If you grain feed.......What do you feed?

[rubyrogue]

I am thinking about switching to grain from layer crumbles. What all do you include in your mix? I bought some stuff to try make my own scratch with as a starter to using more grain:
Wheat berry kernals
hulled millet
triticale berries
rolled oats
oats groats and
buckwheat groats

are all these okay to feed raw?
what grains do you feed?
what % of each do you use?

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Unless you are free ranging them and their pasture is very good there is no combination of grains alone that you can feed them that will replace what they are getting from the layer crumbles. Grains simply do not contain the necessary balance of amino acids to provide birds a complete protein.

Now you can supplement the grains with other feed compenents that will get the job done if you like, but it makes for a more complicated picture.

.....Alan.

 

[rubyrogue]

I am working on getting more of the pasture fenced so that they can free range. Right now they are in a 12x12 run and get salad greens every day. Once I get the pasture fenced they will have about an acre to roam on.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I would think you would have to add soy, field peas or lentils to that mix to up the protein if you do not have a large free range area. You can also add fish meal at 5-10% of the mix for protein. Adding a mineral mix like Fertrell Nutri balancer and kelp should take care of the balance etc. If you read the info on themodernhomestead.us (?) Harvey Ussery has had great success pasturing his birds and feeding them whole grains. I am about to do this going from about 40-50% grain to all grain with my new flock that just arrived this morning. You should be able to observe your flock and see how it is going. JMHO.

 

[geebs]

No need to dehull...in fact it should be the opposite.. you should see them scoop up beetles... the shells actually help them stay full longer. I add all kinds of things to my grain, cranberries, (dried and unsweetened) and millet, cracked corn, eljur seed, celery seed, sm amount of flax, wheat, even nuts as top dressing.. pepitas, black oil sunflower and rabbit pellets (not fortified) Oh and oats of course... I do NOT use barley...It makes their poo disguisting and stinky.. I also will add cinnamon and tumeric and DE.

 

[rubyrogue]

So if i just use what i bought as a scratch it should be good? I dont need to cook or otherwise do anything to it?

 

[Organics North]

Here is what I came up with after some 100's of hours research on the subject. (And what I could get locally.)
Birds free range when it is not under snow.
As Alan stated, some of the amino acids can be tough to get right.
I offer it dry and sprouted. (Sprouting is a good thing if you are willing to put the effort in.

VERY orange yolks with spectacular flavor even before range is good!

This is very much a works in progress.. I just wanted to move away from commercial bagged feed. Still researching....

Organics North Whole Grain Chicken Feed

6 part Black Oil Sunflower (17%P)
6 part Oats (12%P)
6 parts Red Wheat (17%P)
3 part Field Peas (24%P)

3 part cracked Corn (9%P)
3 part whole Flax (34%P)
3 part Alfalfa (17%P)

.5 part Kelp
.125 Oyster shell (assume the 7/8ths part of these four as 1 part for simplicity)
.125 DE
.125 Azomite


Notes:
For daily mash first 4 ingredients are mixed and sprouted. Last 7 ingredients are mixed and wetted for mash prior to mixing in with sprouts.

Proper ratio is as follows for daily serving..: 2+ parts sprouts to 1 part mash. (To be exact it is 9 7/8 parts mash to 21 parts sprouts..)


Above mix has ::: PROTIEN= 17% unsprouted

Sup. With meat or fish which is about 25% protien