feeding whole grains & fermenting

[Arlen1234]

hi there I am feeding my layers hole grain mixture, so far so good I am giving them a mixture of barley and yellow maize . see attached grain nutrition comparison. the nice thing about making your own feeding mixture you can control what go into your chicken and into the egg. so with the yellow maize I get a much more better yellow egg yolk than what you get in the shop.
I am going to add some malted sorghum to my fermented grain mixture (I will post pictures of my fermented grains soon)
I give them also green fodder that I make in my garden .
and ya I can say my chickens is off the grid no commercial, no chemical feeds
this is the cheapest eggs ever lol organic & healthy .

 

[dai2dao996]

I like this idea. Do you know what their suggested nutrition is? For instance, how much calcium do they need for egg laying?

 

[bradymars]

You should add whole oats to your fermented grains. Good in summer to lean them down so they take the heat better. I mix my own feed and the fermented oats are a great health benifit

 

[dai2dao996]

I want to know more about this. Time for some research!

 

[Arlen1234]

I like this idea. Do you know what their suggested nutrition is? For instance, how much calcium do they need for egg laying?

layer diets (at 100 grams per day intake level)

Nutrients	Units	1-32 wks	32-44 wks	44-55 wks	> 55 wks
Metabolisable Energy	MJ/kg	11.60-11.97	11.41-11.97	11.20-11.97	10.68-11.83
kcal/kg	2770-2860	2725-2860	2675-2860	2550-2825
Crude protein	%	19.80	17.50	17.00	16.00
Lysine	%	1.02	0.93	0.89	0.83
Methionine	%	0.51	0.46	0.41	0.38
Linoleic acid	%	1.10	1.60	1.60	1.60
Calcium	%	4.40	4.25	4.50	4.75
Av.phosphorous	%	0.48	0.40	0.36	0.35

 

[dai2dao996]

layer diets (at 100 grams per day intake level)

Nutrients	Units	1-32 wks	32-44 wks	44-55 wks	> 55 wks
Metabolisable Energy	MJ/kg	11.60-11.97	11.41-11.97	11.20-11.97	10.68-11.83
kcal/kg	2770-2860	2725-2860	2675-2860	2550-2825
Crude protein	%	19.80	17.50	17.00	16.00
Lysine	%	1.02	0.93	0.89	0.83
Methionine	%	0.51	0.46	0.41	0.38
Linoleic acid	%	1.10	1.60	1.60	1.60
Calcium	%	4.40	4.25	4.50	4.75
Av.phosphorous	%	0.48	0.40	0.36	0.35

Thank you!

 

[Arlen1234]

I want to know more about this. Time for some research!

put your grains in water ferment it for 3+ you will see that the grains have swollen of the water and it has a nice sweet fermented smell. this is good for you chicken.

 

[dai2dao996]

put your grains in water ferment it for 3+ you will see that the grains have swollen of the water and it has a nice sweet fermented smell. this is good for you chicken.

Thank you again. I have read up on it quite a bit. I need to find a source for the grains I want to use. And also decide on a recipe.

 

[bradymars]

Tractor supply carries whole oats and whole corn. There oats are good quality. When you ferment them the longer the better. I like them when they turn gold and are good and stinky. They don’t go bad. And when you run low you can start a new batch in another bucket by adding some of the water from first batch and it will ferment faster. I keep 2 buckets going at a time, just keep submerged and they’ll be fine. Don’t worry if there’s a layer of film on top you want that. good luck

 

[dai2dao996]

Tractor supply carries whole oats and whole corn. There oats are good quality. When you ferment them the longer the better. I like them when they turn gold and are good and stinky. They don’t go bad. And when you run low you can start a new batch in another bucket by adding some of the water from first batch and it will ferment faster. I keep 2 buckets going at a time, just keep submerged and they’ll be fine. Don’t worry if there’s a layer of film on top you want that. good luck

Good to know! Thank you. I'm still up in the air about what to feed and how often. I found this recipe:

30% Corn
30% Wheat
20% Peas
10% Oats
10% Fish Meal
2% Poultry Nutri–Balancer (where to buy)
Free Choice Kelp (where to buy kelp)
Free Choice Aragonite

But I don't think I need all the additional items on there if I'm still feeding bagged laying food.