Good chicken feed vs "scratch"

[MeepBeep]

It's less about the freshness of the grains and more about the degradation of the supplemented vitamins, particularly A.   When a bag of any feed is stored for extended periods those supplements break down and are lost, and you are left feeding a product that you think is 100% complete but sadly, is not.

I fully understand,but, my point is this 'degradation' happens with the raw ingredients as well it's not just happening on the prepared food and the chances of being short nutrients when you mix your own is likely higher than the marginally lose in a commericial feed unless you regularly send your mix out for analysis...

 

[ShanandGem]

I fully understand,but, my point is this 'degradation' happens with the raw ingredients as well it's not just happening on the prepared food and the chances of being short nutrients when you mix your own is likely higher than the marginally lose in a commericial feed unless you regularly send your mix out for analysis...

Now I see the point you are making, and I agree. But I can provide my chickens with such a varied diet that chances are very slim they are lacking anything. You and I don't eat gruel daily that looks like cardboard but is nutritionally balanced to keep us alive, like we're in the Matrix lol.
As a way of example, these are my birds' protein sources daily: (no particular order)
soy
fish
legumes
seeds
mealworms
whatever they catch in the grass, and the grass and weeds themselves, as they're about 14% protein

If you compare those protein sources to a standard bagged feed, I think you'll agree my chickens have a much more varied diet.

 

[BruceAZ]

You really can't beat old fashioned galvanized trash cans for home storage... They are rodent proof and they allow just enough 'breathing' to help avoid going moldy...

got these containers from a family member ..

rinse them out and let them air dry for 3-4 days

each container can store up to 28lb or so..

they work well they are durable with an air tight lid + FREE

 

[MeepBeep]

You really can't beat old fashioned galvanized trash cans for home storage... They are rodent proof and they allow just enough 'breathing' to help avoid going moldy...

got these containers from a family member .. rinse them out and let them air dry for 3-4 days each container can store up to 28lb or so.. they work well they are durable with an air tight lid + FREE is a +++

In a rodent free environment plastic works well, for those that store in barns, sheds and such not so well...

 

[BruceAZ]

In a rodent free environment plastic works well, for those that store in barns, sheds and such not so well...

seeing how they will have "keep in a cool and dry place" on the back of each bag of feed

i keep the feed inside the house around here..

beside the heat.. we don't' have a worry about other pests.. scorpions and roaches are taken care of by my chickens (if they can find them)

 

[eggslplicity]

We have been feeding our chicken the Rural King brand chicken feed Country road for a few years and they are happy and healthy. No matter what some people say there is a science behind these processed feed so they are very good. I'm sure some are better than others. One thing I noticed when I started free ranging my birds in our chicken tractor is that now after 3 months or so they don't eat as much feed as they used to. i guess eating grass bugs and other stuff has become a substitute for much of their feed. My chickens are spoiled though...lol They get daily treats and probably eat better than we dne thing that we do occasionally is hard boil some eggs and when they've cooled just use a potato masher and crunch them up shells and all... They really love that and it is a big protein booster and the shells help replace some calcium also!

 

[MeepBeep]

In a rodent free environment plastic works well, for those that store in barns, sheds and such not so well...

seeing how they will have  "keep in a cool and dry place"  on the back of each bag of feed

i keep the feed inside the house around here..

beside the heat.. we don't' have a worry about other pests.. scorpions and roaches are taken care of by my chickens (if they can find them)

Living in a 100+ year old true 'farm house' rodent free doesn't always apply even in the house, especially tucked away in a closet out of sight...

I personally don't need a container for my chicken feed as I go through 50lbs a day and my feeder holds 150 lbs, so it goes directly from bag to feeder, but for wild bird seed even in the house it's in a steel can in the closet as to not temp any critters that might find their way in...

 

[MeepBeep]

  We have been feeding our chicken the Rural King brand chicken feed  Country road for a few years and they are happy and healthy. No matter what some people say there is a science behind these processed feed so they are very good.

Yep, millions of dollars invested in studies on chicken nutrition and feed requirements allow commercial feeds to be formulated very well... The farming industry is always looking for a way to maximize production and one of the easiest ways to do that is to provide optimal nutrition...

Also most of the 'house' brands like Rural King, Tractor Supply and what not are actually formulated by Cargill the same company that formulates many of the name brand feeds, and many of those name brand companies actually manufacture the house brand feeds and simply re-label them for the stores...

 

[speckledhen]

Just if anyone is interested, here is the lower protein grain mix I use for scratch, though I usually use the 13-grain conditioner. I just happened to empty this bag today and didn't have the other available to photograph.

The animal protein mentioned in the label that ups the protein in this mix is porcine protein, I do believe, and is in pelleted form in the mix. I do not feed vegetarian feeds.



I'll get a photo of the mix if anyone wants one, just as soon as I can figure out what's wrong with the drive it's stored on.

ETA: Here is the Knockout.

 

[ShanandGem]

@speckledhen that's a really nice looking scratch mix. I do so enjoy seeing and hearing what everyone feeds their flock. I don't have any 'real time' friends who keep chickens so the discussions here are invaluable to me.
I have decided that I am going to supplement my home made ration with commercial 'all flock' feed once a day. I think it will an interesting test of how complete my hand made ration is and eliminate any nutritional deficiencies in my birds' diets, although I don't think there are any. I am going to ferment and feed my homemade twice a day and leave out a dish of commercial feed for picking at between feedings. Gotta go pick some up this morning!