Feed Mix

[jaku]

Wow, I just went to the feed mill and checked on prices for feed mixed on site, as opposed to bagged feed. DO THIS. I was paying $16/50lb bag, and their mix will be $8/50lb bag. The only catch is the 500lb minimum, which isn't a problem.

Does this mix sound good?
-300lb Corn
-175lb Kent GM Poultry Base (36% Protein)
-25lb Soy

That gives a mix with 20% protein, which is what I currently feed.

 

[chickensforever]

They should give you a nutritional analysis sheet with information about lysine or methionine (two limiting amino acids for chickens), fat, fiber, calcium, phosphorous, salt and some vitamins. Otherwise if you don't know, your chickens could end up with deficiencies. They probably have one, so you could just ask them for it.

 

[jaku]

Quote:
I have one for the GM Poultry Base. It is:
Crude Protein: 36%
Lysine 2.15
Methionine .72
Crude Fat 2.0
Crude Fiber 5.0
Calcium 2.6-3.6
Phosphorus 1.5
Salt 1.2-1.7

 

[greyfields]

You seem to have nailed the mineral and protein; but I'm worried if you're meeting the energy requirement. Whenever I get recipes for my home mixes, using my own grains, the nutrionist tells me to put 5 gallons of vegetable oil in the mix because I seem to be always short on the energy calories. That's usually 50 lbs of oil (whatever oil is the cheapest that week, from Costco) for a 2,000 lb mix, so you'd obviously quarter it.

 

[jaku]

Quote:
So how/when do you add that? They'll be mixing it at the mill and bagging it up for me.

 

[CarolMinnesota]

My chickens loved the freshly ground feed from the mill, but this summer it molded in the bag (on a wooden floor) very quickly (within three weeks of purchase), so I stopped using it.

Now that it is winter and I can keep it frozen, I may purchase some again and thaw only what I can use in a week.

Carol in Minnesota

 

[greyfields]

The vegetable oil is liquid and adheres to the grain in the mixer. It's no problem adding liquids during the tumble phase.

 

[jaku]

Quote:
So they add that right at the mill then? Do they carry oil or would you buy it and just give it to them to add?

 

[greyfields]

I guess I'm not sure how to respond. Do they have a nutritionist there telling you to use that mix? Or are they just milling ingreidents 1,2 3 and 4 on your orders?

 

[jaku]

Quote:
He looked up the "recipe" from a book, and it's what they listed for broilers. Kent Feeds makes the 36 GM Poultry base. They recommended corn and soy in the listed amounts to go with the base. So, it wasn't just a mix the feed store guy came up with, but I guess that doesn't neccesarily mean it's adequate, or the best mix for broilers.