Making Feed at Home

[sandburRanch]

So, grind everything up into a crumble / powder, add water to make oatmeal.

You'll EAT IT and you'll LIKE IT !!

If only it really were that easy.

Thank you for the replies. Dealing with ONE bird yes you can force your will upon it, (with revenge coming, you are NOT out of the woods there !! ) But with many, I can see where pecking order and other external drivers can cause more issues.

Aaron

" So, grind everything up into a crumble / powder, add water to make oatmeal. "

Thinking that's how the commercial feeds developed . Including floor sweepings . Ever notice the green tent in commercial pellets etc . , that's alfalfa .

 

[Solanacae]

By having multiple feeding stations, you can *somewhat* alleviate the issue with pecking order affecting what grains are consumed. Then everyone has a chance to pick out their favorite things.

When I first started keeping chickens, I bought a bunch of bulk grains, thinking that it would be a simple thing to make my own feed. I quickly rethought that after I started reading more about rations but I hated to see all those grains go to waste. So I used @U_Stormcrow’s spreadsheet to calculate something that’s actually nutritionally balanced, rather than hitting a certain protein/fat threshold, but I am wary about it still and just ferment a small amount to feed them - I view it as a treat rather than a substantial part of their daily feed. The irony is that I had to buy a few ingredients to balance out the formula so I could use up the grains I had on hand.

They have flock raiser pellets available to them all day, and that’s where they’re getting the bulk of their nutrition. Once those grains are used up, I’ll have to decide if I want to continue - the health of my birds being foremost in my mind.

 

[Ascholten]

By having multiple feeding stations, you can *somewhat* alleviate the issue with pecking order affecting what grains are consumed. Then everyone has a chance to pick out their favorite things.

Umm not so much. it'll be just like nesting boxes. You can have 4 boxes, and all 4 of the chickens will fight and squabble over the left corner, in box #2

Aaron

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm uncertain if its already been mentioned in this thread (I've lost track), but I will (once again???) recommend the effort of @Lauravonsmurf who worked with other knowledgable BYC posters to assemble info on "ancient" (ok, last century) feeding methods and related resources.

While its true that significant issues potentially impacting supply of commercial feeds will likely have just as significant effects on raw ingredient availability, a casual familiarity with various older feed recipes might allow one to make some simple substitutions should it come to that.

 

[Solanacae]

Umm not so much. it'll be just like nesting boxes. You can have 4 boxes, and all 4 of the chickens will fight and squabble over the left corner, in box #2

Aaron

Haha, that does happen some but I have worked to reduce that - four feeding stations for 10 hens, spread out over about 100-120 linear feet, and most are out of sight of the other stations. So the setup works for me, with some sticking to the same station while others go back and forth between a couple. I think it depends a lot on your flock dynamic and setup. My alpha hen will eat at the first place I put food in and never leaves. Lower ranking hens will follow me to the other stations and sort themselves out that way. I’ve experimented with the best order to fill the stations to encourage the most peaceable sorting.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Haha, that does happen some but I have worked to reduce that - four feeding stations for 10 hens, spread out over about 100-120 linear feet, and most are out of sight of the other stations. So the setup works for me, with some sticking to the same station while others go back and forth between a couple. I think it depends a lot on your flock dynamic and setup. My alpha hen will eat at the first place I put food in and never leaves. Lower ranking hens will follow me to the other stations and sort themselves out that way. I’ve experimented with the best order to fill the stations to encourage the most peaceable sorting.

I, too, "feed the corners", so birds don't end up looking at others, and other piles of food, when I spread the feed. Yes, some do develop habits and can be found at the same "feed stations" night after night, just as they show some nesting box preferences. But I also move feeding stations from time to time in hopes the ground might recover (hahaahahahahahaaha!), which helps mix things up a bit.

I understand most don't have the grounds I do, and such mitigation methods may be impractical for them.

 

[Solanacae]

I, too, "feed the corners", so birds don't end up looking at others, and other piles of food, when I spread the feed. Yes, some do develop habits and can be found at the same "feed stations" night after night, just as they show some nesting box preferences. But I also move feeding stations from time to time in hopes the ground might recover (hahaahahahahahaaha!), which helps mix things up a bit.

I understand most don't have the grounds I do, and such mitigation methods may be impractical for them.

So the ground will recover! That’s a good one!

 

[Ascholten]

Mine follow me around only because for some reason, they think that magically a snack may appear. Houdini got out AGAIN yesterday and I caught her on the back porch on top of the feed can looking in the window, much to paco's displeasure. I walked out looked at her and said, "WHAT are you doing OUT !!" at which point she squatted right there on top of the roll around can. I just shook my head picked her up, put her under an arm and walked her back to the coop and put her back in with the others.

My blueberries are right in the middle of their ripening season, so the girls are NOT allowed out for probably about another week, after what they did last year. I will let them out maybe the last half hour or so of light as long as I am standing right there to throw stuff at them if they even think of getting close to my berries !

Ground recover. right.... it's not so much the ground thats the problem but you have to rake it over and smooth it. Nothing more pissy than forgetting to level out a hole, grass grows over, and you step in it and about roll an ankle. Oh but THEN they will go back weeks after, and re dig out where you put dirt down, trying to level out and regrow what they tore up.

Aaron

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So the ground will recover! That’s a good one!

I'm feeding them in several locations over about 3/4 acre right now, while the run feeding locations recover. When they destroy this section, I'll use the 3/4 acre on the other side of the barn, while both the run and the current sections recover.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@U_Stormcrow this looks like a very useful spreadsheet! I am feeding my chicken with Cockspur grass and I have tested the gluten and protein levels of it in a lab - 11.13% protein. Same as wheat here.
I am also feeding my chicken with eggs and meaworms, but I think the spreadsheet is only for grains, right?
I recently discovered chickpeas are the same price as wheat here, but have not tested in a lab the protein levels, as there were only two bags in the shop anyway and they didn't expect a new batch soon

Chickpeas are good for protein as a raw number, they are high in fiber and fat (though not as high as a seed of course). In spite of the high protein top line number, they are very low in methionine - you will need to compensate elsewhere, and its one of the hardest nutritional elements to compensate for. They are, on the other hand, good source of Lysine, and an average or better source of Threonine.

Raw chickpeas, like every other similar field pea or bean (grams, generally) have some trypsin inhibtors and tannin concerns which have anti-nutritive properties. Recommend cooking to minimize those, and not to exceed 20% of the total diet, not exceeding 10% would be better (according to studies linked on Feedipedia.org - egg layers are less affected by higher chickpea inclusion than meaties, because weight gain is of lesser concern in layers...)