mixing my own feed

[chartssss34]

its the greener pasture one...

noted on your remarks re gdos... i am not sure how to source them..but lets see when they stare at me as if i am an alien when i ask for organic corn

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

 

[cybercat]

Great thread.

I too have been planning on changing over from premade feed to mixing my own. We have a local feed mill I have yet to visit plus a CO-OP just down the road. I will have to look for a bulk place that carries 25 lbs bags of peas and such. The one I go to does not carry dried veggies just canned. BTW most scratch can be used as a base for making feed. It has alot of the millet extra in it already so you will havee to add higher protien product.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Things like cooked beans, peas, peas more peas.

Ok, bear with me....are you saying to cook pinto beans and various peas and serve them up to the girls? That seems to be a way this Winter to help them warm up. I have a larger crockpot and I could serve them some for breakfast to get them going for the day.

In recent years I was on various plant swap sites and have amaranth seeds from a trade made back then. It is tall plant...the ones I grew were red but I have seeds for a purple variety. I intended to plant it again all Summer but never got it done. Next year I will put it on my list of things to do early on.

I thinned the blackeyed peas in one spot today and gave the plants pulled out to the girls. They love the leaves and stems. Got me to thinking that I would start more and feed them to the girls before our first freeze.​

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Oh and birdseed is mostly millet.

 

[Organics North]

Boo-Boo's Mama :

..are you saying to cook pinto beans and various peas and serve them up to the girls? .

No need to cook the peas.... BUT. Beans must be cooked before being fed. This applies to all beans.
(Some one correct me if I am wrong.)

Beans contain an anti nutrient, that cooking removes.

Never less.................I am sure the birds would enjoy a warm crock pot meal.....

ON​

 

[sydney13]

i mix my own feeds and the chickens love it. only one of my birds is old enough to lay but her her yolks are way more yellow then before. i cant remember it exactly (i have it written down somewhere) but my recipe is something like this based on what is avalible from the feed store and the costs.
2 parts scratch mix (its corn oats wheat)
1 part black oil sunflower seeds

1 pound flax
1 pound kelp
1 pound alfalfa meal (the chickens hate this one)
2 lb de
the chickens also love it when the sunflower seeds are sprouted instead of feed straight from the bag

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Is there much difference between alfalfa pellets and alfalfa meal nutrition wise? More salt in the pellets?

I was not sure if the girls would like the meal; I just started them on Purina Layena pellets mixed with their feed and BOSS to get them use to it...it is not disappearing as fast as the feed and BOSS so figured they don't care for the pellets.

Regarding beans...I fed mine fresh green beans from the vines this Summer with no problem. My husband eats them raw, too.

 

[Organics North]

I eat raw green beans all the time too! So do the chickens. The reason beans (As in the mature hard seed) should be cooked is because it blocks nutrients.. It is my understanding it would kill anything dead from just eating it. But in order to maximize nutrition it should be cooked..

I don't think there is a difference between alfalfa meal or pellets. My chickens generally dislike the stuff, and the pellets are too big whole. I grind them up and usually add them to wet grains so the chickens eat their alfalfa with something they like more..

In a dry feed mix I drizzle molasses in the alfalfa meal/pellets before adding it to the other stuff.
(Still trying to find ways for the birds to not leave the alfalfa behind..

ON

 

[amyrains]

"Oh and birdseed is mostly millet."


silly question but can i feed my chicks "birdseed"