Texas - buying local feed for Broilers?

[plasma800]

Hi BYC Community.

I am planning on running a handful of Cornish Cross in a tractor as a pilot test run.

I live in Texas, north of the Houston Metroplex, north of The Woodlands.

I am seeking recommendations on feed for these birds. I am an absolute beginner armed only with the knowledge I can find on You Tube, books and this website with zero hands on experience.

Cost of feed is a factor, I see no need to over pay for feed. My wife would prefer all the things.. organic, non-gmo, etc - however for this first run, I'm willing to feed what works with at least non-gmo being preferred but not strict.

I would like to buy locally, or very close - in the hopes this might cut down on any shipping costs.

I intend to only run 10 - 12 birds for this first test trial.

 

[Tookie]

I like H&H feed, they're non GMO, non soy, and organic, they're in TX too. I get the layer feed, they do have broiler feed.

 

[plasma800]

I like H&H feed, they're non GMO, non soy, and organic, they're in TX too. I get the layer feed, they do have broiler feed.

Thanks for the tip. I'll give a look!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Unfortunately, nonGMO, no Soy, Organic = Expensive and nutritionally inadequate for optimum broiler growth, due almost entirely to the fact that they chose to craft a no Soy feed with available organics.

Here is their feed label
They want $75 for 50# - and I see a local store offering their layer crumble at $35/50# (Seabreeze Hens)
Note the Lysine and Methionine levels on the feed bag, 0.6 and 0.2%, respectively.

Now, here's the recommended Lys and Met levels from NRCS (old data). Thats 1.1% trending down to 0.85% as they age up for Lys, and 0.5-0.32% for Met. For High Yield Broilers, the recommends are 1.36 reducing to 0.97 Lys, and 0.62-0.50 (Met).

UGA recommends 1.3-0.95 Lys, 0.5% Met

IIFPT, similar 1.1 Lys, 0.5 Met

I simply cant recommend a feed which is so deficient in the two most critical amino acids (Lys is responsible for muscle development, particularly big plump breasts, while Met is connective tissues - everything from the digestive system to the skin, plus strong tendons to help fast growth broilers avoid some of their famed joint failures). About the only thing that feed gets right is additional phosphorus to support bone growth, but the calcium levels are wastefully high - though not dangerous, given a broiler's expected short life.

 

[plasma800]

Unfortunately, nonGMO, no Soy, Organic = Expensive and nutritionally inadequate for optimum broiler growth, due almost entirely to the fact that they chose to craft a no Soy feed with available organics.

Here is their feed label
They want $75 for 50# - and I see a local store offering their layer crumble at $35/50# (Seabreeze Hens)
Note the Lysine and Methionine levels on the feed bag, 0.6 and 0.2%, respectively.

Now, here's the recommended Lys and Met levels from NRCS (old data). Thats 1.1% trending down to 0.85% as they age up for Lys, and 0.5-0.32% for Met. For High Yield Broilers, the recommends are 1.36 reducing to 0.97 Lys, and 0.62-0.50 (Met).

UGA recommends 1.3-0.95 Lys, 0.5% Met

IIFPT, similar 1.1 Lys, 0.5 Met

I simply cant recommend a feed which is so deficient in the two most critical amino acids (Lys is responsible for muscle development, particularly big plump breasts, while Met is connective tissues - everything from the digestive system to the skin, plus strong tendons to help fast growth broilers avoid some of their famed joint failures). About the only thing that feed gets right is additional phosphorus to support bone growth, but the calcium levels are wastefully high - though not dangerous, given a broiler's expected short life.

What feed do you recommend? For the sake of this recommendation do not worry about non-gmo, or organic or any of those labels.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

You should be able to find WEST Feeds near you, if I recall my TX geography correctly. According to their website, they have no Broiler specific feed. However, their chick Starter/Grower is superior to the feed recommended above, even at a lower total protein in the two Amino acids you most care about. Mixing several bags of Starter/Grower with an (assumedly) more expensive bag of their Game Bird will allow you to tweak amino acid and protein levels more to your liking, then growth rates can be compared to cost to determine an optimum feed mix for your needs.

I'd start at 3 bags (Starter) to 1 (game bird).
That's approx 20% total protein, 1.2% Lys, 0.35 Met, 2.4% fat, around 1.5% Calcium, and about 0.75 Phos. That leaves enough room in the diet to add high value fats in small quantity if you wanted to spike the Met levels further by addition of peanut meal, flax, or sunflower since target fat levels for broilers range from about 4 to 6.5% as they age up and are readied for table. Additions of corn, or corn oil, in the final weeks will add energy, which the birds will put on as fat to boost final table weight as well, without seriously impairing the feed value - though I'd have to do more math to determine the rate of inclusion to hit particular targets.

Sunflower seeds are probably easiest to source.
For comparison with the (I don't recommend) feed offered by the other poster, the Starter feed from West is $18.75/50# at Morales feed, and the turkey crumble is $20.25/50#

 

[U_Stormcrow]

What feed do you recommend? For the sake of this recommendation do not worry about non-gmo, or organic or any of those labels.

See below your post/above this one - I was typing as you were asking. I hope that satisfies your inquiry.

 

[Tookie]

@U_Stormcrow, what do you think of the H&H layer feed?

 

[plasma800]

Yes

See below your post/above this one - I was typing as you were asking. I hope that satisfies your inquiry.

Yes thank you. And these prices are far more reasonable in my opinion. I found this PDF from an extension office in the NE and it describes in some more detail the change in feed as a broiler grows. https://www.uvm.edu/newfarmer/production/livestock/Growing Broilers-Darre.pdf

And just as you described the levels do indeed taper off as the chicken progresses.

Now for my case, since there are many variables introduced all at once to a beginner (chicks, brooders, lights, water, food, tractor, etc..) I would prefer to keep as many things simple that can be kept simple as to not overload myself with too much complication.

I know myself all too well, and I'm very good at stepping off into the deep end.

I will re-read your post above and formulate any specific questions that may arise.

 

[plasma800]

Good news, West feeds are available at a feed store nearby.

I'll be posting separately seeking recommendations on where or whom to order chicks from, and how to make a simply brooder setup for a small-ish amount of chicks. I don't ever see myself running more than 40 at any one time unless I decided to turn small commercial. Even at 40, I would want to sell half just to cover my own half.