is this a good ratio for chicken feed

[kikithebird]

feed grains
30% field peas
30% lentils
20% wheat
20% barley

supplement (in with food everyday)
50% kelp meal
50% ground cuttlefish bone and ground oyster shell

grit
100% grit

scratch
60% oats
20% cracked corn
20% sunflower seed

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

The lentils do have some tannins in them. They are able to eat them raw but I don't know if I would give so many. They are not as innocuous as the peas raw.

Millet is excellent too (birdseed)- has 11% protein. I feed it to my chickens all the time.

Kelp does have some salt so I hope you can make it kind of a free choice supplement.

I have my chickens on free choice oyster shell and they are dependent upon it completely for calcium. I did mix mine into the feed at one point in the past, because that flock seemed to need it (thin shells). If you are wondering how much to add, flemingoutdoors.com's oyster shell page where they sell it used to tell you how much to add.

Personally I might make the kelp free choice and mix the oyster shell in if you need to. Keep in mind that most commercial feed will have at most 0.5% sodium. Chickens can suffer from too much salt so that is why I would be cautious about how much kelp you give them. I used to feed it.

The sunflower seeds will be very important to their diet, as peas are low in methionine.

Adequate sharp grit will be important, either from free ranging or supplied.

http://www.extension.org/pages/67359/feeding-field-peas-to-poultry#.VXbuUN_088o

I had great difficulty getting my chickens to eat split peas in great quantity. They did eat them (when I used to feed them) but not in large quantities. You may find that soy improves laying and weight gain. I have changed my feed now to include unmedicated chick starter as a base.

 

[pdirt]

You might also consider ditching the kelp and using Fertrell Nutribalancer (for poultry) instead. It is a supplement meant to be mixed in with feed. It has necessary vitamins, minerals (including methionine...critical for egg laying) and probiotics all in a base of kelp meal. It has mixing instructions, but IIRC, I use about 1% in my feed. It is an excellent supplement that I either mix in with my own feed mixes or buy feed made with it. The challenge with mixing your own feeds is figuring out the vitamin and mineral content of your mix and making sure it is enough for your flock. A supplement like Nutribalancer really helps fill in the nutritional gaps. Lots of people do it without a supplement, but I want to give them high quality nutrition, not just what they will "get by" on.

Fertrell also makes an excellent fish meal. It's made from high quality Menhaden fish (small, oily fish) and is preserved with a rosemary extract (vs the other typical toxic preservatives). I've also been using this to improve protein quality in my mixes. I use about 5% fish meal. A 50lbs bag lasts a long time for our 15-20 bird flock, so it needs to be stored properly (out of direct sun and heat).