Trying to put together ‘organic’ feed from leftovers

[sarahsunshine]

I’m brand new to chickens and chicken forums, so if there are resource sites you can point me that will help answer my questions, I would be greatful!



Last Friday we got 12 6-week old broilers, and 7 laying hens (5white leghorns, and 2 ISA Browns) from a family who has to move unexpectedly. We built the broilers a 6.5’x8’ chicken tractor, and the layers an A-frame tractor/coop. We plan to move them daily/every two days based on how quickly they fertilize and get through the grass, bugs and such.

My husband picked up a bag of feed from a local organic heirloom wheat farmer. He said it was a bag of spillage, about 14% protein. Not sure what percent is carbohydrate. That’s what we’ve been feeding the chickens so far, well, that and our leftovers. They loved the spaghetti and the steak bones last night.

Now, I suspect that all the chickens need something more than just wheat. My plan is to lacto-ferment the feed as soon as I get a 5-gallon bucket with a lit (this Friday). This will add probiotics to the feed as well as increase protein value. What else do they need (layers and broilers)?

What about calcium?
What natural supplement can I give the chickens for calcium? Can I give them bones to peck at? Frogs (we have a gazillion and they go nuts over them!). Would baking the egg shells and grinding them up be sufficient calcium addition for the layers?

What about minerals?
What is a good, natural (cheap) substitute for minerals? I’ve read people add Kelp, Fertrell and fish meal.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but if you are this new to poultry then I would recommend you simply buy a commercially made balanced poultry feed. You'll save yourself much frustration, it will almost certainly be cheaper, and you'll do less harm to your birds. If those are commercial broiler birds that you have they have to be feed properly for them to grow well as they have a very fast metabolism.

The laying hens are somewhat more forgiving. I have the same type of hens myself. Still, you won't get their best performance if you're not feeding them properly. Give them all the green feed they want, let them eat all the bugs and frogs they can catch, but keep a balanced feed in front of them so they can eat what they need.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

It is completely possible to make your own feed but it is work and a lot of research and is not always cheaper. It also depends on your goals and resources. If you are just wanting pets then you might be able to get away with being less diligent on the nutrition. But for good growth and good egg production a proper diet is really important. Are they free ranging? That can help.

How old are the birds? If they are under laying age then 14% protein is too low imo. Should be 18% if you are not giving any scraps and 20% if you are. Lower is ok for mature birds but 14% is still on the low end. Chickens are omnivores with complex needs.

If you are concerned about organic there are organic complete poultry feeds on the market. They can be a little tricky to find but they are out there. (where are you?) I feed a soy free, corn free organic feed. It is expensive so to help with the costs I buy organic wheat and barley and sprout fodder. This gives me a ton of nutrition for my dollar and cuts my costs down quite a bit while still keeping a fully organic diet with animal protein and fresh greens.

You can do egg shells but if this is the birds only calcium source I would recommend supplying oyster shell as well. Just egg shells alone as a calcium source is reusing the same source over and over and over and it will become depleted over time.

What breed are the broilers? If they are a commercial meat breed then they do need to be on the right diet. I would ask in the meat breeds forum if this is the case. Their needs are different than layers and they have their own health issues. If they are a heritage or DP breed then it may not be an issue -- it is the super fast growing commercial breeds that are different.

If the chickens main diet is too low in protein and you are giving table scraps its not a good combo, especially for young growing birds. Chickens do love to eat things like bread and pasta but anything made with refined flour is really just sugar and is as equally un-nutritional for them as it is for you. It is fine as an occasional treat but if they are eating a lot of it regularly and are only starting out with 14% protein, the balance will be pretty off.

That being said there are lots of ways to go about feeding chickens and a commercial feed is not the only option. I am all for self sufficiency so if you can make it work, kudos. Wheat alone is not going to be enough though. I would do A LOT of reading if you want to for go a pre-made feed. Also keep in mind no matter which way you go that chickens have different needs at different life stagess. The most important thing is to never feed a "layer" feed or anything with added calcium mixed into feed to young birds.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds

http://www.azurestandard.com/shop/search?q=soy+free+starter&submit=

I do not know if this one if good or not but worth looking into:

http://www.gardenbetty.com/2012/06/garden-bettys-homemade-whole-grain-chicken-feed/

 

[sarahsunshine]

Thank you guys!

The broilers are a cornich cross (not sure which), that are from a friend's kid's school. They are 6 weeks old and not at all deformed. The layers are 23mo White Leghorns, and 8mo ISA Browns. The Isa Browns Just started laying in May, and have small eggs compared to the huge Leghorn eggs.

My husband is going to pick up a bag of feed today, and then some calcium which we will supplement with egg shells for the layers.

We will mix the wheat with the feed for now, while I research finding how to make an organic or cheaper feed that doesn't have corn or soy in it.

Any other tips would be great!

Oh, and I already found gardenbetty's whole grain feed recipe, but thanks!