Homemade Feed Advice (New to Backyard Chickens)

[20-BSparky-22]

So I am new to keeping chickens and won't start until September, but would love to have everything set up and all the knowledge to keep them successfully!

So my main question is how good is my homemade feed recipe and if I am missing anything or low/high on a certain nutritional value.

25% WHOLE CORN (50 LBS)
25% WHOLE WHEAT (50 LBS)
20% PEAS (35 LBS)
10% CRIMPED OATS (20 LBS)
10% FISH MEAL (20 LBS)
10% 1/3 BAG OF SOYBEAN MEAL (50 LB BAG)
NUTRIBALANCER (MANUFACTURER INSTRUCTIONS)

I feel like the combination of fish meal AND soybean meal may be too much protein or an unnecessary expense... I'm not sure...

Chickens:
Orpington
Barred Rock
Rhode Island Red
Salmon Faverolle

Any advise about feed and/or keeping chickens or liked resources would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

 

[nuthatched]

Can you get cracked corn instead of whole? What type of wheat?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ted-screenshot-of-my-feed-calculator.1553741/
Here's good information on starting your own mix.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

@U_Stormcrow

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Lunch.

I expect its an expensive recipe, but it checks out using soft oats and accoutning for expected moisture content, you are 20% protein (not too high), 4.4% fiber, 2.5% fat, good energy (maybe a bit high), all your aminos look good. There's a possibility, as a high nutrient, high energy feed that they might eat (a little) less than the 1/4# per hen per day approximation.

 

[20-BSparky-22]

Can you get cracked corn instead of whole? What type of wheat?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ted-screenshot-of-my-feed-calculator.1553741/
Here's good information on starting your own mix.

Yes they do have cracked.

 

[20-BSparky-22]

Lunch.

I expect its an expensive recipe, but it checks out using soft oats and accoutning for expected moisture content, you are 20% protein (not too high), 4.4% fiber, 2.5% fat, good energy (maybe a bit high), all your aminos look good. There's a possibility, as a high nutrient, high energy feed that they might eat (a little) less than the 1/4# per hen per day approximation.

I appreciate your response! I realize it's definitely going to be a big expense... I just really didn't know what else to do after seeing videos and reviews of the feed brands my local farm store's stock.
I'm a first time chicken owner and really want to give them the best and want to avoid setting them back, especially since I'll be growing them from chicks... I really don't want to screw anything up
I figured making the feed as transparent as possible (knowing every ingredient) would be my best bet...

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
There is good food available, and making sure each bag of feed is fresh before buying it matters a lot.
Four chickens won't eat 220 pounds of feed in a short time, and ingredients do get old! Will you be milling this yourself, or feeding whole grains in a wet mash to keep it combined? Storage? The vitamin/ mineral mix will age out too BTW.
Obviously I'm not a fan of doing 'home made', it's difficult, expensive, and not necessary IMO.
All the best though if you do this!
Mary

 

[BelovedBirds]

I appreciate your response! I realize it's definitely going to be a big expense... I just really didn't know what else to do after seeing videos and reviews of the feed brands my local farm store's stock.
I'm a first time chicken owner and really want to give them the best and want to avoid setting them back, especially since I'll be growing them from chicks... I really don't want to screw anything up
I figured making the feed as transparent as possible (knowing every ingredient) would be my best bet...

I just want to let you know that there have been a lot of conspiracy theories regarding chicken feed, but not one has any proof. Shocking really, none of those individuals wants to prove their claims-
Members of this forum recently decided to send some of those feeds to a lab to have them tested, and they came back fine!

Don't let a few videos cost you hundreds of dollars in feeding your animals- unless you want to do that. Commercial feed is fine, and we could suggest a few good brands if you'd like!

 

[20-BSparky-22]

Welcome!
There is good food available, and making sure each bag of feed is fresh before buying it matters a lot.
Four chickens won't eat 220 pounds of feed in a short time, and ingredients do get old! Will you be milling this yourself, or feeding whole grains in a wet mash to keep it combined? Storage? The vitamin/ mineral mix will age out too BTW.
Obviously I'm not a fan of doing 'home made', it's difficult, expensive, and not necessary IMO.
All the best though if you do this!
Mary

Didn't think about shelf life! I've been reading other threads and realized the hysteria over certain feed brands were a little exaggerated. It was just coming into keeping chickens for the first time, seeing stuff like that freaked me out a little bit... Currently looking into different brands of feed!

 

[20-BSparky-22]

Don't get sucked into the chicken feed hysteria. The off-the-shelf feed is not toxic and is made out of the same grains and meals you will be buying. Besides, it's old news now and with spring coming on egg production is no longer an issue.

Yeah I've read a couple threads now saying the same thing... I really just didn't want to hurt my chickens. New to all this and not knowing much about the "scientific" part of keeping chickens, all that stuff definitley freaked me out a little...