Homemade Feed Recipe

[Zeoliter]

Over the next year, I would like to be completely self-sufficient when it comes to chicken feed. This is because I think we're headed towards a total collapse of western civilization. But that's a topic for another day.

Being 100% self-sufficient means growing everything you need. These are the things I am growing or plan to grow:

Wheat
Corn
Soybean
Sunflower
Millet
Oats

Can I make decent feed from just these ingredients and does anyone have a recipe based on them? I've seen a bunch of videos and read many articles but none have this exact mix. I guess I could grow peas too but growing peas at scale is kind of a PITA. Any advice would be welcome.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Over the next year, I would like to be completely self-sufficient when it comes to chicken feed. This is because I think we're headed towards a total collapse of western civilization. But that's a topic for another day.

Being 100% self-sufficient means growing everything you need. These are the things I am growing or plan to grow:

Wheat
Corn
Soybean
Sunflower
Millet
Oats

Can I make decent feed from just these ingredients and does anyone have a recipe based on them? I've seen a bunch of videos and read many articles but none have this exact mix. I guess I could grow peas too but growing peas at scale is kind of a PITA. Any advice would be welcome.

With the acres, and the equipment, and a willingness to suppliment from elsewhere - how's your access to seaweed???? You could do tolerably under a SHTF situation, until you can no longer run the equipment, at least. Animal/fish protein you could add would also be benificial. Any chance you could turn a rice pattie into an aquaculture with carp or the like? or even freshwater shrimp...

/edit and FWIW, I'm one of the people saying "don't do it" all the time.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I respect your intentions for sure. Feeding chickens 'from the farm' requires a diversified farm, where animal products such as skim milk, meat and offal off cuts are fed to the chickens and there are livestock so they can pick through their manure for bugs. Chickens can't sufficiently live on just grains and legumes, well at least they can't productively live on them.
Growing, harvesting, processing and storing grains on a small farm scale is quite a mammoth undertaking. If you have the acres, the equipment and the time I look forward to hearing about your progress, I would love to be able to do the same.

 

[raingarden]

Stock up on the vitamin and mineral premix, but with the understanding that vitamins have a finite shelf life.

This Armageddon thing is going to be complicated. Remember to eat the chickens before they can eat you.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Honestly, if OP wasn't in Japan, and hadn't clarified that they had acres, equipment, and were already succesfully growing more rice than they needed, I would have stuck with "don't do it" - but rice is an unusual feed ingredient here in the US, I was curious, so this mental exercise was entertaining to me.

and @Zeoliter - I'm a complete amatuer in feeding chickens. I've read some stuff (admittedly more than most), this isn't my day job. You have between now and the end of civilization to find the best ways to roast your soybeans to reduce antinutritional factors, make sure your vitamin levels are good (I didn't look, that function isn't part of my calculator yet), nail down hard numbers (not published averages) for your ingredients, and source your calcium.

Consider the above to be an extra second or three out of the gate on me - the rest of the marathon is on you.

 

[Zeoliter]

We have about 5 acres and lots of equipment. Most of the fields are rice paddies but we plant first week of June and harvest in September. I could plant winter wheat, oats and millet in October. We are only doing 3 rice fields right now and that produces more than enough rice for an extended family for a whole year. I believe I could grow the 500 lbs I need for 30 chickens.

I have read many threads here on BYC and I know I'm going to be told not to bother. And I understand that. Feed here is $11 for a 20kg bag, very cheap. and of course I will continue to buy that.

But my question to you all is this. What happens if that feed becomes unavailable? What happens if we see a major economic collapse, war, EMP, natural global catastrophe, or something like the Great Depression? Your chickens will help feed you so it's in your interest to keep them alive.

Basically I'm looking for a SHTF scenario chicken feed recipe. It's not something I intend to feed the birds, unless the S does HTF.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

If you can feed them some fish, meat and dairy then I don't see why they can't live just fine on any mix of the grains you have outlined. Because we are talking about a SHTF scenario, it doesn't so much matter if they're getting every single thing they need to be the best most productive chickens that ever lived. Your biggest concern under those circumstances is providing enough calcium for your layers. Which can be provided by grinding up bones.

I've had these thoughts myself. I grow a garden for my family and the chickens, although I only grow flint corn and beans as storage grains/legumes and definitely not in quantities that would get us through an entire year.

If SHTF I would still grow flint corn and beans, but then grow most of our starches as carrots, turnips, potatoes and winter squash rather than grains. The chickens would have to live on that for the major starch component of their diet.

 

[saysfaa]

...
But my question to you all is this. What happens if that feed becomes unavailable? What happens if we see a major economic collapse, war, EMP, natural global catastrophe, or something like the Great Depression? Your chickens will help feed you so it's in your interest to keep them alive.

Basically I'm looking for a SHTF scenario chicken feed recipe. It's not something I intend to feed the birds, unless the S does HTF.

I don't have a recipe (I have books that have many recipes to refer to if needed) but maybe a few ideas will help. You might buy a bucket of trace mineral salt (nutra balancer would work). Get one for chickens if you can and there may be regionally specific blends. A recipe can have a lot of components that have substitutes - the salt and trace minerals not so much, especially if your soil is deficient in any (most are, I think). Related - it would be good to get some soil samples analyzed for trace elements as well as the basic panel if you plan to grow the majority of your food.

You might also pick breeds that don't push the envelope for max production. They should have more margin to tolerate less than ideal diets probably by responding to shortages in their diets by reducing production sooner instead of pulling the needed nutrients from their bodies right away.

I would probably raise rabbits or a pair of pigs even though I don't eat them. They would be to feed the chickens; some meat makes the chicken ration much easier to balance.

And pick mid season varieties for most things. No need to push the envelope for extra early ripening unless you are trying to avoid specific insects or something like that.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I haven't set down with my calculator yet, but my gut tells me it would be a heavy soy/wheat mix with rice filling in the place of corn in more "traditional US-style" feeds. The soy is still going to need heat treatment, dried seaweed will be needed for trace nutrients, millet and/or oats might be useful for rounding out an amino acid profile, but again will need treatments specific to each - or the whole thing can be fermented. But an animal protein source at around 10% of the total feed weight (pre-fermentation, if you go that route) would make it MUCH easier.

So, I sat down with the calculator. 48# of rice. 24# of roasted soybeans. 24# of wheat (soft). 1# of dried seaweed for trace minerals, 3# of your calcium source (oyster shell?).

Based on published AVERAGES (your ingredients could be better, or worse, and could vary from season to season, field to field) that should (after correction for moisture content) be about 16.5% protein, 2.3% fiber (lower than target, if some rice hulls get in there, ITS FINE. Soybean hulls too, as long as they are roasted), 6% fat (higher than I want - blame the numbers I have for roasted soybeans, and DO NOT add BOSS), with a very good amino acid profile (so if your soy is lowere protein than average, its not as concerning). Your dried seaweed (depending on what type) should provide phosphorus and a host of needed vitamins and minerals.

*IF* the zombie apocalypes begins, start there, and adjust based on experience. If you can grow hard/winter/red wheat (the higher protein stuff) its an across the board improvement on the recipe. If you don't have a great calcium source, trade with your non-zombie neighbors for fish bones, roast they with your soybeans before inclusion in the recipe.

 

[saysfaa]

I am trying to remineralize my growing soil and forage lawn, so those minerals can keep cycling in the system in case of not being able to buy them in again. Right now my focus is on getting calcium into my soils (with lime, gypsum, and dicalcium phosphate), as well as trace elements which I add by using a fish emulsion fertilizer. This property is my practice property, we are hoping to move to a larger property in the near future.
I am lucky to live on an island country (New Zealand) and pretty well walking distance to the coast. So I have access to seaweed and shellfish if need be. And fish if there are any left by the time this might all go down.

You might consider learning which of your native plants (weeds) will help with mineralizing or otherwise feeding your soil. Usually these are the ones with very deep roots but there idiosyncrasies. Calcium, for example, will not stay in my soil. Between the sandy soil and rainfall and maybe other factors, it leaches away. Of course, getting it the right amount now is a good idea but if you are looking long term...

Often which weeds are growing where will tell you a lot about your microclimates and or microenvironments.