I want to buy some bulk grains at the grocery store for this winter.

[Chaneys Ranch]

I am having a lot of problems finding a feed mill here. there's 2 that closed their doors when TSC, Rural King and Orshlein all moved into the area. They both offered bulk discount based on purchase. Anyone from east central Indiana, please PM me. I have asked around, talked to the cattle farmer near us & searched google.

 

[bairo]

Father is in Greenwood and sister is in Avon...I'll ask them. I would think there would have to be something left out there? They used to be all over when I lived there. Of course that was 15 years ago.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Father is in Greenwood and sister is in Avon...I'll ask them. I would think there would have to be something left out there? They used to be all over when I lived there. Of course that was 15 years ago.

Thanks! Gem in Greenfield is closed, and so is the co-op in Pendleton. There is supposed to be a "4 pines" in greenfield also i heard today. I am calling everywhere.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I love this thread, as well as the threads on fermenting feed and the thread on sprouting fodder. This kind of information gets me so excited, and reading other people's experiences with these things is really inspiring to me. Thank you again, BYC community!

On that note, I was researching the topic of preparing one's own poultry feed (not just scratch grains, but the full-nutrition feed), and came across this article:
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/1/1-4/Harvey_Ussery.html
The opening part of the article is SO SNARKY I'm afraid to read the rest! I am actually upset for the person who drafted such an awesome question, and am finding I will have a hard time trusting the advice of someone who could be so nasty in response. Sigh.

I also found this PDF: http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/feedingchickens.pdf
This one seems a lot more straightforward and practical.

Now I'm going to have to research the differences between protein sources. I have issues with soy (GMOs, and I know my own body REALLY doesn't like it), but encountered a vague statement once about the betterness of feeding vegetarian mixed feed to the flock, so will need to research this aspect a bit more.

Does anyone else have some useful resources to share?

Ideally, I would love to be able to produce some of my own poultry feed, or at least some of the ingredients for it, here on my small farm. So I'm busy gathering information. I do NOT want to compromise my flock's nutrition, but would prefer to have them get what they need from local whole Non-GMO foods if possible.

 

[CarlaRiggs]

Hello, Leslie ~
I read the article you linked by Harvey Ussery... and you're right ~ he didn't seem to be very kind in his reply to the writer. I have his Poultry book, and it is a good read. The rest of the Poultry Magazine article is well written and thoughtful. The idea is that we don't always know if the chickens aren't getting the proper ingredients until their combs turn grayish and their feathers fall out! ha If I'm not eating well, I can generally feel it in a few days. So I think Ussery was wrong in that statement.
I'd like to read your second link, but it seems to be in error, or perhaps the link just isn't valid anymore.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Hello, Leslie ~
I read the article you linked by Harvey Ussery... and you're right ~ he didn't seem to be very kind in his reply to the writer. I have his Poultry book, and it is a good read. The rest of the Poultry Magazine article is well written and thoughtful. The idea is that we don't always know if the chickens aren't getting the proper ingredients until their combs turn grayish and their feathers fall out! ha If I'm not eating well, I can generally feel it in a few days. So I think Ussery was wrong in that statement.
I'd like to read your second link, but it seems to be in error, or perhaps the link just isn't valid anymore.

I double checked the link ... here it is again: http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/feedingchickens.pdf
If that still doesn't work, it was the second item in the google search results for my query: chicken nutrition, how to make a "complete" feed at home

I did manage to finish that article I mention above, and it did have some good information in it, so I'm glad I did. I have printed out the charts for making different kinds of chicken feed. I'd love to have a similar guide for turkeys, etc.

I think there is something to be learned from ag science, so don't scoff at all of it the way the author in the article does. The comparison he made between the availability of information for human vs. chicken nutrition was false and insulting ... and seemed inhumane to me ... oh well ... I guess he thought throwing a reader/subscriber/writer-inner AND a flock of chickens under the bus was justified because he DID have some valid points to make about the current state of the food chain in the USA. But still.

About animal nutrition: I know a lot of work has been done on chicken nutrition, especially prior to the current big-business-sponsored research funding practices. The relevant question these days seems to be how to fetch that information from the archives, modernize it to address today's GMO issues, then implement it on a small, probably mostly backyard, scale. Is self-sustainability practical? Is it possible? What are the best alternatives? How much DIY is fun and rewarding?

New standards in commercial egg production will help move more people toward backyard chickens/ducks ... these questions are increasingly relevant.

 

[ChickadeeRanch]

Make sure your feed has protein and oyster shells crushed for calcium
Also if you can stay away from GMO it's bad for animals

 

[Turkeytruff]

Hi there, I moved from Yorkshire 2 years ago - nice to have you on this forum!

 

[Turkeytruff]

ps, is anyone else on here from England?

sorry see above forgot to put the quote in!

 

[Turkeytruff]

Unfortunately i smoke and one of my chicken snatched a ciggy out of my hand so quick, i had to chase her, i managed to get it, very very lucky. Now i am very careful