Feed in relation to egg laying

[Sic]

I am NOT a fan of make at home feeds.

I understand this because a lot of people do so willy nilly. However, it can be done, and with far better health and nutrition than commercially prepared feeds. One important caveat, you must find an agricultural feed testing service (some local universities can do this) and have your feed lots tested and this can often be done by the target species, chicken, duck, dog, cow, whatever. I've been making my own feed for numerous species using only whole foods, no added vitamin/mineral premixes. It does take a lot of time, research and correct calculations, but I have been doing this for 40 years...
I'm guessing that you have at your fingertips a feed calculator, can you share a link to such a thing if this thing exists?? Much appreciated.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I understand this because a lot of people do so willy nilly. However, it can be done, and with far better health and nutrition than commercially prepared feeds. One important caveat, you must find an agricultural feed testing service (some local universities can do this) and have your feed lots tested and this can often be done by the target species, chicken, duck, dog, cow, whatever. I've been making my own feed for numerous species using only whole foods, no added vitamin/mineral premixes. It does take a lot of time, research and correct calculations, but I have been doing this for 40 years...
I'm guessing that you have at your fingertips a feed calculator, can you share a link to such a thing if this thing exists?? Much appreciated.

I've posted it elsewhere, but am not happy with it, and am slowly rebuilding it. I believe more is learned from the making of one than the use of it. You can find it if you search for it.

and yes, you can make a feed at home - I've even helped a few people do it in areas where there were no other options - but for most of us, its not remotely cost effective, and for almost all of us, there are nutritionally better options out there. The more I learm, the less inclined I am to attempt it myself.

 

[Jgahugg]

Nutribalancer is a vitamin/mineral premix, mostly. Yes, you can ferment with it, or you can add it post ferment. You don't need much, so you will be ordering the smallest bag you can have delivered. There are other companies making similar products, Fertrells is merely the best known.

As a high CP replacement for peas? What's grown around you? You are looking for a legume meal - one where the crop has had its fat/oil extracted for a primary product, and the dried leavings are being sold as a byproduct - a byproduct which has been heat treated (which breaks down many anti-nutritional factors) and has had its protein concentrated by removal of all the fat. Soybean meal is #1 for a reason, but if you could get a hold of corn gluten meal, cottonseed meal, peanut meal (the low fiber stuff), all those could be subbed in to replace some of the peas, maybe save a few dollars, and increase your Met levels at the same time. You could ditch the proso millet, too - I know its pricey, or the flax - though of course the whole recipe will need to be rebalanced.

OR, you look for an animal protein. I understand why you said no to fish meal. DO you have slaughterhouses nearby? have you considered porcine blood meal, or bovine blood meal? You could also use brewer's yeast, but that's stupid expensive - good for an emergecy, bad for a long term solution.

Corn, soybeans, sorghum, milo, wheat are the main crops around my area, however this is the link to a nearby seed dealer that has a good assortment of grain.

https://store.greencover.com/collections/all

Slaughterhouses are a plenty, but don't think they sell to much byproducts. I can get porcine bone meal for about $4/lb, which is what i was using, but the mix called for 1lb per 40lb of mix, which drove cost way up.

Current mix which of course is not working is pricing about $24.50/weeks. If egg production was good, would not be an issue.

 

[Jgahugg]

and fwiw, my flock is in my sig, below. I have TWO (2) eggs so far today. they are admittedly, not prime layers, and some are in their third year, while most of a dozen are still to young to lay. Even so, 6-8 would be a more reasonable expectation. Don't discount the weather, locally we've had lows of low to mid 80s, highs just shy 100, and true triple digit heat indices (120 today, 119 yesterday, 114-116 most every day for the last week or more). Its punishing on all living things, and my bird's egg production shows the effect of days after day of this.

I turn my flock over every year, so they are all young birds in their prime and I range from 18 to 50 birds at a time. With commercial feed, depending on breed and temps (no extremes) I would get about 7 to 8 eggs per every 10 birds. I experimented with different grinds, but the one I posted I dropped production to about 1 egg per 15 birds. This is also fermented, with free range oyster shell. Thus my concerns, because it looks healthy enough, but don't cutting it