The amount of food I should feed my chicks.

[tiffyme]

Aw, well, I am happy to help where I can. Chickens are such a joy! I know very little about Oman, but I spoke with someone from Pakistan on here who had a difficult time finding feed for his chickens. If you are unable to find any chick feed, and if you would like, I could help make a recipe for chick feed? It's not the same as buying proper chick feed, but it can be much better than the bird seed you've had to use. Can you tell me if any of these grains are available near you and tell me which ones are too expensive for you to buy:

Amaranth
Barley
Brown rice
Buckwheat
Corn
Flaxseed
Lentils
Millet
Oats
Peas
Quinoa
Rye
Sorghum
Soybeans
Sunflower seeds
Durum wheat (wheat that is grown in the fall and harvested in the spring)
Spring wheat (wheat that is grown in the spring and harvested in the fall)

I don't have most of these at home so I took someone's suggestion and fed them 2 scrambled eggs I added some mixed quinoa seeds on top of that, in the side I put 2 chopped grapes because they really love grapes.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I don't have most of these at home so I took someone's suggestion and fed them 2 scrambled eggs I added some mixed quinoa seeds on top of that, in the side I put 2 chopped grapes because they really love grapes.

That is fine short term, but not sustainable long term. If you are unable to find proper chicken feed, you will need to make your own feed including at least some of the grains listed to ensure a healthy diet.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

This is my chicken feed and chick feed recipes I have big healthy birds

Using this source to estimate the weight of each of your feed's measurements, I calculated the nutrition profile of your feed because I suspected it was significantly high in fat for what the chickens need, and I was right. Laying hens need roughly 16-18% protein and only 4% fat in their diet to be at an ideal body weight and to optimally lay eggs.

Your feed comes in at 15.8% protein (a little low, but acceptable), and 11% fat, which is way too high for chickens, regardless if they are for meat or egg laying. Of course, if you want to measure and weigh your feed ingredients I can be a little more accurate.

This is why it is critical to use preformulated feed, as it is optimized for chickens, not some internet blogger/google warrior's recipe. Yes, I know you say your hens are healthy, but an unhealthy diet isn't an instant death sentences, the affects range over time, much like they do in any animal or human that eats an unhealthy diet.

 

[Flockincrazy]

Using this source to estimate the weight of each of your feed's measurements, I calculated the nutrition profile of your feed because I suspected it was significantly high in fat for what the chickens need, and I was right. Laying hens need roughly 16-18% protein and only 4% fat in their diet to be at an ideal body weight and to optimally lay eggs.

Your feed comes in at 15.8% protein (a little low, but acceptable), and 11% fat, which is way too high for chickens, regardless if they are for meat or egg laying. Of course, if you want to measure and weigh your feed ingredients I can be a little more accurate.

This is why it is critical to use preformulated feed, as it is optimized for chickens, not some internet blogger/google warrior's recipe. Yes, I know you say your hens are healthy, but an unhealthy diet isn't an instant death sentences, the affects range over time, much like they do in any animal or human that eats an unhealthy diet.

I will have to tweak it I came up with the measurements my self math has never been my strong suit. something really funny when I first started making it my husband thought it was cereal for us and he was eating it and I was like what are you doing he said eating the new cereal you made its really good i told him it was chicken feed he said oh well and ate the rest of the bowl he does this regularly with the animals treats he thought the dog treats were cookies for us and ate 6 of them then tells me I had to drink a lot of milk with those cookies you made they were kinda hard

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I will have to tweak it I came up with the measurements my self math has never been my strong suit. something really funny when I first started making it my husband thought it was cereal for us and he was eating it and I was like what are you doing he said eating the new cereal you made its really good i told him it was chicken feed he said oh well and ate the rest of the bowl he does this regularly with the animals treats he thought the dog treats were cookies for us and ate 6 of them then tells me I had to drink a lot of milk with those cookies you made they were kinda hard

Here's your tweak:
Recipe is for 20 pounds of feed at 16.9% protein and 4.025% fat in DRY weight, not fresh feed.

2 pounds barley
1 pound corn
3 pounds lentils
1 pound oat groats
.25 pounds peanuts
3.5 pounds (field) peas
2.75 pounds quinoa
.25 pounds sesame seeds
1 pound wheat bran
3 pounds durum (hard winter) wheat
2 pounds soft spring wheat

Twenty pounds sounds like a lot, but larger recipes are much easier to adjust to get the correct feed ratio. I would recommend adding an additional .25 pounds of brewer's yeast for added vitamins and minerals, especially b vitamins. This will make the total recipe 20.25 pounds at 17.3% protein, and 4.025% fat.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@humblehillsfarm

Thanks for the recipe - I've bookmarked, and will need to cost out, but this is a great start for me. You are adjusting the two different wheat to hit the target protein number, I'm guessing?

Follow up - I'm headed into town this AM for supplies/shopping/etc and it looks like once again there is no Starter food for my 5 week old Dark Brahma and Golden Comets - layer and grower/finisher are likely to be my only options (again - had to make that choice last week). I expect that the weather will be warm and dry enough that I can bring them out of the grow out box to range some within some fencing, but the older birds already free range over most of the acre, concerned pickings may be a bit slender in protein - though no shortage of greens shoots.

Any recommends?

 

[Flockincrazy]

Here's your tweak:
Recipe is for 20 pounds of feed at 16.9% protein and 4.025% fat in DRY weight, not fresh feed.

2 pounds barley
1 pound corn
3 pounds lentils
1 pound oat groats
.25 pounds peanuts
3.5 pounds (field) peas
2.75 pounds quinoa
.25 pounds sesame seeds
1 pound wheat bran
3 pounds durum (hard winter) wheat
2 pounds soft spring wheat

Twenty pounds sounds like a lot, but larger recipes are much easier to adjust to get the correct feed ratio. I would recommend adding an additional .25 pounds of brewer's yeast for added vitamins and minerals, especially b vitamins. This will make the total recipe 20.25 pounds at 17.3% protein, and 4.025% fat.

20lbs only lasts 2 days for all of my birds

 

[humblehillsfarm]

20lbs only lasts 2 days for all of my birds

You can double or triple it. Your original recipe seemed like hardly a day's worth to me.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

@humblehillsfarm

Thanks for the recipe - I've bookmarked, and will need to cost out, but this is a great start for me. You are adjusting the two different wheat to hit the target protein number, I'm guessing?

Follow up - I'm headed into town this AM for supplies/shopping/etc and it looks like once again there is no Starter food for my 5 week old Dark Brahma and Golden Comets - layer and grower/finisher are likely to be my only options (again - had to make that choice last week). I expect that the weather will be warm and dry enough that I can bring them out of the grow out box to range some within some fencing, but the older birds already free range over most of the acre, concerned pickings may be a bit slender in protein - though no shortage of greens shoots.

Any recommends?

I've had to feed my chicks grower/finisher feed as well! Couldn't even find all flock feed. I can't even source grains to mix my own feed! It's a little nerve wracking. :/ Even feed that's under the recommended protein is better formulated than our other alternative, which is layer feed, or nothing (it seems like, at least!) If you're concerned about protein, give them some mealworms. They are so nutritious!

As for the recipe, I have a homemade feed calculator to plug and play, but it doesn't account for everything. I am currently modifying it to include percentages for lysine and fiber, as lysine is an incredibly important protein and some grains are higher in lysine than others. When mixing your own feed, you're never going to hit every target perfectly because we aren't using grains that have been processed down into base components, but at least you can get close.

Here's the link to my calculator: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nwaBsCwD0Ls4GAgj3JA8PHACiybFN0l6RI822szY-3g/edit?usp=sharing

There's instructions on how to use it! Download it as an Excel sheet and you can google your own sources for grains and plug in numbers to calculate cost as well. I will warn you though, I've never been able to formulate a recipe which is organic and costs less than the organic feed at stores, but I've gotten it within a few dollars if I choose to use tractor supply's non-organic black oil sunflower seeds, oats, and cracked corn.

There are a few columns in the nutrition categories which may be blank because I couldn't find a reputable source for the nutrition content.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Here's the link to my calculator: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nwaBsCwD0Ls4GAgj3JA8PHACiybFN0l6RI822szY-3g/edit?usp=sharing

Saved, Bookmarked, and Favorited, thank you.

I've some acres, which helps, and have a black soldier fly composter set up (mixed results) in the area of the main house and run - but its of no benefit to my "littles" in the grow out pen. Thanks again.