lets talk serious about meat bird feed

[KatyTheChickenLady]

MM - I think you would have to look at how much grain they eat without green supplements then how much they eat with it then balance that with a higher supplement like soy to reach your goal 16%, 20% or 22%

Big - I like that!

 

[Poupoulles]

Thank you for this thread!

I also raised CX with 24% to start moved down to 17% at five weeks through slaughter. I had 4 lb hens and 5- 5.5 lb cockerels. The trouble I found is this did extend their growth from (in my case) 9 weeks to 11. It didn't save me money. So last and current batch is all 20%. (I raise on pasture.)

I have tried a few other protein sources, including some greens, (alfalfa chopped, clover, some legumes, I've tried a few) One challenge I have encountered is that the Cornish X don't seem to eat anything but their feed! If it isnt a nice crumbly meal in their trough they aren't interested. Maybe I can make a slurry of the greens but time is also money. Back to square one for me there.

I have mixed hardboiled eggs in with turkey feed. (they LOVE it!) I sometimes throw a raw egg I don't like the look of to the laying hens as a treat. I am tempted to try this with Cornish X but can't really spare that many eggs unless it really is a great solution. Has anyone tried this? What is the protein of an egg? Not sure the best way to mix them into feed.

I am going to try a batch of freedom rangers to see if they eat more bugs/plants and see if I can save on feed. Maybe the cornish x are the Hummers of chickens- great if gas is cheap, not so much now.

Reading peoples solutions with interest!

 

[Saltysteele]

do you mix your own feed, and if so, how much does it end up being per pound?


could it be cheaper for you to purchase lower protein feed, and adding soybean meal to it? i also wonder if they actually need the higher protein (i think you said 20%) to finish out, or if it is being wasted. you can pour 5 gallons of water into a 1 gallon container, but you're losing 4 on the ground.

my brother grinds our feed (it's actually his hog food). it's at about 17% protein, and our FR's are doing GREAT on it (this is the same thing we've fed to the layers for over 30 years - just to head off the "you can't feed pig food to chickens" people).

he's found it's cheaper to add the protein from bulk in separately to the corn and additives, vs buying the bags with the stuff (minerals, lysine, etc.) and protein already mixed in, to add to the corn.

i realize not everyone has the ability handle bulk materials, but have you looked at mixing yourself? even with the cost of corn prices so high (although, they appear to be going down; hopefully will continue to do so).

it's about 16 cents a pound, at 17%.

 

[homesteadapps]

Someone in a previous post was asking for a protein calculator -- how to.

http://homesteadapps.com/app/free/feedcalc/pearsonsquare.php


You can also do it like this

5 pounds corn @ 9.0% = 45%
20 pounds wheat @ 12.5% = 250%
5 pounds oats @ 12.0% = 60%
20 pounds ground alfalfa @ 32.0% = 640%
--------------------------------------------------------
50 POUNDS TOTAL 995%

995% / 50 = 19.9%

Feed protein content is 19.9%

Use the above example to calculate your own mix.

Just remember that the commercial breeds are not exactly your backyard hens and have certain nutritional requirements that commercial feed has taken into account.

With that said, I know a few people that use their own blends with similar results as the commercial feeds.

To really save money purchasing the feed in larger quantities. Most feed mill have a recommended blend they can make for you. Usually the more you buy the more you save as far as milling fees go. Many mills charge market price for grain so the price varies from day to day, but it can save if you but in large quantities such as 500 or 1000 pounds.

By the way the futures market for corn looks like it is dropping $1.00 per bushel for Oct/Nov 2011 so a little relief.