Help me make my own feed

[shamin]

Hi Lovely peoples, i really need your help making my own feed. im living in a place where chicken feed is imported and it cost too much!! I am surronded by sea meaning i can get fish and lots of fish .. tunas. tuna bones . crabs etc. Rice is cheaper than corn here so i would like to use rice

Ingredients i can get :

1. raw white rice
2. Fish. Bones. Tuna. I can grind and make fish meal
3. Oyesters.
4.Crabs
5. Flour white!

please give me a recipie for starter grower and layer .. please help thankyou

 

[aoxa]

What are your winters like?

Winter feeding needs to be balanced if you don't have any foraging. If they are free ranged in the warm months, they can survive off what you have to offer, but I don't know of any feed recipe that would be nutritionally complete with what you have to offer alone.

 

[shamin]

Hi , I am from maldives . Average temperature at about 30 degrees Celsius throughout the year and there are no winter or snow here. Its tropical climate here ive heard fishmeal is an excellent feed for chicken. so i was wandering what if i mix all fish meal and rice + oyester shell for calcium. so i need a ratio.

i dont mind it being fully nutrious , i will manage it by giving vegetables+fruits and worms etc etc.

 

[aoxa]

Hi , I am from maldives . Average temperature at about 30 degrees Celsius throughout the year and there are no winter or snow here. Its tropical climate here ive heard fishmeal is an excellent feed for chicken. so i was wandering what if i mix all fish meal and rice + oyester shell for calcium. so i need a ratio.

i dont mind it being fully nutrious , i will manage it by giving vegetables+fruits and worms etc etc.

Are you going to free range? Do they have ample room to do so?

I suggest not mixing the oyster shell in the feed you create. You don't want to force feed something that high in calcium. But I do suggest having it available on the side for the birds that need it (they will know).

Really with free range, there wouldn't be much of a balance required. As long as they have ample protein - which is found in the fish, and lots of greens and forage, they will thrive!

I have never fed my birds rice, so I can't really say how you should feed it - or if it would be beneficial at all. Hopefully someone else can answer that for you. Try not to overdo the fish, because you may begin to taste it or smell it in the eggs.

If you have flour, can you get your hands on whole wheat?

 

[shamin]

Thanks for the reply.. i have done some research and i found corn is used in poultry feed because its very cheap compared to rice. however i think nutrition value is kinda same as i see from below link
Quote: And yes they are free range .. with plenty of grass and grasshopers and other bugs available. and no i dont get whole weat either ..

Would be glad if some one can give me a recipie .. thanks

 

[aoxa]

Thanks for the reply.. i have done some research and i found corn is used in poultry feed because its very cheap compared to rice. however i think nutrition value is kinda same as i see from below link
And yes they are free range .. with plenty of grass and grasshopers and other bugs available. and no i dont get whole weat either ..

Would be glad if some one can give me a recipie .. thanks

Your birds could get by with nothing supplemented depending on breed.

You don't really need a recipe.

You only have rice and flour available for dry ingredients. I am not sure how you would feed flour, as I imagine it is like baking flour and dusty. I can't see them eating this. With white rice, you can soak it and ferment it to help them benefit from it more than dry. But if you added flour, I can only see it being a very strange consistency....

What about oats? Quick oats, ground oats.. that is usually pretty easy to find - and relatively cheap. That would be a good addition.

By the way, had to google your country and WOW. it's gorgeous. Just had to say that.

 

[sumi]

Here are some feed recipes you can use as a guide. The amounts are quite large, sorry, but that's how I got it. I reckon you can modify it a bit, swap ingredients according to what's available by you and what is affordable:

Layer mash:

110lb wheat meal
110lb maize meal (preferable yellow maize)
110lb other grain meal (oats, barley or rye)
110lb fish meal
30lb dried milk
20lb ground sea shells

And for fattening roosters:

331lb barley meal
110lb wheat meal
60lb meat or fish meal
30lb dried milk
plus some lime (ground sea shells)

And little chick mash:

30lb meal (preferably mix of wheat, maize and oats)
12lb fish or meat meal
12lb alfalfa meal
2lb ground sea shells
1lb cod liver oil
plus a scratch of finely-cracked cereals.

 

[aoxa]

Hey I just thought of something else you could add in if you can grow it there.. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. You can get quite a few out of a flower head if you are willing to grow them. My chickens love it.

The general nutritional components of black oil sunflower seed are:

• 28 percent fat
• 25 percent fiber
• 15 percent protein
• Calcium
• B vitamins
• Iron
• Vitamin E
• Potassium

Growing Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are the easiest type of birdseed to grow. You can plant seeds directly from your birdseed supply or purchase different varieties of sunflower seeds from nurseries and gardening centers. Roasted seeds that are meant for human consumption, however, will not germinate and should not be used to try to grow birdseed.
Plant the seeds 1-2 inches deep and 8-12 inches apart in loose soil and full sun. For the best results, plant sunflower seeds only when the spring is warm and all danger of frost is past, and stagger plantings over several weeks to allow plants to mature at different times to ensure an ongoing supply of ready-to-eat birdseed. Sunflowers can be planted in all types of soil, and supplemental fertilization is not necessary – in fact, too much fertilization can decrease the seed yield by increasing the height of the stalks and the leaf growth. Water the seeds daily (twice daily in very hot or dry climates) until the young plants are well established, then water thoroughly every other day.
Weeds should be controlled near sunflowers when the plants are very young, but once sunflowers grow several inches tall they will rapidly become established and weeds are no longer a concern. When stalks grow taller than three feet, stakes can be used to ensure they do not topple over during high winds, storms or when the seed heads become heavy.
Sunflower seeds will ripen in the fall as the seed heads turn downward and the inner flowers shrivel. If you plan to store your seeds for refilling feeders later, you will need to cover the heads with mesh to prevent birds from feasting on them prematurely, or they can be left on the stalks for birds to enjoy directly. To store the seeds, cut the flower heads off each stalk to dry. When the heads are completely dry, the seeds can be rubbed off to be added to feeders, or dry heads can be put in tray or platform feeders without removing the seeds. Store seeds you won’t use right away in a cool, dry place so they will stay fresh and appetizing for the birds.

 

[TwoCrows]

I recently started making my own feed for my chickens and am now moving on to make feed for my quail also. It is not an easy task and really needs a lot of research before you begin throwing all sorts of food stuffs, grains and seeds at them. The food it self needs to be palatable, digestible enough to be able to turn all the grains, proteins and vitamins into energy, allow for egg production and of course sustain life. Some grains can slow down digestion or even be toxic in high levels. Chickens need incredible amounts of trace elements, omega's, fatty acids, amino acids, ect...to produce eggs on a daily basis. The egg itself contains all the building blocks of life. And if a chicken is not getting these nutrients thru it's feed, it will draw upon it's body for it. The affects over a few months can be disastrous and can lead to death. So all feed needs to be properly balanced to keep the chicken healthy and happy.

Chickens will basically consume anything, but not everything is good for them at high levels. Many people have their own opinions on how and what to feed chickens, but I believe that the basis of a chickens diet needs to be grains and seeds. Things they would find in the wild. A small addition of some animal and or insect protein will offer them needed amino acids, trace minerals and omega's for proper health.

After much research and a lot of trial and error, I came up with the following recipe. I am sure it is not at all perfect, but living in such a rural area, these are the only things I have to work with. There are a few other grains, seeds and supplements that were tried over the months, but these are what I settled on, based on how the chickens reacted, the poop and the laying frequency. Whole grains must be introduced slowly over a month or so to not throw off the good bacteria in the GI tract. Birds that are on lay crumbles have smaller under developed gizzards than whole grain eating chickens and it takes time for this muscle, the gizzard, to adjust to work involved.

The parts are pounds:

2 parts Wheat
2 parts Cracked Corn
2 parts Millet (this is a premix for parakeets. It not only contains millet, but a multitude of tiny beneficial seeds and nutrients making it a complete diet for birds)
1 part Whole Oats
1/2 part Hulled Sunflower Seed
1 part Farmers Helper Kibble (this supplement contains fish meals, vitamins, minerals and probiotics)
1 part Kaytee Egg-cite Egg Food Supplement (this is a supplement for parrots. The main ingredient is eggs at 50% and has amino acids and omega's added. It is used during breeding, egg laying and molting of parrots)
1 part Meal Worms
1 part Ground Oyster Shell (the only reason I add this is because I have an older hen that as a horrible time putting on a shell if her food is not supplemented with oyster shell.)

The grains are ground separately in a grain grinder. The dry ingredients are ground separately in a food processor and are added after the grains are ground. Only the amount of feed that I will use the next day are ground and the dry ingredients are added then. I do not grind up more than I will use for one day to make a fresh grind each day. A tiny bit of water is added at feeding time to help the dry ingredients to stick to the ground grains. Makes for a more consistant mix of everything in that the supplements do not fall to the bottom and not get eaten.

This feed works out to 16.7% protein
7% fat
7% fiber

My birds do not free range so their treats consist of greens and veggies. I have only been feeding this recipe for a few months now and some are going into molt. The health of the feathers, the length of the molt and the health of the birds during the molt should tell me if I have this thing right. So far things are going well. I hope to continue to feed this whole grain diet from here on out.

Good luck with your feed adventures. Should you come up with your own recipe, PLEASE do research on each grain. Many of them should never consist of 10% or 15% of the diet for many reasons and you do not want to put your chickens in danger. Some grains are very hard to digest, even though the feed industries tell you they are. Many of these feed companies add digestive enzymes to help with digestion of certain grains. So be careful and enjoy!

 

[shamin]

Here are some feed recipes you can use as a guide. The amounts are quite large, sorry, but that's how I got it. I reckon you can modify it a bit, swap ingredients according to what's available by you and what is affordable:

Layer mash:

110lb wheat meal
110lb maize meal (preferable yellow maize)
110lb other grain meal (oats, barley or rye)
110lb fish meal
30lb dried milk
20lb ground sea shells

And for fattening roosters:

331lb barley meal
110lb wheat meal
60lb meat or fish meal
30lb dried milk
plus some lime (ground sea shells)

And little chick mash:

30lb meal (preferably mix of wheat, maize and oats)
12lb fish or meat meal
12lb alfalfa meal
2lb ground sea shells
1lb cod liver oil
plus a scratch of finely-cracked cereals.

That sounds an excellent easy recipie to me ... btw how do you mix them? im thinking like the meal of wheat maize etc would be like fine poweder. and fish me also powder. etc . how does you mixe them. do you mind uploading a photo of the finished product?

Hey I just thought of something else you could add in if you can grow it there.. Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. You can get quite a few out of a flower head if you are willing to grow them. My chickens love it.

The general nutritional components of black oil sunflower seed are:

• 28 percent fat
• 25 percent fiber
• 15 percent protein
• Calcium
• B vitamins
• Iron
• Vitamin E
• Potassium

Growing Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are the easiest type of birdseed to grow. You can plant seeds directly from your birdseed supply or purchase different varieties of sunflower seeds from nurseries and gardening centers. Roasted seeds that are meant for human consumption, however, will not germinate and should not be used to try to grow birdseed.
Plant the seeds 1-2 inches deep and 8-12 inches apart in loose soil and full sun. For the best results, plant sunflower seeds only when the spring is warm and all danger of frost is past, and stagger plantings over several weeks to allow plants to mature at different times to ensure an ongoing supply of ready-to-eat birdseed. Sunflowers can be planted in all types of soil, and supplemental fertilization is not necessary – in fact, too much fertilization can decrease the seed yield by increasing the height of the stalks and the leaf growth. Water the seeds daily (twice daily in very hot or dry climates) until the young plants are well established, then water thoroughly every other day.
Weeds should be controlled near sunflowers when the plants are very young, but once sunflowers grow several inches tall they will rapidly become established and weeds are no longer a concern. When stalks grow taller than three feet, stakes can be used to ensure they do not topple over during high winds, storms or when the seed heads become heavy.
Sunflower seeds will ripen in the fall as the seed heads turn downward and the inner flowers shrivel. If you plan to store your seeds for refilling feeders later, you will need to cover the heads with mesh to prevent birds from feasting on them prematurely, or they can be left on the stalks for birds to enjoy directly. To store the seeds, cut the flower heads off each stalk to dry. When the heads are completely dry, the seeds can be rubbed off to be added to feeders, or dry heads can be put in tray or platform feeders without removing the seeds. Store seeds you won’t use right away in a cool, dry place so they will stay fresh and appetizing for the birds.

Thanks Maldives is sunny all year .. so i guess i can grow sunflower all year around. a friend of me used to grow em

I recently started making my own feed for my chickens and am now moving on to make feed for my quail also. It is not an easy task and really needs a lot of research before you begin throwing all sorts of food stuffs, grains and seeds at them. The food it self needs to be palatable, digestible enough to be able to turn all the grains, proteins and vitamins into energy, allow for egg production and of course sustain life. Some grains can slow down digestion or even be toxic in high levels. Chickens need incredible amounts of trace elements, omega's, fatty acids, amino acids, ect...to produce eggs on a daily basis. The egg itself contains all the building blocks of life. And if a chicken is not getting these nutrients thru it's feed, it will draw upon it's body for it. The affects over a few months can be disastrous and can lead to death. So all feed needs to be properly balanced to keep the chicken healthy and happy.

Chickens will basically consume anything, but not everything is good for them at high levels. Many people have their own opinions on how and what to feed chickens, but I believe that the basis of a chickens diet needs to be grains and seeds. Things they would find in the wild. A small addition of some animal and or insect protein will offer them needed amino acids, trace minerals and omega's for proper health.

After much research and a lot of trial and error, I came up with the following recipe. I am sure it is not at all perfect, but living in such a rural area, these are the only things I have to work with. There are a few other grains, seeds and supplements that were tried over the months, but these are what I settled on, based on how the chickens reacted, the poop and the laying frequency. Whole grains must be introduced slowly over a month or so to not throw off the good bacteria in the GI tract. Birds that are on lay crumbles have smaller under developed gizzards than whole grain eating chickens and it takes time for this muscle, the gizzard, to adjust to work involved.

The parts are pounds:

2 parts Wheat
2 parts Cracked Corn
2 parts Millet (this is a premix for parakeets. It not only contains millet, but a multitude of tiny beneficial seeds and nutrients making it a complete diet for birds)
1 part Whole Oats
1/2 part Hulled Sunflower Seed
1 part Farmers Helper Kibble (this supplement contains fish meals, vitamins, minerals and probiotics)
1 part Kaytee Egg-cite Egg Food Supplement (this is a supplement for parrots. The main ingredient is eggs at 50% and has amino acids and omega's added. It is used during breeding, egg laying and molting of parrots)
1 part Meal Worms
1 part Ground Oyster Shell (the only reason I add this is because I have an older hen that as a horrible time putting on a shell if her food is not supplemented with oyster shell.)

The grains are ground separately in a grain grinder. The dry ingredients are ground separately in a food processor and are added after the grains are ground. Only the amount of feed that I will use the next day are ground and the dry ingredients are added then. I do not grind up more than I will use for one day to make a fresh grind each day.

This feed works out to 16.7% protein
7% fat
7% fiber

My birds do not free range so their treats consist of greens and veggies. I have only been feeding this recipe for a few months now and some are going into molt. The health of the feathers, the length of the molt and the health of the birds during the molt should tell me if I have this thing right. So far things are going well. I hope to continue to feed this whole grain diet from here on out.

Good luck with your feed adventures. Should you come up with your own recipe, PLEASE do research on each grain. Many of them should never consist of 10% or 15% of the diet for many reasons and you do not want to put your chickens in danger. Some grains are very hard to digest, even though the feed industries tell you they are. Many of these feed companies add digestive enzymes to help with digestion of certain grains. So be careful and enjoy!

Thankyou for the info noted and i will make sure i treat my birds best.. as i am a starter i would test with sumi's given recipie above ..