Food Mills

[sandburRanch]

" I think I explained that above ".

I take this as me not bothering to read what you wrote and your statement is directed to no one in particular so i assumed it was me . Please be specific when being snarkey .

 

[NatJ]

Do you know if the by product of making beer has waste that could be used for chickens? I might look into that.

I think beer does have some wet grain as a byproduct.
Chickens can probably eat it, and it would be a source of energy (calories), but I do not know how much of their other needs it would provide. At a guess, it is probably quite low in protein, the protein it does have is probably not properly balanced, and it is probably missing several important vitamins and minerals.

If it is cheap, and you do some research, you might be able to use it as part of the chickens' diet. You would have to provide other things that balance it nutritionally, and I do not know what those things are or how expensive they are.

I planted some potatoes but they didn't develop.

I think potatoes need to be cooked if you want the chickens to get much food value from them. If the potatoes do not grow anyway, that does not matter. But if you try again, it's something to keep in mind. Cooking large amounts of potatoes might be inconvenient, and might get expensive too.

I know that beans need cooking before feeding them to chickens. (You did not mention beans, I'm just thinking of things that need special treatment before feeding.)

Carrots are safe to feed raw, but chickens eat them much better cooked. I think the same is true for many other vegetables with similar textures (turnips, beets, etc.)

I would just like to supplement my feed not replace or stop buying commercial feed.

Even as a supplement, you need to pay some attention to the right balance of nutrients.

For example, if you offer lots of low-protein supplements, the chickens might eat them and end up short of protein. (Gamebird Starter or Turkey Starter tends to be high in protein, so it can help balance out some low-protein supplements. Check the cost, of course, but it often costs about the same as the chicken feeds with less protein.)

Even if you provide the right balance of protein and energy, they still need that protein to contain the right balance of amino acids, and they need the right amount of certain vitamins and minerals.

Chickens will often stay alive on a not-quite-right diet, but they will tend to grow slower and lay fewer eggs. Sometimes that is still worth doing, if the other things you offer are so much cheaper that you still come out ahead. But it is definitely something to consider. Feeding only a purchased complete feed is usually the best way to get the best growth from meat birds, and the most eggs from laying hens.

I am in the chicken business, I don't have just a few birds. There is a mill in driving distance but after calculating driving there is no cost savings, plus being in a humid state I like my feed fresh. Too much at a time will go moldy.

Not being able to store the food for long is definitely a consideration.

I assume you already calculated how long you can store it, and how much feed you could buy at a time? If you buy it freshly milled, you might be able to store it a little longer than if you buy it at the feed store (because it gets stored on their shelves too.)

 

[jjaazzy]

I think beer does have some wet grain as a byproduct.
Chickens can probably eat it, and it would be a source of energy (calories), but I do not know how much of their other needs it would provide. At a guess, it is probably quite low in protein, the protein it does have is probably not properly balanced, and it is probably missing several important vitamins and minerals.

If it is cheap, and you do some research, you might be able to use it as part of the chickens' diet. You would have to provide other things that balance it nutritionally, and I do not know what those things are or how expensive they are.


I think potatoes need to be cooked if you want the chickens to get much food value from them. If the potatoes do not grow anyway, that does not matter. But if you try again, it's something to keep in mind. Cooking large amounts of potatoes might be inconvenient, and might get expensive too.

I know that beans need cooking before feeding them to chickens. (You did not mention beans, I'm just thinking of things that need special treatment before feeding.)

Carrots are safe to feed raw, but chickens eat them much better cooked. I think the same is true for many other vegetables with similar textures (turnips, beets, etc.)


Even as a supplement, you need to pay some attention to the right balance of nutrients.

For example, if you offer lots of low-protein supplements, the chickens might eat them and end up short of protein. (Gamebird Starter or Turkey Starter tends to be high in protein, so it can help balance out some low-protein supplements. Check the cost, of course, but it often costs about the same as the chicken feeds with less protein.)

Even if you provide the right balance of protein and energy, they still need that protein to contain the right balance of amino acids, and they need the right amount of certain vitamins and minerals.

Chickens will often stay alive on a not-quite-right diet, but they will tend to grow slower and lay fewer eggs. Sometimes that is still worth doing, if the other things you offer are so much cheaper that you still come out ahead. But it is definitely something to consider. Feeding only a purchased complete feed is usually the best way to get the best growth from meat birds, and the most eggs from laying hens.


Not being able to store the food for long is definitely a consideration.

I assume you already calculated how long you can store it, and how much feed you could buy at a time? If you buy it freshly milled, you might be able to store it a little longer than if you buy it at the feed store (because it gets stored on their shelves too.)

Nj

 

[NatJ]

" I think I explained that above ".

I take this as me not bothering to read what you wrote and your statement is directed to no one in particular so i assumed it was me . Please be specific when being snarkey .

Are you refering to this post?

I think I explained that above.

That post includes a quote from another poster (JacinLarkwell)
So I assumed OP was responding to the quoted bit, not to everyone in the thread.

(Like how I am responding to @sandburRanch and made that clear by quoting what I am responding to.)

 

[Eagle343]

I remember working for my uncles when I was a kid, they ran a Purina feed store and mill, we would normally just make crack corn and add some scratch to it for the layers.

 

[jjaazzy]

Nj

NJ you

I think beer does have some wet grain as a byproduct.
Chickens can probably eat it, and it would be a source of energy (calories), but I do not know how much of their other needs it would provide. At a guess, it is probably quite low in protein, the protein it does have is probably not properly balanced, and it is probably missing several important vitamins and minerals.

If it is cheap, and you do some research, you might be able to use it as part of the chickens' diet. You would have to provide other things that balance it nutritionally, and I do not know what those things are or how expensive they are.


I think potatoes need to be cooked if you want the chickens to get much food value from them. If the potatoes do not grow anyway, that does not matter. But if you try again, it's something to keep in mind. Cooking large amounts of potatoes might be inconvenient, and might get expensive too.

I know that beans need cooking before feeding them to chickens. (You did not mention beans, I'm just thinking of things that need special treatment before feeding.)

Carrots are safe to feed raw, but chickens eat them much better cooked. I think the same is true for many other vegetables with similar textures (turnips, beets, etc.)


Even as a supplement, you need to pay some attention to the right balance of nutrients.

For example, if you offer lots of low-protein supplements, the chickens might eat them and end up short of protein. (Gamebird Starter or Turkey Starter tends to be high in protein, so it can help balance out some low-protein supplements. Check the cost, of course, but it often costs about the same as the chicken feeds with less protein.)

Even if you provide the right balance of protein and energy, they still need that protein to contain the right balance of amino acids, and they need the right amount of certain vitamins and minerals.

Chickens will often stay alive on a not-quite-right diet, but they will tend to grow slower and lay fewer eggs. Sometimes that is still worth doing, if the other things you offer are so much cheaper that you still come out ahead. But it is definitely something to consider. Feeding only a purchased complete feed is usually the best way to get the best growth from meat birds, and the most eggs from laying hens.


Not being able to store the food for long is definitely a consideration.

I assume you already calculated how long you can store it, and how much feed you could buy at a time? If you buy it freshly milled, you might be able to store it a little longer than if you buy it at the feed store (because it gets stored on their shelves too.)

NatJ you brought up a good point that if I purchase the feed from the mill and I am getting it right away IOW it's not stored I might have a 4-6 week jump on using it. I think when I calculated it before it was so close to the prices I was paying it didn't make financial sense to go to the trouble. I will try and find the mill Monday and ask them what the min order is and see how it shakes out. I don't think I will do it until our temperatures start to back off, we are ramping up for another overly hot humid summer.
I don't mind cooking the potatoes as I fire up the oven or can use the microwave. I think I will try again with the potatoes, I am on a few FB sites with gardeners in my area they seem to do pretty good with them. I went over to FB and put in some search words for mills and there might be some info to tap into there. It's a shame no one here has done it. But my post hasn't been up for long maybe they will see it this week. Thank you for trying to help me. You have been a pleasure to talk to. If you ever need some help with your chickens reach out I will be happy to help you. I have been doing this a min or two. Stay healthy...

 

[JAMarlow]

Do you know if the by product of making beer has waste that could be used for chickens?

Depending on what it is, the by-product would be great for composting and soil amendment if you have a garden! As for the chickens, I'm sure they would enjoy scratching and pecking through it, too, but I have no idea how much they would eat over several days.

 

[NatJ]

It's a shame no one here has done it. But my post hasn't been up for long maybe they will see it this week.

This site does not seem to have many people doing what you are discussing.

Many of the people here have small flocks.

The most common feeding advice on here is to provide a complete commerically-produced food free choice, and to consider everything else as "treats," limited to 10% of the chickens' intake per day. (They seem to assume that free ranging does not need to be considered "treats," maybe because no-one has any good idea of how to measure it!)

The closest I know of is U_Stormcrow who is in Florida with a somewhat large flock free-ranging and eating somewhat less purchased feed than most people's chickens.

@U_Stormcrow do you have a thread or article talking about how you feed your chickens? I know I've seen you post about it, but I'm having trouble finding it now. I can tell it's not exactly what OP is trying to do, but I think there is some overlap.

 

[NatJ]

A few threads that discuss feed storage ideas:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...eas-to-protect-large-amounts-of-food.1508396/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/old-fridge-for-feed-storage-good-or-bad-idea.1461874/

 

[jjaazzy]

I remember working for my uncles when I was a kid, they ran a Purina feed store and mill, we would normally just make crack corn and add some scratch to it for the layers.

Thanks Eagle343 that's the information I was looking for. I know corn on a whole now is considered too much sugar, the scratch is a great idea as it adds other seeds to the mix. I could add in some other things like whole oats, even sprouted oats, but maybe that's too wet and maybe rice bran.
I was able to reach out to a company who sells the feed mills, found on FB. I look forward to their reply, I hope that I can get some information from them. I would think they have example formulas in mind. I have to take everything into consideration as everything down here is expensive so have to really study it. My initial thought was to grind down my left over hay as a base and add to it that may still be an option.