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.

 

[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

 

[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

 

[lazy gardener]

Run your ideas past your county Ag. Extension Poultry agent. See if they think your mix is adequate. IMO cotton seed meal is not food. And your mix would be grossly deficient in correct blend of amino acids, minerals and vitamins. In order for protein to be utilized by the body, it has to have the right proportion of amino acids. Same for minerals and vitamins. They must be balanced. If one is lacking or too abundant, you can end up with very sick chickens. that's why I choose to buy a bag of blended feed.

 

[lazy gardener]

The majority of poultry keepers do not have the quality free-range forage needed to support a flock otherwise provided only an incomplete ration as you are contemplating.

This!!!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have read than Cottonseed meal is a problem with egg layers. It turns the eggs black or green or something. I would not feed cottonseed meal to my chickens.

 

[Colt Frost]

?

 

[Colt Frost]

Or would sunflower seeds work instead of cotton seed meal?

 

[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