Homemade feed recipe for bantam and/or standard chickens?

[JacinLarkwell]

Stop measuring and counting stuff as long as they don't get sick and die. If the diet is insufficient then they will lay less. It's conceivable that feeding an heirloom diet could bring a person more satisfaction than a lot of eggs. Everybody gets to make their own goals in this hobby.

How in the hell did I get on this side of the debate?

I'm confused why you quoted me for that.

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

I would not assume bantams could survive on a vintage feed easier than full sized birds. They are not guaranteed to lay less. My Cornish bantams regularly lay more than many of my full sized birds.

I bit off topic, but do Cornish bantams live longer than standard Cornish? I've heard it's very common for standard Cornish chickens to die the same year due to their bodies growing so fast and causing abnormalities. Thank you.

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

Not a recipe as such, but you may find these from another thread useful @NinjaGamer2022



Update on that: 11 out of 12 are still with us; all 3 boys are crowing, 3 pullets are laying as of this month, and the other 5 pullets are coming on nicely. The experiment was to not use commercial chick feed. I have made my own feed for the adults for years.
The adults eat whole grains lightly fermented with peas, and other foods from the lists above added when served as appropriate. Fermenting whole grains and peas is beneficial; look in the journal Poultry Science for recent research papers on it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. This was most of the flock this morning; most people who've expressed an opinion think they look well nourished and healthy.
View attachment 3362771

Thank you for this. May I ask what breeds and/or mixes your birds are? This info you have given me is greatly apprieated.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I bit off topic, but do Cornish bantams live longer than standard Cornish? I've heard it's very common for standard Cornish chickens to die the same year due to their bodies growing so fast and causing abnormalities. Thank you.

Those are Cornish crosses. Cornish and bantam Cornish are actual breeds of chickens that don't self-destruct

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

Those are Cornish crosses. Cornish and bantam Cornish are actual breeds of chickens that don't self-destruct

I didn't know that. Thank you for that info. May I ask, how do their eggs compare to standard sized eggs? I may get some of these chickens.

 

[Perris]

Thank you for this. May I ask what breeds and/or mixes your birds are? This info you have given me is greatly apprieated.

Happy to help. My foundation stock are Swedish Flowers, British Araucana, Norfolk Grey, Welsummer, then there's their offspring (and their offspring), plus some Penedesenca brought in as hatching eggs in 2021 and a Lavender leghorn brought in the same way this year.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I didn't know that. Thank you for that info. May I ask, how do their eggs compare to standard sized eggs? I may get some of these chickens.

They're bantam eggs, but a bit larger than my bantam cochin eggs.

 

[raingarden]

I've never come across any bantam-specific feeds. The American Bantam Association pushes Nutrina feeds but Nutrina does not make a bantam-specific feed. The implication is that you should make a regular chicken food for bantams.

uh-oh. UH-OH. I'm freaking out here.

The 1940 book Modern and Old English Game Bantams by John P. Baldwin has advertisements spread throughout. One advert is from Bantam Supply House. Bantam Supply House also published the book. In the advert they list their products and it includes, "Bantam Midget Mash (it keeps 'em small)". This would imply that they were using nutrition to prevent birds from reaching the growth potential they were born with.

What do you suppose made Midget Mash different? Did they add large amounts of fiber/roughage to decrease it's nutritional value? Would it be the same as just starving the bird? Doesn't this sound disturbing? Inhumane? Are current-day show-winning bantams on a restricted diet?

It sounds like a good science project.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

uh-oh. UH-OH. I'm freaking out here.

The 1940 book Modern and Old English Game Bantams by John P. Baldwin has advertisements spread throughout. One advert is from Bantam Supply House. Bantam Supply House also published the book. In the advert they list their products and it includes, "Bantam Midget Mash (it keeps 'em small)". This would imply that they were using nutrition to prevent birds from reaching the growth potential they were born with.

What do you suppose made Midget Mash different? Did they add large amounts of fiber/roughage to decrease it's nutritional value? Would it be the same as just starving the bird? Doesn't this sound disturbing? Inhumane? Are current-day show-winning bantams on a restricted diet?

It sounds like a good science project.

This is a case where I would prefer to remain ignorant.

 

[raingarden]

What do bantam chickens and North Korean children have in common?