No, I haven't, but I'm continuing a line of research. I'm starting by breaking down the nutritional profile of the complete layer ration available at my local feed supplier. The details on the tag are less than.....inspiring. It reads as follows:
Grain products, processed grain byproducts, plant protein products, calcium carbonate, roughage products...and then goes down to list the various vitamins and minerals plus the binders, amino acids, and preservatives. I got to reading that one day, and I said...."What the heck am I feeding my chickens????" LOL For one thing, I know there has got to be GMO corn in there. I can see the corn flecks in the pellet and unless I pay the big bucks for certified organic feed, chances are it's GMO feed corn. The other grains and plant proteins....who knows? The tag also lists percentage levels for protein, crude fat, crude fiber, lysine, etc. I figure that there has got to be a way that I can provide what my birds need in a more natural way without all the chemicals and "mystery" grains. I'm not at the point where I can put aside the commercial feed completely, though. For example, I first have to nail down the alternative to synthetic dl-Methionine which is an amino acid that helps in the digestion of protein. From my initial research, there could be an herbal solution but one step at a time. It's on my to-do list. LOL