Mixing my own feed?

[Colt Frost]

Using a Pearson's square I've come up with a feed mixture and I'm wondering if it will actually work out. I designed it to fit the needs of laying hens, and it's under a 50 pound batch size. 37.5 pounds of corn to 12.5 pounds of cotton seed meal. With a scoop of oyster shells mixed in every time I feed them. Would this be enough to sustain them? I free range them so they could get other nutrients from outside.

 

[Colt Frost]

?

 

[Colt Frost]

Or would sunflower seeds work instead of cotton seed meal?

 

[Folly's place]

Where's your vitamin and mineral mix? This is nowhere close to a complete diet! They'd need a LOT of nutrients from 'outside'.
There are recipes online, and you can consult with poultry nutritionists about diets. Check at Animal Science departments at state Ag. schools, for example.
It's possible to make diets at home, but much more expensive than those bags at the feed store!
Mary

 

[Colt Frost]

Where's your vitamin and mineral mix? This is nowhere close to a complete diet! They'd need a LOT of nutrients from 'outside'.
There are recipes online, and you can consult with poultry nutritionists about diets. Check at Animal Science departments at state Ag. schools, for example.
It's possible to make diets at home, but much more expensive than those bags at the feed store!
Mary

I made this diet with an animal science teacher at a local highschool. And I feed them kitchen scraps every other day which I'm pretty sure would add into the vitamin and minerals. Right now I feed layer crumble and free range them and they're completely fine, I don't add anything else into their diet.

 

[Folly's place]

Kitchen scraps won't make up a balanced vitamin/ mineral mix.
Mary

 

[Colt Frost]

Kitchen scraps won't make up a balanced vitamin/ mineral mix.
Mary

So should I be adding minerals on top of the feeder crumble even if I don't switch to just grain?

 

[Folly's place]

Layer crumble should be a complete feed for laying hens, as long as too many other things aren't added. I prefer to feed an all-flock feed, with oyster shell on the side, so that my cockbirds, molting hens, and youngsters aren't getting too much calcium.
I did have livestock nutrition and poultry science in college, and it convinced me to be very glad to buy those bags of feed at the feed store!
It's tricky and expensive to make up small batches at home, because buying ingredients by the bag isn't the same as buying by the semi-load!
Spend your time and effort making something else instead of poultry feed!
Mary

 

[Colt Frost]

Layer crumble should be a complete feed for laying hens, as long as too many other things aren't added. I prefer to feed an all-flock feed, with oyster shell on the side, so that my cockbirds, molting hens, and youngsters aren't getting too much calcium.
I did have livestock nutrition and poultry science in college, and it convinced me to be very glad to buy those bags of feed at the feed store!
It's tricky and expensive to make up small batches at home, because buying ingredients by the bag isn't the same as buying by the semi-load!
Spend your time and effort making something else instead of poultry feed!
Mary

Would it still be a good idea to buy a mineral supplement? At cal-ranch they sell these things called "flock blocks" and it's just a block of minerals with grain in it to get the chickens to peck at it.

 

[Folly's place]

If you are feeding a good balanced ration there's no need for a mineral supplement. Most of us have oyster shell in a separate container, in case a laying hen feels the need to have some extra.
The Purina 'Flock Block' is a treat, with feed and yummy stuff to entertain the birds.
I bought one once, years ago. My birds were obsessed with it, and ate nothing else until it was gone. I never got another one.
Mary