers.
I get the fish meal, kelp and crab meal from either Concentrates or Naomi's in Portland. Haven't found a mail order connection yet. They also have camelina meal, I have seen that in formulas, they grow most of it in your territory. It is not supposed to go rancid very quickly, unlike flax, so might be worth incorporating.
I give boss for afternoon treats, add some azomite, but not sure if it is needed, and also not sure about the total selenium in this, as the crab, kelp, fish and azomite all contain it. I am also trying crumbled dried nettles, 28% which they seem to eat ok when fermented with feed. Dried duckweed, 30%, seems like something to work toward as I have a couple ponds.
They all free range inside a large electronet, have compost to dig through, need to get that more worm active.
I have a small market garden, so lots of kale and other greens in the summer. They love aphids. Working towards drying kale and dandelions, other weeds like purslane for winter feed too, throwing greens up in thin layer into a hot loft out of the sun through the summer.
My advisor likes a feed around 20%, the more I look around the more I see that backs a higher protein level, paleo for chickens!
Feedback welcomed.
mobius
Songster
Short answer: my feed is minimum 16% protein
But doesn't fermenting add to the bio-availability of protein? I see claims all the time, but not sure.
My mentor here ferments (is a leader in that) but says her flocks have always done well on 16% so she is okay with that...it is a debate....
I am proud of the feed as it is a Montana outfit out of Great Falls, so of course I support, you understand being from Idaho I would think; feed store says it flies off the shelves; more and more people into it, and I have to say it smells great fermented...
I also feed separately small alfalfa blocks, fermented also into a mush, chickens eat that all gone, great in the winter...feed a little less than regular fermented feed but not much...protein is good...so for greens that helps...
Wish i could understand your numbers better, lol, i will think about that...
How do you get methionine, lysine, calcium and all those other fancy ingredients in your feed? Do you add a nutrient supplement (as I have read about here)?
But doesn't fermenting add to the bio-availability of protein? I see claims all the time, but not sure.
My mentor here ferments (is a leader in that) but says her flocks have always done well on 16% so she is okay with that...it is a debate....
I am proud of the feed as it is a Montana outfit out of Great Falls, so of course I support, you understand being from Idaho I would think; feed store says it flies off the shelves; more and more people into it, and I have to say it smells great fermented...
I also feed separately small alfalfa blocks, fermented also into a mush, chickens eat that all gone, great in the winter...feed a little less than regular fermented feed but not much...protein is good...so for greens that helps...
Wish i could understand your numbers better, lol, i will think about that...
How do you get methionine, lysine, calcium and all those other fancy ingredients in your feed? Do you add a nutrient supplement (as I have read about here)?
Lots of feed is 16%, I was wondering because a lower level than the feed label I quoted would explain peas not coming first . From what I gathered in this thread and links, fermenting increases bioavailability by around 3%. I think the difference in respective mentor opinions could come from mine having an exhibition focus?
It would be nice to have a good mill nearby!
I figure, always more than one way to skin a cat. It is hard to get away from the idea of standardized feed for our animals, I am still buying kibble for the dog and cat, and indeed I could be missing sone adequate essentials in my slapdashery. I free choice oyster shell, and eggs are like rocks. Methione is supposed to be tough to get without animal sources, so am hoping with the fish and crab that they are getting enough of that and with the various other ingredients enough of the rest. The kelp, and for some that use azomite, are there for trace minerals. Some feed kelp free choice, maybe that would be a more effective approach? The Fertrell supplement would be a good insurance.
Feeds are formulated as something that needs to be complete in itself, as a single source no supplement item. My advisor feeds formulated feeds, but I am some kind of a knee jerk rebel and cheap to boot, and am trying to get something that is affordable and not gmo, which is not available here for normal feed prices. (The peas and wheat I use are around 12 a bag. ) I keep thinking, humans do not need to eat out of a bag, most stay alive, some better than others, so a wide range of acceptable, but a narrow range of optimal? Also, seasonal variation, right now all of us chickens here on the homestead could use some fresh greens! I talked to an old timer here that said when she wa a girl they had a Leghorn large laying flock, and only fed wheat, plus frere range, so I figured i had a fair amount of leeway.
Sorry about the numbers! Easier to think of if using the dog bowl reference, two scoops of wheat, one of peas, that happened to weigh out to the ounces shown.
Heaping tablespoons for the smaller items.
One thing I am concerned about is finding some no spray wheat and peas. They are using Glyphosate everywhere as a dry down for harvesting, so too much of that. I think the ferment might help to break it doen, do you know anything about that. Wishful thinking on my part?
It would be nice to have a good mill nearby!
I figure, always more than one way to skin a cat. It is hard to get away from the idea of standardized feed for our animals, I am still buying kibble for the dog and cat, and indeed I could be missing sone adequate essentials in my slapdashery. I free choice oyster shell, and eggs are like rocks. Methione is supposed to be tough to get without animal sources, so am hoping with the fish and crab that they are getting enough of that and with the various other ingredients enough of the rest. The kelp, and for some that use azomite, are there for trace minerals. Some feed kelp free choice, maybe that would be a more effective approach? The Fertrell supplement would be a good insurance.
Feeds are formulated as something that needs to be complete in itself, as a single source no supplement item. My advisor feeds formulated feeds, but I am some kind of a knee jerk rebel and cheap to boot, and am trying to get something that is affordable and not gmo, which is not available here for normal feed prices. (The peas and wheat I use are around 12 a bag. ) I keep thinking, humans do not need to eat out of a bag, most stay alive, some better than others, so a wide range of acceptable, but a narrow range of optimal? Also, seasonal variation, right now all of us chickens here on the homestead could use some fresh greens! I talked to an old timer here that said when she wa a girl they had a Leghorn large laying flock, and only fed wheat, plus frere range, so I figured i had a fair amount of leeway.
Sorry about the numbers! Easier to think of if using the dog bowl reference, two scoops of wheat, one of peas, that happened to weigh out to the ounces shown.
Heaping tablespoons for the smaller items.
One thing I am concerned about is finding some no spray wheat and peas. They are using Glyphosate everywhere as a dry down for harvesting, so too much of that. I think the ferment might help to break it doen, do you know anything about that. Wishful thinking on my part?
mobius
Songster
Apparently the methionine and lysine are improved or increased by fermenting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by annagoodspeed
Lots of feed is 16%, I was wondering because a lower level than the feed label I quoted would explain peas not coming first . From what I gathered in this thread and links, fermenting increases bioavailability by around 3%. I think the difference in respective mentor opinions could come from mine having an exhibition focus?
It would be nice to have a good mill nearby!
I figure, always more than one way to skin a cat. It is hard to get away from the idea of standardized feed for our animals, I am still buying kibble for the dog and cat, and indeed I could be missing sone adequate essentials in my slapdashery. I free choice oyster shell, and eggs are like rocks. Methione is supposed to be tough to get without animal sources, so am hoping with the fish and crab that they are getting enough of that and with the various other ingredients enough of the rest. The kelp, and for some that use azomite, are there for trace minerals. Some feed kelp free choice, maybe that would be a more effective approach? The Fertrell supplement would be a good insurance.
Feeds are formulated as something that needs to be complete in itself, as a single source no supplement item. My advisor feeds formulated feeds, but I am some kind of a knee jerk rebel and cheap to boot, and am trying to get something that is affordable and not gmo, which is not available here for normal feed prices. (The peas and wheat I use are around 12 a bag. ) I keep thinking, humans do not need to eat out of a bag, most stay alive, some better than others, so a wide range of acceptable, but a narrow range of optimal? Also, seasonal variation, right now all of us chickens here on the homestead could use some fresh greens! I talked to an old timer here that said when she wa a girl they had a Leghorn large laying flock, and only fed wheat, plus frere range, so I figured i had a fair amount of leeway.
Sorry about the numbers! Easier to think of if using the dog bowl reference, two scoops of wheat, one of peas, that happened to weigh out to the ounces shown.
Heaping tablespoons for the smaller items.
One thing I am concerned about is finding some no spray wheat and peas. They are using Glyphosate everywhere as a dry down for harvesting, so too much of that. I think the ferment might help to break it doen, do you know anything about that. Wishful thinking on my part?
I feed my chickens sprouted wheat. It's a 3 day process.and I rinse it twice a day. Wouldn't that help get rid of the Glyphosate that you are concerned about?
Originally Posted by annagoodspeed
Lots of feed is 16%, I was wondering because a lower level than the feed label I quoted would explain peas not coming first . From what I gathered in this thread and links, fermenting increases bioavailability by around 3%. I think the difference in respective mentor opinions could come from mine having an exhibition focus?
It would be nice to have a good mill nearby!
I figure, always more than one way to skin a cat. It is hard to get away from the idea of standardized feed for our animals, I am still buying kibble for the dog and cat, and indeed I could be missing sone adequate essentials in my slapdashery. I free choice oyster shell, and eggs are like rocks. Methione is supposed to be tough to get without animal sources, so am hoping with the fish and crab that they are getting enough of that and with the various other ingredients enough of the rest. The kelp, and for some that use azomite, are there for trace minerals. Some feed kelp free choice, maybe that would be a more effective approach? The Fertrell supplement would be a good insurance.
Feeds are formulated as something that needs to be complete in itself, as a single source no supplement item. My advisor feeds formulated feeds, but I am some kind of a knee jerk rebel and cheap to boot, and am trying to get something that is affordable and not gmo, which is not available here for normal feed prices. (The peas and wheat I use are around 12 a bag. ) I keep thinking, humans do not need to eat out of a bag, most stay alive, some better than others, so a wide range of acceptable, but a narrow range of optimal? Also, seasonal variation, right now all of us chickens here on the homestead could use some fresh greens! I talked to an old timer here that said when she wa a girl they had a Leghorn large laying flock, and only fed wheat, plus frere range, so I figured i had a fair amount of leeway.
Sorry about the numbers! Easier to think of if using the dog bowl reference, two scoops of wheat, one of peas, that happened to weigh out to the ounces shown.
Heaping tablespoons for the smaller items.
One thing I am concerned about is finding some no spray wheat and peas. They are using Glyphosate everywhere as a dry down for harvesting, so too much of that. I think the ferment might help to break it doen, do you know anything about that. Wishful thinking on my part?
I feed my chickens sprouted wheat. It's a 3 day process.and I rinse it twice a day. Wouldn't that help get rid of the Glyphosate that you are concerned about?
CedarRoadFarm
Hatching
Desperately searching for a less expensive, healthier way to feed my little flock. I live in Northern In. I am actually surrounded by feed mills and chicken warehouses (that is what I call the local egg growers) Does anyone have a recipe for non-GMO Feed I can make??? It needs to be simple like 25lbs of this and that, not very good with percentages.
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