Home made feed mixing and what they eat

[Chicken Slave]

Hello,
Due to the organic feed I purchased at the local ag store being about 1/2 dust my hens won't eat, I started researching and mixing my own. I was lucky enough to keep the cost about the same as the store bought stuff but I am now trying to streamline the mix to things they will eat. I am trying to reduce waste/cost by subbing things w/ like elements for ones that I try that they don't like.

My question being, I notice in my mix they are picking out mostly the grains and not eating the Layerena pelllets, and they don't care for sunflower seeds or sesame seeds at all which I know are good for laying hens. Perhaps hulled sunflower seeds next try.
Can I assume these hens are eating from the mix what they need or are they just eating what they like?

My mix thus far includes the following

Winter layer mix

6 parts wheat
4 parts rolled oats
1 part split peas
2 parts flax seed
1 part pellets
1 part sunflower seeds
1/2 sesame seeds
1/2 part diatomaceous earth
1/2 part kelp powder
1/2 nutritional yeast

Still looking for a reasonable resource for non gmo or organic corn locally. VERY hard to find.

I should add that the Australorps is the only hen laying right now. She has just started. The Welsummers are two years old and recently molted. I just purchased them two weeks ago. All the others are just about to start laying. Possibly should be already. All are six months now.

 

[Sweetlilbaby]

what type of sunflower seeds are you feeding? It should be the small black ones like you buy for bird seed. If chickens are given the choice many of them wont eat pellets. You may need to crush the pellets up some.

I am considering mixing my own chicken feed as well. I want to avoid corn as my dogs are allergic and end up coming in contact with the chicken feed regularly.

 

[Chicken Slave]

I am feeding the black oil sunflower seeds. They won't eat em. Not one of em.lol You can get em hulled too. A little more expensive but it's all usable food so. Mine have eaten another brand of pellet that is unknown to me. I know it wasn't organic. The Layerna isn't either but at least it's veggie. I will be looking for reasonably priced local alfalfa pellets to replace these with as I don't think I need any more from a pellet w/ such a hearty mix. Look for non corn non soy mixes online! There were several recipes. Many of them include live plants growing in your hens ranging area. The hardest part about acquiring some of the ingredients is shipping. Finding local non gmo/organic products has been difficult and I have yet to find the corn. I have 3 places to try tomorrow. I am all for mixing my own feed as I know now exactly what they eat other than the bugs and grass in our yard.

 

[Sweetlilbaby]

All summer I wasn't feeding any feed. I know that sounds odd. they had a dish of food available to them but they wouldn't eat it. I had rye sprouting in my yard, weeds, bugs, And then when the pears were ripe, and the plums they ate those. They are finally eating. Mine currently get pellet "all stock" My dogs wont touch that I'm find feeding it but I have started to mix in the black sunflower seeds, flax seed (tiny bit not much), there are some other seeds mixed in that i can't think of right now.
I feed split pea soup (left overs from dinner) once a week.
I am lucky my chickens are going nuts for the black sunflower seeds. I actually have to limit those to a daily amount. first day I fed them I mixed it in their feed and the next day their feed was free of any sunflower seeds. That seemed to be all they ate.