New Corrected Recipe for homemixed feed

[ChickensAreSweet]

PLEASE NOTE THIS RECIPE IS NOT 17% PROTEIN I DISCOVERED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (edited to include this message)
Thanks to Chris09, I have discovered that red wheat has 14% protein- so here's my new recipe.

As always, check your protein levels using
http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html

And my original inspiration:
http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/ChickenFeedRecipe.html

Here is what I am going to feed my chickens (from cradle to grave after my bag of medicated chick starter is gone for my new chicks):

I HOPE this is 17% protein!!!!!

54 parts red wheat
27 parts millet (birdseed)
14 parts alfalfa meal
14 parts pumpkin seeds
14 parts corn
14 parts oats
27 parts sunflower seeds (BOSS)
Also some kelp meal- just a little bit

And as always, salt, oyster shell, and grit free choice

Whaddya think?

 

[nurturingnaturally]

On another thread, it was mentioned that salt free-choice might be a bad idea. Slat toxicity, I think. You can check my thread about grain/seed protein levels, there was a discussion about it there.

 

[Organics North]

nurturingnaturally,
Yes your thread here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=408578
I was wrong with what I gave for Hard Red Wheat. It is 14% not 17.
Also wrong about Soybean meal it is not 34%, it is 48%.

Thanks to other BYC'rs for the corrections.

ChickensAreSweet,
Yes good selections.. I thought you had a legume in there? What is the protein in Pumpkin seed? Dehulled Sunflower whats the protein? I can not see how you get to 17% with those ingredients unless the sunflower and pumpkin are doing it????

I reworked mine to with 14% wheat instead of 17%. I also wanted to go up to 20% protein for winter since my range will be white for six months.....


Organics North Chicken Feed

6 part Black Oil Sunflower (16%P)
6 part Organic Oats (12%P)
6 parts Organic Red Wheat (14%P)

4 part Organic Field Peas (24%P)
3 part Organic cracked Corn (9%P)
4 part Organic expelled Flax (34%P)
3 part Organic Alfalfa (17%P)
2 part fish meal (60%P)

1 part Kelp (15%P)
.25 Oyster shell
.125 DE
.125 Azomite


Notes:
Twice daily mash: First 3 ingredients are mixed and sprouted.
Last 8 ingredients are mixed and wetted for mash prior to mixing in with sprouts.
(Peas and corn are ground)
Proper ratio is as follows for daily serving..: 1 part sprouts to 1 part mash.

I do grind all of the ingredients and offer 24x7 as a dry mash in feeders also.

Oyster shells are offered free choice for laying hens

Supplemented with ACV, Kombucha, Yogurt or water kefir for probiotic..

Calculator numbers:
Total P=697 divided by 35 parts is 19.91%P overall

 

[WoodlandWoman]

ChickensAreSweet, I'm concerned that the amino acid balance in your mix may be off. Have you looked at the amino acid profiles for those ingredients, to see how much complete protein you end up with? You can have a protein percentage that looks good, but if the amino acid profile of the mix is off, you have a lot of wasted incomplete protein.

 

[nurturingnaturally]

organic Pumpkin seeds, raw, dehulled are in the 30% range (calculated from the bulk bin label at whole foods), and sunflower seeds, raw, dehulled are in the 25/26 range (but I've seen lots and lots of variation in my reading)

ON, you have oats as 12%...can it vary? Like, I calculated it at the store to be 17.1 for rolled oats, and 17.9 for groats (for organic, human consumption quality). Also, you have wheat as 14%, but I calc'd it to be 12.7% for the hard red organic wheat berries. Am I not calculating correctly? What I am doing is taking the grams of protein and dividing it by the grams in a serving (as per the nutritional label) to get the protein percentage. Anyhow, if it can vary that much by company/circumstance, that makes it really hard to calculate so that you buy the right amount. (Thanks for all your help by the way!)

 

[nurturingnaturally]

double post

Sorry

 

[nurturingnaturally]

triple post, that takes skill, lol

sorry

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Is there a reason you're not sprouting your alfalfa? Alfalfa is more nutritious in it sprouted state than any other state.

The reason I know this is because I've been sprouting alfalfa and other seeds and legumes for my parrots for years and years.

I was just curious as to why you wouldn't sprout the alfalfa as well.

Heck, your field peas can be sprouted as well!!

Laurie

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
My 12% is for whole oats not rolled or groats. I would assume those would be much higher.
Your method of calc sounds reasonable to me.. Yes it seems the numbers vary by source by a couple percent.
So far it seems adjustments to the recipe are needed frequently.. (Thats what make it fun....)

ON

Here is the thread were Chris 09 posted some good links on feedstuff nutritional data:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4977013#p4977013

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
I am not sure about others, but I am generally using alfalfa pellets or meal, not seed ($$).. However for chicks I have sprouted alfalfa or clover... They sure do love it!

I did sprout the peas at first. I found the birds did not like them and wasted too much, so now they get ground and put on the damp sprouts so the birds have to eat their peas!..

ON