Homemade chick starter

[two j farm]

I'm looking for a really good DIY Chick starter. All recipe's welcome.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I understand the desire but a good starter feed isn't possible for anywhere near the cost of a bag of feed.
You may be able to beat the price but not provide the levels of the 40+ nutrients chickens need that will promote good growth and a healthy immune system. It is well known from over a century of research what levels of those nutrients they need at various ages. Feed mills have the ability to assay ingredients and adjust quantities to achieve optimal nutrient levels in feed. As an individual, we don't have the ability to do that. If we did, it would be way more expensive to make 50# of feed than what a bag costs. Feed mills buy grains and legumes by the trainload and we buy by the bag. They buy added nutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fats by the ton and we buy by the pound. The economy of scale is the issue that makes it fairly inexpensive to feed poultry.
Chickens are omnivores so they need a greater array of essential amino acids than can be provided by seeds, grains or any vegetative source. That is especially true of chicks.

 

[Mosey2003]

The first 8 weeks are the most important feed-wise in a bird's life. Please do not try to recreate an appropriate chick starter. You may feel good about it, but you won't be doing the chickens any favors.

 

[Acre4Me]

I understand the desire but a good starter feed isn't possible for anywhere near the cost of a bag of feed.
You may be able to beat the price but not provide the levels of the 40+ nutrients chickens need that will promote good growth and a healthy immune system. It is well known from over a century of research what levels of those nutrients they need at various ages. Feed mills have the ability to assay ingredients and adjust quantities to achieve optimal nutrient levels in feed. As an individual, we don't have the ability to do that. If we did, it would be way more expensive to make 50# of feed than what a bag costs. Feed mills buy grains and legumes by the trainload and we buy by the bag. They buy added nutrients like vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fats by the ton and we buy by the pound. The economy of scale is the issue that makes it fairly inexpensive to feed poultry.
Chickens are omnivores so they need a greater array of essential amino acids than can be provided by seeds, grains or any vegetative source. That is especially true of chicks.

 

[Bug n Flock]

There are plenty of soy free, non GMO, organic, etc starters out there too. Plus you can always ferment or "doctor" the starter to "improve(allegedly)" the feed. Personally, with teeny tiny(quail) or shipped chicks I soak the starter in chick electrolyte, probiotic, and acidofier water(brand name "hydro hen" is what I use, I think it is by mannapro) and I add a couple of raw egg yolks. Just for the first day or so to give them a little extra boost. However, I am not an expert by any stretch. This is my first time with shipped chicks, and I only added that stuff to the quail food on the last hatch. However, that was the first quail hatch where I didn't have a single loss. /shrug.

And I am still trying to work out FF. But there are options that help you feel better about what you are feeding, while still providing exactly what they need to grow properly.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've seen lots of homemade feed recipes. They will feed chickens but they won't deliver the best results in growth rate, immune function or production that a commercial feed will. I'm not an apologist for the feed industry, I just know that they are better equipped to do the job for less money than most of us.
Here are the nutrients chickens need at specific ages based on type.
https://extension2.missouri.edu/g8352
I don't know how one would determine if the chicks were getting enough selenium, vitamin D3, methionine or any nutrient if mixing grains and other ingredients.
It isn't worth the hassle.

 

[two j farm]

Thanks everyone. The reason I'm asking is because I live in a small town with only one feed store that doesn't get a lot of chick starter. What they do get sells out very fast and they only get 25lb bags. Im about to have over 100 chicks, I will be getting every bag I can from the feed store, they even said they would put some back for me, but I can't have the whole shipment. The feed comes once a month and other people need it to. Is there anything I could add to the chick starter to make it last longer? I could drive over 2 hours away to a bigger feed store, but really don't want to if I don't need to.

 

[R2elk]

I add a couple of raw egg yolks

They will get more benefit from cooked rather than raw eggs. BTW, the egg white (albumen) is pure protein.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/protein-in-egg

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks everyone. The reason I'm asking is because I live in a small town with only one feed store that doesn't get a lot of chick starter. What they do get sells out very fast and they only get 25lb bags. Im about to have over 100 chicks, I will be getting every bag I can from the feed store, they even said they would put some back for me, but I can't have the whole shipment. The feed comes once a month and other people need it to. Is there anything I could add to the chick starter to make it last longer? I could drive over 2 hours away to a bigger feed store, but really don't want to if I don't need to.

Your situation is very understandable. I'm sorry I misunderstood your motivation.
25# bags are usually more expensive per lb.. In reality, there is no reason they can't order more feed and larger bags considering there are other customers and you will eventually need up to 500# a month or more. Their price will go down and so will yours.

In a pinch, you could add some grains eventually, ferment the feed and add some fishmeal and provide a supplement like Nutri-Drench in the water.

 

[Bug n Flock]

Borrow a trailer or take yours and make the trip. I agree with the above poster, the feed shop is making the poor choice, no need to support them unless you have to.

And albumen is mostly water, actually. But I know what you are getting at, and if I were adding the egg yoldk for the macronutrients(fat, protein, carbs), I would include the albumen and cook it. But since I am not adding it for the fats and proteins, I do not. Cooking destroys a lot of vitamins, denatures proteins(inactivates enzymes, destroys antibodies).