How can I turn meat bird feed into layer feed?

[Forestfarm]

I have an order in for 1300 pounds of 20% soy free meat bird feed. It's made by a local mill 2.5 hours away from me so I'm picking it up in bulk before my Freedom Rangers arrive. I live in a very rural coastal town in Oregon and the birds are coming from Pennsylvania (seemingly the only place to get freedom rangers this year, and I've been on the lookout since the fall). My concern is that the birds don't make it and I'm stuck with all of this feed. The hatchery would of course send new birds, but at a certain point I might have to deal with the fact that a cross country trip might be a lot for these chicks and I may have a lot of feed leftover.

What would be the best grains to add to lower the protein to 16% so I can feed it to my egg layers? The ingredients in the soy free feed are corn, peas, camelina meal, wheat, and barley. I can add the nutritional profile if that is helpful to anyone. Thanks for any insight! Hopefully I'm worrying about nothing.

 

[FrostRanger]

20% is just fine for layers, many of us, myself included feed 20% because it's better for the health and behavior of the flock. As long as you provide oyster shell on the side for calcium you can feed it to them as is

 

[nuthatched]

Feed it too them. There's nothing you need to mix in, 20% is perfectly fine and healthy for layers.
They will need oyster shells available for calcium.
16% is an antiquated percentage.

 

[FunClucks]

You may be surprised with a slight increase in egg size and hen health when feeding them 20% vs. the 16% protein you are used to feeding. I don't have actual data, but have seen these differences in my own flock. As a previous poster said, set out oyster shell in separate containers, and they will eat it as needed to get the calcium they need. My flock of ~20 goes through about one 50 lb bag of oyster shell per year. Roosters and chicks won't eat it, so this method of feeding is fine for a mixed flock also.

 

[rockethoe]

I have an order in for 1300 pounds of 20% soy free meat bird feed. It's made by a local mill 2.5 hours away from me so I'm picking it up in bulk before my Freedom Rangers arrive. I live in a very rural coastal town in Oregon and the birds are coming from Pennsylvania (seemingly the only place to get freedom rangers this year, and I've been on the lookout since the fall). My concern is that the birds don't make it and I'm stuck with all of this feed. The hatchery would of course send new birds, but at a certain point I might have to deal with the fact that a cross country trip might be a lot for these chicks and I may have a lot of feed leftover.

What would be the best grains to add to lower the protein to 16% so I can feed it to my egg layers? The ingredients in the soy free feed are corn, peas, camelina meal, wheat, and barley. I can add the nutritional profile if that is helpful to anyone. Thanks for any insight! Hopefully I'm worrying about nothing.

is it pelleted? I have had trouble getting hens to eat enough peas to make up that love of protein. if it is milled or pelleted, it might work. The peas we tried were just rolled, so basically halfway milled.

 

[Forestfarm]

Thank you everyone. I ended up getting my full haul of feed for the meat birds. It's a relief to know I can feed it to the layers as well (with the addition of calcium)!

My main concern now is that this broiler starter had some bigger grains. I don't think that young chicks could digest the bigger pieces of wheat and peas so I bought an inexpensive hand crank grain mill. On its finest setting it broke down the bigger grains quite well. Any thoughts on if I should feed as is (first photo) or re-grind (second photo)?

I'd rather not soak feed but willing to if it's a big benefit and easier on the birds. I'm a little concerned that with either grind, there is a portion of the feed that is a bit powdery, which I assume is the camelina meal and minerals. I'm wondering if they will avoid the finer part of the feed and not get the full nutritional value if don't soak the feed.

This will be for 65 (hoping they all make it) freedom rangers.

 

[FrostRanger]

You generally want to make a mash of any kind of mash type feed else the birds can pick and choose and not get everything in the feed

 

[nuthatched]

X2, whole grain feeds need to be served wet

 

[Forestfarm]

Thanks, that is good info. I give my layers their whole grain feed dry and they save the powdery stuff until last but always finish it. But I'm not giving them unlimited feed so i suppose they take what then can get.

My only concern is that wet feed would go bad quickly in a warm brooder. Do you toss it after 24 hours? 12 hours? What would the minimum soaking time be if I'm not necessarily trying to ferment it?

Thanks again for the insight. I've done meat birds before but only with conventional crumble.

 

[FrostRanger]

Thanks, that is good info. I give my layers their whole grain feed dry and they save the powdery stuff until last but always finish it. But I'm not giving them unlimited feed so i suppose they take what then can get.

My only concern is that wet feed would go bad quickly in a warm brooder. Do you toss it after 24 hours? 12 hours? What would the minimum soaking time be if I'm not necessarily trying to ferment it?

Thanks again for the insight. I've done meat birds before but only with conventional crumble.

The powder is the added vitamins, you want that to be mixed in. Even if all of it gets eaten, bird higher on the pecking order can eat all their favorite bits and not leave much or any for the lowest ranked birds so it's still necessary to serve it wet

You can leave it until the end of the day. It certainly can go bad but it won't go bad that quickly, some people even ferment feed before they serve it which takes about 3 days give or take