too much corn????

[VanUnamed]

I am puzzled about my feeding. all my chickens, both meat, roosters, laying hens, everyone eats a mash made out of "milled grains" (freshly milled) concentrate (minerals, soy, sunflowers 40% protein). The layers get their calcium added in. It is a very cost-effective way for us to feed, the feed works out at .21 US cents per pound, less than commercial feed, fresh, and no medications. Issue is? Well I asked the store what's in the milled grains, or better, how much CORN there is in it,he says, 55 to 60%. Now the concentrate gives them the nutrients they need as it is formulated specifically for chickens, but what I am having an issue with is, FAT. All the meat birds had quite a bit of fat in their bellies (4-5 months old). Yesterday one of the RANGER girls I kept died, inside was full of fat. for now, I get around 7-8 eggs out of 11 hens, but they are quite large hens. as I wanted to keep these hens as breeders (in the hope their offspring will give large girls) I would well, have them keep laying. Fat is no good. The milled grains are intended for fatten pigs, they say it's ok for chickens too, but I think it's a bit too much corn.
In theory, buying other grains would not be more expensive but I do not own a grain mill.
Any idea how to avoid them getting too fat??? What could be a good mix of grain (excluding the protein part) ??

 

[rjohns39]

Here are some sample rations. I'm not sure what you can get where you are, but they provide you some alternatives. https://www.fertrell.com/livestock-rations

I feed my meat birds 18/19% protein from start to finish, if I were trying to extend their lives, I'd likely drop to 16% at 5/6 weeks. Also, grains are best fed twice per day where they empty their feeders within an hour of being feed. Free choice access can result in fatty liver disease.

 

[VanUnamed]

I feed twice a day so that they at all quick and not much is left for the wildlife.
ty for the link

 

[Folly's place]

Has this blend been assayed for it's actual nutrient value? Cost effective is nice, unless it isn't.
Corn is fine, as long as the other ingredients make a balanced ration. It's not about any individual ingredient, it's about the total blend.
'Meat birds' covers a lot of territory. Do you mean the Cornishx birds, who need to be in the freezer by eight weeks of age, and not much older? Or the Ranger types, who go to twelve to sixteen weeks instead?
Some breeds do tend to fat, especially these meat types, who are hybrids not meant to stay longer in a flock. Some others, like Orphingtons, for example, like to get 'chubby' and have fatty liver issues too.
I don't know what your feed has, as far as the protein and fat %, or anything else. Do you?
Mary

 

[VanUnamed]

No, I don't have a nutrient essay?. the breeds that get fat are indeed rangers. I got a batch of "r mixed breed" some were ranger some other breeds, the "other breeds" seems to be a tad smaller than the ranger type. I also have a few sussex in a separate pen. They aren't fat at all.

 

[Folly's place]

My one and only experience with a red ranger who stayed over the winter, so not a good sample, but still; she was smaller and faster, and escaped on processing day in fall. In spring, she was very large, got around fine, and layed maybe three or four medium small eggs per week. It was pretty funny, this huge hen producing such small eggs! I never tried to hatch any, and she went to the freezer that summer.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Check on the meat bird thread, where several people are breeding their red rangers.
Mary

 

[MysteryChicken]

I only use corn for the winter. My chickens main diet is a healthy mix of grain that has little, or no corn in it, plus layer mash added for the ladies.
My grain feed consists of: SunFlower seeds, flax seeds, soy beans, whole oats, whole wheat, and other good seeds that I forgot the name of.

 

[VanUnamed]

3-4 eggs a week is acceptable. I should get my 40 eggs out of 12 chickens in a week I hope. Also I kept these from slaughtering as i wanted to see if larger hen will yield large GIRLS. I bred my rooster with a hen that weighs 5lb so, boys were all over 12lb at 4 months. girls were smaller though. We;ll see, because a breeder hen that don't lay is as good as a rooster you don't need. Also some of them are slimmer, other bigger so we will see which lays the best. Thanks for your help!

 

[VanUnamed]

Update on this post. I did some math and it would cost less for me to mill my grains to produce a better balanced ration.
this mix is what i had in mind (currently that is what is available, maybe later i can find also other grains)
20% soy
30% corn
40% wheat
10% sunflowers
it should work out at around 16-17%.
Cost per pound would be around .11$