Up-to-Date Feeds with Animal Protein?

[centrarchid]

Are you sure? It may be time consuming and/ or an inconvenience, but one CAN provide chickens a balanced ration at no cost out of pocket more easily for a small flock than a loge one IMHO.

I cannot. What gets me is having to buy many ingredients, especially the concentrated meals, in bulk which does not agree with my using only about 200 lbs feed / month.

 

[lazy gardener]

To OP: you might consider fermenting your feed to get the most bang for your buck. There is an excellent FAQ about fermented feed in my signature line.

During the winter months I also sprout grains for my flock. granted, this may be more time consuming than the larger flock owner cares for, but, it works for me.

 

[Folly's place]

It's about scale; buying ingredients by the truckload vs. by the 50 lb. bag. Growing grain at home isn't free either, and then the cost of the vitamin/mineral ration balancer, which ages out pretty fast, is an issue.
I also don't count all labor as 'free'!
Mary

 

[Leigti]

None of the local stores here Carrie what I want either. But I get it through Azure standard.
Some brands I have used that have animal proteins are H&H, big sky organics, and scratch and peck.

 

[peckpeckpeck]

I use Scratch n Peck since they are local for me in the NW. Really good feed but it sounds like there are plenty of local whole grain options for you in PA.

I ferment so the fines with all the good stuff -- fish meal, vitamins, etc -- clump together & don't get wasted. The whole grains also sometimes start to sprout. I hear that helps unlock more of the nutrients.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Depends on where you are, as to whether you can get grains to mix your own. I did it for awhile a few years ago. I thought the farmer had his grains milled too fine in the mash. He sold me peas, wheat, oats, DE, fish meal & Fertrell Nutri Balancer. It worked OK, but the chickens didn't like the peas whole! He would have sold me any amount, small or large, so it could work around here.