mixing feed?

[farmerlor]

So look at me, I may be able to buy poultry food in bulk mixed to my specs. Now what should my specs be for turkeys? And will the composition of the food for the adult turkeys (breeding stock) be any different than that of the adult chickens (also breeding stock)? What would be the difference between the food I'd need for breeding birds and meat birds?

 

[Harp Turkey Ranch]

These are the mixes Mike Walters used when he was doing the turkeys......

Walters Poultry Grower Feed 28% Protein
(For 2000 lb Batch)
Weight in pounds Ingredient Name


775.58 Ground corn
701.00 Soybean meal Hi-pro-B
150.00 Wheat Middling
47.00 Dist. Grains (corn)
27.00 Calcium Co3
185.00 Gluten meal 50#
2.00 Chorine Chloride 60%
41.00 Dical Phos 21%
29.00 Fat. C.W.
20.00 M&B Meal-Cert
10.00 Lignin, Dried 2X 50#
5.00 Salt Mixing #50
5.00 Poultry MFG V/TM Fort
These are optional but recommended:
1.67 Bacitracin MD 30 G 50
0.75 Histostat 50% 50#

Walters Poultry Breeder Feed 17% protein
(For 2000 lb Batch)
Weight in pounds Ingredient Name


1244.95 Ground corn
470.00 Soybean meal Hi-pro-B
108.00 Calcium Co3
80.00 Wheat Middling
1.00 Chorine Chloride 60%
0.70 Methionine DL-98%
0.30 Vitamin E 227.000
41.00 Dical Phos 21%
20.00 M&B Meal-Cert.
10.00 Fat. C.W.
10.00 Lignin, Dried 2X 50#
8.30 Salt Mixing #50
5.00 Poultry MFG V/TM Fort
This is optional but recommended:
0.75 Histostat 50% 50#

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Alot of feed mills use supplement when making feeds, it's a pre made/ mixed 40+ % protien mix. Our local feed mill can mix a starter/grower or layer ration - there are 2 different supplements for each mix - the layer has more calcium and isn't good for growing birds.

They mix the supplement with ground corn to get the right protien level you want - for our layer ration we also add 150 pounds of oyster shell per ton of feed.

Note the last 2 ingredients in Walters feed mix

Bacitracin - an antiboitic
Histostat - an anti blackhead

If you are claiming organic/natural you would not want to use those two.

For the protien level we feed 28% game bird starter for 8 to 10 weeks
20% grower up to 6 months of so
After that they go out with the flocks and get a 16% layer, supplemented with fresh greens, boiled back eggs, plus what they can forage.

We don't raise ours for the Thanksgiving market so we don't feed for max weight gain in the shortest time. If you wanted to do that the recommended is keep them on a high protien until slaughter.

Steve in NC

 

[farmerlor]

Thanks for the feed advice! I'll see what they can do for me when I talk to them. I'm excited about lowering feed costs.