stretching the grain

[birdbrain5]

ive read that some people feed a flock raiser, or game feed and then strech it with scratch grains, is this okay to do say a 50lb bag of each? or maybe 50lb mash and 25lb of scratch. how about cracked corn, thats a bit cheaper than the scratch so could i cut the grain with that?

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
You could use some Alfalfa pellets soaked in water. Easy to keep pretty inexpensive and gives them good nutrition. Id put that in its own container and not mix it with your feed.
Also you can feed food scraps even leftover meat. Chopped up of course ... I have been looking at this because according to my calculations I will be going through 300 lbs of feed per month once I get my flock established.

 

[dbcooper02]

Labeling on the scratch I see around here suggests using a maximum of 10% scratch to prepared feed. That's 5 pounds of scratch to 50 pounds of feed. Not a whole lot of stretching there. The effect of supplementing with scratch is that it lowers the protein percentage the birds are getting. That is if you were to mix 50# of 18% feed with 50# of 8% scratch you would in effect be providing them with a 13% protein ration.

 

[Cindy in PA]

If you buy a feed such as Agway Egg Producer that is 21%, they recommend feeding 50/50 scratch and feed.

 

[booker81]

Are you looking to save money?

We stretch the actual feed (pellets) out by throwing a couple cups of scratch grains and a couple cups of BOSS out (I put some in the run and some in the coop, so they fluff the litter in the coop for me) when I feed. We also take out a bowl of scrap leftover people food to them every day or every other day (check the list of have and have not for what scraps they can get). Mine ADORE leftover pasta. In the summer, the neighbors and I give them all the garden weedings and the not so good veggies and fruit.

For 14 chickens, I go through 1 gallon of feed every 2-3 days in the winter, and in the summer, a gallon will last a week or so. Just keep a close eye to make sure they look happy and healthy, and their eggs are good and strong.