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

[bridget-rdh]

We are just starting with chickens but I am wanting to mix my own scratch.. We feed a commercial layer feed 24/7. We are considering this mix, equal parts of all..
Wheat, milo, oats, corn, and BOSS. Any recommendations? I don't think we can get field peas, but will check further..Thanks in advance..

Bridget

 

[bwalters]

wondering how you 'sprout' them?

 

[countrygoddess]

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.

Surprising that the opening paragraph of that article is so snarky because I have his book on raising chickens and he doesn't come across that way at all. Try and get past that initial impression and read the rest of the article; it's very good. I also read a tome from the 50's about feeding poultry and found that it was very helpful in determining what to use in my feed, how much, and why. Here's the book: Feeding Poultry: The Classic Guide to Poultry Nutrition for Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, Gamebirds, and Pigeons by G.F. Heusser.

I also have a huge problem with soy. I don't believe it should be consumed, period. Here's an article that talks about soy and the fact that soy isoflavones (a class of phytoestrogens) are found in egg yolks and chicken muscle. http://www.westonaprice.org/blogs/k...-ling-egg-yolks-hidden-soy-from-animal-feeds/

I have been mixing my own feed since spring and I feel like I'm giving my flock better nutrition than I would be if I fed them a commercial feed. For one thing, when feed is ground and formed into pellets, enzymes begin to oxidize immediately, causing the feed to go bad quickly. By the time it gets from the mill, to your retailer, to you it is already beginning to go rancid. I buy organic, non-GMO whole grains and seeds and feed them that way. During the winter I will grind enough for a few days, to keep their food fresh. Giving them lightly ground feed in the winter makes it easier for their bodies to digest it, which in turn allows them to use a lot of that energy to keep warm instead of on the process of digestion. I also soak the feed for 24 hours in water and cultured milk, making it even more digestible.

 

[countrygoddess]

wondering how you 'sprout' them?

You can soak them in water to which you've added a little bit of an acid (ACV, whey, buttermilk, cultured milk...) for 24 hours and then feed them (germination will have begun to happen, although you can't see any changes yet) or you can sprout them as you would bean sprouts so that a shoot begins to grow. I've heard of some people that put the seed/grain in one of those black plastic mesh trays you put your plants on when you're at the nursery buying your garden starts, then set the tray in a shallow pan of water. Change the water out each day and after a short while, you can see the seeds sprouting. Either method is called "sprouting".

 

[3riverschick]

A couple years ago I researched going to whole grains as the main feed. My main goal being to leave out soy completely as I believe it is completely unnatural and detrimental to both chickens and humans (unless fermented) As matter of fact I believe leaving out soy is much more important than going with organic.....but this is a long story in itself.

What I found were recipes that included (in my opinion) too many different grains to make it quick and simple. I wanted something a little more cost effective and a little simpler to mix. After much research and many hours of calculations on protein, fat, and other nutrients; I finally settled on a five grain mix that I felt met their nutritional needs well. I implamented it for a while and they did great on it but ended up going back to a prepared feed as the grain cost started to rise and I was having difficulty finding field peas locally. I say all this because the base recipe even without the inclusion of field peas (the main protein source) still makes a great scratch mix. So here is what I came up with



cracked corn 15 lbs 9% protein
field peas 25 lbs 25% protein
crimped oats 20 lbs 14% protein
whole wheat(red hard variety) 20 lbs 17% protein
sunflower(at least half black) 20 lbs 19% protein

All ingredients should be cracked, split, crimped, or rough ground (what applies to the ingredient) This just helps their gizzard take care of it, as most domestic chickens today don't get enough grit. Most folks can not free range as much as our forefathers could. An interesting footnote...sunflower seeds that are shelled average 40% protein. Of course shelled seeds are entirely too expensive to use as feed and the protein level is actually too high. Free choice calcium and grit should always be available. It would not hurt to have at least some of the run covered in construction sand (the rough stuff with different sized grit and pebbles)

Hi Bairo,
A couple of questions if you have time. Please. Ok, I have English Light Sussex. They are a white skinned bird. While most English like their birds white skinned, most Americans like their poultry with yellow skin. Thus, Americans don't mind feeding corn and marigolds, and other things which yellow up the skin, eggs etc. I am on the other end of the stick. I don't want to feed anything that wll add yellow to my birds diet. Because they are genetically white-skinned and because the Light Sussex is a Columbian colored bird. Things that "yellow" in the diet can give a yellowish cast to those lovely white feathers. Now I studied that ... historically...Sussex do very well on oats , wheat and barley. What would happen to your recipe above if I eliminated the corn and split the 15 pounds up some way between the peas, oats and wheat. Or maybe did that and added in some barley into the equation?
I know a lot of people feed corn in the winter to raise the metabolism in their birds to help keep them warm. Old time dog breeders said, corn made a dog's "blood run hot". They meant the body needed to raise it's metabolism to digest the corn.
Following this train of thought ...and thinking Not to spread the 15 lbs allotted to the corn over the other 3 ingredients.... Can you think of a white colored ingredient that will also make the birds blood run hot to keep them warm in the winter? Something I cold sub for the corn?
I really like this recipe you have created. The corn is my only hang-up.
Thanks so much,
Karen ( I also sprout "Plotspike Forage Oats" for my birds in the winter).

 

[3riverschick]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/425134/anybody-raise-sprouts-to-feed-the-chickens/220
Here's a neat BYC thread. Pages 23 thru 29. Especially note the value of sprouted oats; Plotsike Forage Oats; feed vs forage oats ; and age of oats determining their feed function. We use Plotspike here at Waterford English Sussex with great success.
Best Regards,
karen in western PA, USA

wondering how you 'sprout' them?

 

[Yukonchick]

I've been getting slightly expired bread from the warehouse where i used to work. All kinds 12 grain 9 grain, flax pita bread, english muffins, raison etc. The chickens go nuts over it. Everybody likes bread, the pig, dogs us.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

has anyone had success sprouting oats? They do appear to be a good choice.

 

[countrygoddess]

A couple years ago I researched going to whole grains as the main feed. My main goal being to leave out soy completely as I believe it is completely unnatural and detrimental to both chickens and humans (unless fermented) As matter of fact I believe leaving out soy is much more important than going with organic.....but this is a long story in itself.

What I found were recipes that included (in my opinion) too many different grains to make it quick and simple. I wanted something a little more cost effective and a little simpler to mix. After much research and many hours of calculations on protein, fat, and other nutrients; I finally settled on a five grain mix that I felt met their nutritional needs well. I implamented it for a while and they did great on it but ended up going back to a prepared feed as the grain cost started to rise and I was having difficulty finding field peas locally. I say all this because the base recipe even without the inclusion of field peas (the main protein source) still makes a great scratch mix. So here is what I came up with



cracked corn 15 lbs 9% protein
field peas 25 lbs 25% protein
crimped oats 20 lbs 14% protein
whole wheat(red hard variety) 20 lbs 17% protein
sunflower(at least half black) 20 lbs 19% protein

All ingredients should be cracked, split, crimped, or rough ground (what applies to the ingredient) This just helps their gizzard take care of it, as most domestic chickens today don't get enough grit. Most folks can not free range as much as our forefathers could. An interesting footnote...sunflower seeds that are shelled average 40% protein. Of course shelled seeds are entirely too expensive to use as feed and the protein level is actually too high. Free choice calcium and grit should always be available. It would not hurt to have at least some of the run covered in construction sand (the rough stuff with different sized grit and pebbles)

Sounds like my story almost to the letter! =)

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: I used to think that hard red winter wheat was 17% protein also but was corrected by a BYC'er and found out it is closer to 12-14% protein.

Here:
from http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/jo_gr110.txt
"Bids for 11.5 percent protein US 1 Hard Red Winter Wheat for November
delivery trended 1.75 cents per bushel higher than Tuesday’s noon bids
for the same delivery period in following the slightly higher Kansas City
December wheat futures."

and

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat
"100 grams of hard red winter wheat contain about 12.6 grams of protein"

Also you might try split peas as an alternative to "field peas." They are actually cheaper for me (at the grocery store bulk bins) than the Austrian Peas I just bought recently per pound from the feed store! Also my chickens find the split peas to be more palatable.