Making a healthier feed

[E flowers]

So I've been considering making feed to sell locally in the far flung future and I just don't understand all the big chemical and additive names. I've done a small amount of research on some replacement foods and I've seen people in Asia making their own feed with plants.

Boiled and dehydrated sweet potatoes seem to be a good replacement for corn and broccoli, cauliflower, shittake mushrooms, and Brussel sprouts seem to be good vegetable choline sources.

Ancient grains aren't off the table I'd just prefer to use a minimal amount or no corn if possible.

Soybeans are off the table too. Herbs and spices along with the vines and other plant leftovers often tossed out by farmers or just tilled into the soil could also add good nutrients to the feed.

I'd probably go with pelletized feed or pellets and the grain berries. Also dried Greek yogurt chunks and apple cider vinegar for the pellets. Some fruits and berries dried too.

Any poultry nutritionists? I'd love the help getting it smoothed out.

 

[Debbie292d]

Here's an informative and thorough article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...eat-tears-a-calculator-or-deep-pockets.78655/

There are many threads, here's one:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/best-homemade-chick-feed-recipes-please.1622167/

Good luck!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So I've been considering making feed to sell locally in the far flung future and I just don't understand all the big chemical and additive names. I've done a small amount of research on some replacement foods and I've seen people in Asia making their own feed with plants.

Boiled and dehydrated sweet potatoes seem to be a good replacement for corn and broccoli, cauliflower, shittake mushrooms, and Brussel sprouts seem to be good vegetable choline sources.

Ancient grains aren't off the table I'd just prefer to use a minimal amount or no corn if possible.

Soybeans are off the table too. Herbs and spices along with the vines and other plant leftovers often tossed out by farmers or just tilled into the soil could also add good nutrients to the feed.

I'd probably go with pelletized feed or pellets and the grain berries. Also dried Greek yogurt chunks and apple cider vinegar for the pellets. Some fruits and berries dried too.

Any poultry nutritionists? I'd love the help getting it smoothed out.

Good luck.

I'm a hobby-ist, and the more I learn about poultry nutrition, the less inclined I am to attempt it. Most feed recipes you find on line don't stand up to their claims (typically re: crude protein) and almost none look at Amino Acid Balance, mKe, fat & fiber levels, non-Phytate phosphorus sources, key vitamins & minerals.

Subbing corn out of a recipe is relatively easy. Corn is a cheap, easily digestible, carb source which is also low in anti-nutritional factors (beta-glucans, lectins, tannins, and a host of others) which is also low protein but not really imbalanced as proteins go - which makes it relatively easy to compensate for using a small amount of more expensive ingredients.

Removing soy is much more difficult. Soy meal is a concentrated protein source, relatively inexpensive, and one of the best methionine sources (probably the most important limiting amino acid) available without turning to an animal or insect protein meal (which tend to be more expensive, and have potential considerations of their own). The most common substitutions are are other legume meals (alfalfa, peanut, etc) which often have the added benefit of being largely defatted, or seeds (sunflower, safflower, etc) which aren't actually high protein (just higher than grains) and are hugely high fat. Which is other problems to deal with.

 

[E flowers]

Good luck.

I'm a hobby-ist, and the more I learn about poultry nutrition, the less inclined I am to attempt it. Most feed recipes you find on line don't stand up to their claims (typically re: crude protein) and almost none look at Amino Acid Balance, mKe, fat & fiber levels, non-Phytate phosphorus sources, key vitamins & minerals.

Subbing corn out of a recipe is relatively easy. Corn is a cheap, easily digestible, carb source which is also low in anti-nutritional factors (beta-glucans, lectins, tannins, and a host of others) which is also low protein but not really imbalanced as proteins go - which makes it relatively easy to compensate for using a small amount of more expensive ingredients.

Removing soy is much more difficult. Soy meal is a concentrated protein source, relatively inexpensive, and one of the best methionine sources (probably the most important limiting amino acid) available without turning to an animal or insect protein meal (which tend to be more expensive, and have potential considerations of their own). The most common substitutions are are other legume meals (alfalfa, peanut, etc) which often have the added benefit of being largely defatted, or seeds (sunflower, safflower, etc) which aren't actually high protein (just higher than grains) and are hugely high fat. Which is other problems to deal with.

I've also considered acorns after leaching as another protein source. There's some deer feed that's entirely ground Acorn but I don't think it's been leached. Definitely wouldn't be used as heavily as sweet potato but would definitely be beneficial to some extent.

I could also just make a scratch grain treat or feed mixin instead with the dried native fruits, acorns, dried greens and sweet potato vines. Along with the dried sweet potato and minnows.

Mix it in with the feed pellets of your choice to take up 2% or so of their daily feed. Maybe a 1lb bag per 50lb bag of feed pellets?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I've also considered acorns after leaching as another protein source. There's some deer feed that's entirely ground Acorn but I don't think it's been leached. Definitely wouldn't be used as heavily as sweet potato but would definitely be beneficial to some extent.

I could also just make a scratch grain treat or feed mixin instead with the dried native fruits, acorns, dried greens and sweet potato vines. Along with the dried sweet potato and minnows.

Mix it in with the feed pellets of your choice to take up 2% or so of their daily feed. Maybe a 1lb bag per 50lb bag of feed pellets?

A decent scratch mix is much more achievable- because it's intended to be entertainment, a behavioral enrichment, not a significant dietary source. If you go the scratch route, I'd encourage you to look at sorghum as a potential component. Also teff. And methi.