Heritage Feeds for Heritage Breeds

[Jake Levi]

Both sound very good to me, I wish I could find those prices out here, but so far its all much higher here.

In the warm months I prefer to leave the molassses out. I am going to be looking until I find more economical feeds, and probably far fresher.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:

In the warm months I prefer to leave the molassses out.

Why are you leaving Molasses out in the warm months?
Molasses is great for helping condition feathers in the hotter summer months, it is rich in minerals, and also has vitamins, sucrose, and glucose.


Chris​

 

[Jake Levi]

Hi Chris

It can go bad easier in the summer, had it happen. If I used it then it would be in very small amounts. I agree on its good properties.

 

[Jake Levi]

Checking 'local' 40 mile radius of big feed stores, including TSC I find chick 'starter' to vary from 18% to 22% protein, ingrediants not listed, and prices from $19/50lbs to $22/50 lbs. Grower about $3-4 less. Layer mash is from $13.99 to $16/50 lbs, again actual ingrediants not listed.

For their whole grains to make your own its comparable, $13.99 to $14.99 per 50lb bags.

To me that is totally unacceptable.

I am going south about 60 miles in a couple weeks, to the VA but also going to check with any mills down that way or across into Idaho.

Prices here, for 50 lbs of feed are from 100-125% higher then they were in MI.

If, I can find grain to mix I will either get it custom ground or buy it and mix it myself while looking for an affordable mill.

The only other alternative is to give up raising chickens, which I amnot going to do,

for starters I will feed basic COB, equal proportions and add in BOSS and go from there, along with grit and oyster shell.If I can find it, affordable, I will add in coarse ground milo and wheat. Other ingredients will come later.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
I never had that problem with it going bad in the summer.
There is about 100 lbs of molasses in 2000 lbs of our feed that we feed to our Sheep and the same amount in our Goat Feed, little less in the chicken feed.

Our you sure it was the molasses that when bad and not something else? I know that regular Black Strap Molasses has a open container shelf life of about 6 months.


Chris

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
I never had that problem with it going bad in the summer.
There is about 100 lbs of molasses in 2000 lbs of our feed that we feed to our Sheep and the same amount in our Goat Feed, little less in the chicken feed.

Our you sure it was the molasses that when bad and not something else? I know that regular Black Strap Molasses has a open container shelf life of about 6 months.


Chris

Typically Molasses is treated with a mold inhibitor, most often a propionic acid product, to prevent molding.

 

[Jake Levi]

Its increasingly harder to be sure of anything, but it had a fermented smell, and discolored, the mill did replace it without the molasses at my request, thats the only experience of its kind that I have had. Since then I have avoided having it put it in the summer months.

What kind of goats do you have? I raise pack goats, Alpine/Saanen, Boer/Alpine and wanting to try a couple of Kiko crosses. It makes packbacking a lot more enjoyable when the goats are packing most of it, and they enjoy the outings as much as I do.

 

[Chris09]

Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay :

Quote:
I never had that problem with it going bad in the summer.
There is about 100 lbs of molasses in 2000 lbs of our feed that we feed to our Sheep and the same amount in our Goat Feed, little less in the chicken feed.

Our you sure it was the molasses that when bad and not something else? I know that regular Black Strap Molasses has a open container shelf life of about 6 months.


Chris

Typically Molasses is treated with a mold inhibitor, most often a propionic acid product, to prevent molding.​

I was thinking that it had a mold inhibitor. So whit that mold inhibitor it really doesn't matter if you use in the summer or not. Right?

Chris

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Why grind? Why not feed the milo and wheat whole or sprouted? That way you won't lose the vitamins as fast or even gain vitamins from sprouting.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Beef scrap was a major component of early 20th C. fowl diets. For modern adaptations in pastured poultry, check out Robert Plamondon's website. He notes that he does not feed beef scrap because the ruminants on his farm might gain access and it is illegal to feed ruminant parts to ruminants because of Mad Cow. Also, the quality of modern beef scrap isn't as good - more use is made of animal parts in pet food, etc. since modern packing plants are more concentrated and the local slaughter house is pretty much a thing of the past.

He uses a calcium source, two grains, and a higher protein laying feed on his operation.

If your flock is smaller, another place to start is "Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps", Claude Goodchild and Alan Thompson, written in 1941 to maximize backyard poultry production in 1941 Great Britain as part of the war effort. Even then, the dependence on commercial feeds was very large. You can also look for a copy of Dryden or of Heuser. By Heuser's time it was pretty well established that deep litter did something for poultry - but B12 (cobalamin) had not yet been discovered and the factor found in deep litter was not understood.