The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

Leslie. .. You are in the right thread for the type of feed program you want. I am an active member of wapf and feed only non-gmo, home ground and fermented feed to my chickens during about 4 months each winter and they free range/rotationally graze with poultry ejection being the remainder of the year. Can be done quite easily.

Hey, could I make a balanced chick feed from oats, corn, barley, BOSS, fish meal and kelp? Am I missing something important?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: Here's the post: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/26690#post_12650861 With the video

So far she's doing fine, eating and drinking with gusto and running around like normal. I hope she stays that way but am mentally prepared if she doesn't. This is a good learning experience if I ever decide to raise chickens in the future.

Keep us updated on this.

 

[RedRidge]

Leslie. .. You are in the right thread for the type of feed program you want. I am an active member of wapf and feed only non-gmo, home ground and fermented feed to my chickens during about 4 months each winter and they free range/rotationally graze with poultry ejection being the remainder of the year. Can be done quite easily.

[COLOR=333333]Hey, could I make a balanced chick feed from oats, corn, barley, BOSS, fish meal and kelp? Am I missing something important?[/COLOR]

I'd probably add nutribalancer too, then you'd have everything you needed for a balanced ration for chicks. However, you will have to feed them quite a bit of fish meal to get their protein where you want it. I would suggest adding a high protein grain such as field peas also.
For layers you would want to provide a source of calcium and a second source of animal protein. Why? Because too much fish meal will give you fishy eggs. Again. .. Some field peas would be good but animal protein beyond the amount of fish you can provide would be essential also

 

[ki4got]

Quote: I'd probably add nutribalancer too, then you'd have everything you needed for a balanced ration for chicks. However, you will have to feed them quite a bit of fish meal to get their protein where you want it. I would suggest adding a high protein grain such as field peas also.
For layers you would want to provide a source of calcium and a second source of animal protein. Why? Because too much fish meal will give you fishy eggs. Again. .. Some field peas would be good but animal protein beyond the amount of fish you can provide would be essential also

what is nutribalancer and where do you get it? same for fish meal? I don't eat eggs from the breeding pens, so I guess the fish meal would be good for them too.

 

[armorfirelady]

I don't use the nutribalancer. I give them a flock block from TSC instead. Girls look good, act well and overall look good. With only 8 hens a bag of nutribalancer would of lasted longer than me

 

[aoxa]

Someone brought me peafowl eggs to hatch. This should be fun

Okay question for those who do fodder... When you put the seeds in the tray, how do you keep it from getting moldy? How do you rinse? Do you rinse?

I am doing both fodder and sprouting. Sprouting I am doing like we do for our own use.. rinse twice a day in a jar.

 

[delisha]

Quote: Wheat...Nutri Ballencer?

JMHO and experience

Depends on your portions too and what type of bird you are feeding. I would not use high percentage of oats and barley to meat chicks..pasty butt....
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Feed_ingredients/Grains.html

 

[Leahs Mom]

I forgot to post this here but...I have a 60 lb bag of nutribalancer (good for organic) that I will take a LONG time to go through (It is enough for a 2000 lb batch).

I would sell it by the lb. for what it cost me if anyone wants any. You'd have to pay the lb. price plus shipping. You can pm me if you're interested and we can see what it would cost to ship. I'd prefer to keep it turning over so I can get fresh regularly



I use a little less than t 1/2 C. in an "about 20 lb. batch of feed. Or .75 lb. in a 25 lb batch of feed. If you really want to divide it out correctly, 60 lbs. of nutribalancer will cover a ton of feed... 60 lbs to 2000 lb batch means that 1940 lbs is the feed ingredients and 60 nutribalancer. I don't worry about being "anal" about it...just get it close enough.

This link has the ingredients:
http://www.fertrell.com/poutrynurtibalancer.htm

There is also a link on their site that shows where local distributors are. It's in the top bar - click on "find a dealer" and put in your zip code.

Edited to fix amounts that I typed wrong !!!!

 

[ki4got]

I don't use the nutribalancer. I give them a flock block from TSC instead. Girls look good, act well and overall look good. With only 8 hens a bag of nutribalancer would of lasted longer than me

well, a block would be hard to do with individual breeding pens. ok for the free rangers maybe.

 

[aoxa]

Wheat...Nutri Ballencer?

JMHO and experience

Depends on your portions too and what type of bird you are feeding. I would not use high percentage of oats and barley to meat chicks..pasty butt....
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Feed_ingredients/Grains.html

Del, just copied this from a friend's question to me. I don't have any options for kelp or fish meal. I can't mix my own. :/