Freeze dried chicken feed???

[11th Hour Poultry]

It will freeze dry just fine. You can even freeze dry ice cream sandwiches. They don't melt!

The problem will be the cost of a freeze dryer big enough to do a full size bag of feed in one go vs the small freeze dryers that usually cost a couple thousand dollars and have 3 to 4 trays that are smaller than your average cookie sheet and will take a couple months to dry a 40 pound bag of feed. You would need a commercial size freeze dryer.

That's big money just to make chicken feed last 10 or more years when chickens are so easy to feed with grass, plants, bugs, food scraps, beef or any meat, suet, dedicated chicken gardens.

You'll see freeze dried meal worms, crickets, minnows and other stuff in tractor supply. Those companies have enormous freeze dryers.

If you had the money, I would say do it, except for the fact that commercial chicken feed is garbage. I would grow fresh rather than preserve garbage.

 

[HeritageFan]

Interesting reading these comments...
Growing your own feed, or doing fermented feed is great- with time, space, electricity, water, and suitable temperatures.

I think it’s a great idea to have at least some stores feed as well, personally.
Even if you experience a major storm and run short on feed- it’s as nice to know you have a back up for the fowl as it is to know you have a back up for your family!

We also have a freeze dryer, and.
I would think that it might make more sense to get some large (as large as possible) mylar bags, or food safe 5 gal buckets, and just store it straight from the original bags with properly sized O2 absorbers?

I personally don’t really see a benefit from actually processing it through the FD -
It’s not high in fat, not high in moisture content.... I’d expect it to fall into the 10-15ish years safely stored category (although I’ve not done any homework on that at all!! ....and would feed it later than that if I didn’t have another option TBH)

I’d (personally) “bag” it the same way you would “bag” up uncooked rice or flour for longer term storage. The “space” in (let’s say) a bucket filled with pellets is going to need a lot more 02 absorption- so I’d honestly probably look at the recommendations for uncooked rice or dry, uncooked beans, and add a little more.

Amazon sells a wide range of O2 absorbers, ranging from 100-2000+ cc, plus mylar bags in many sizes (read reviews and go for the heaviest “self standing” bags/ that open up at the bottom AND have rounded corners so they damage each other when tossed together)
The solid silver work the best IMO.
And I like the “ziplock” type- easier to get the air out before sealing, and nice to be able to re-close once opened again.

 

[Huntmaster]

It will freeze dry just fine.

Have you done it does it turn to dust does feed hold nutritional value or does it decrees?

I would say do it, except for the fact that commercial chicken feed is garbage.

And what would have you make this statement?

 

[SmallTownChicken]

It will freeze dry just fine. You can even freeze dry ice cream sandwiches. They don't melt!

The problem will be the cost of a freeze dryer big enough to do a full size bag of feed in one go vs the small freeze dryers that usually cost a couple thousand dollars and have 3 to 4 trays that are smaller than your average cookie sheet and will take a couple months to dry a 40 pound bag of feed. You would need a commercial size freeze dryer.

That's big money just to make chicken feed last 10 or more years when chickens are so easy to feed with grass, plants, bugs, food scraps, beef or any meat, suet, dedicated chicken gardens.

You'll see freeze dried meal worms, crickets, minnows and other stuff in tractor supply. Those companies have enormous freeze dryers.

If you had the money, I would say do it, except for the fact that commercial chicken feed is garbage. I would grow fresh rather than preserve garbage.

Not everyone has access to fresh feed.

 

[Huntmaster]

Not everyone has access to fresh feed.

Very small % of poultry keepers could even think about going without commercial feed of some sort.

 

[11th Hour Poultry]

Have you done it does it turn to dust does feed hold nutritional value or does it decrees?

And what would have you make this statement?

I have. It will not turn into dust unless you crush it. If you buy a box of cheerios it will have some dust at the bottom. It's the same concept with the freeze dried chicken feed.

I say commercial feed is garbage because of what is sprayed on it, because it is a by product, and because it's not whole food. If you look at the ingredients list on a bag of chicken feed you will likely see some things on it that you don't know what they are. Well, where did those ingredients come from? Why are they in the feed anyway? Can you go buy a bag of one of those ingredients that you are not even sure how to pronounce from the feed store? How was that ingredient made?

Those ingredients are not whole foods. They are preservatives and balancers. Whole foods are things you know what they are like grass, weeds, leaves, flowers, bugs, worms, lizards, frogs, squash, cabbage, turnip greens, any greens, garlic, peppermint, pumpkin, snow peas, green beans, onions, green onions. You will see people argue that chicken feed needs to be complete, balanced, and, well, commercial. They'll say you can't feed chickens without commercial feed and expect normal egg production.

Have you asked yourself why not? Chickens eat food right? Chickens ate food before commercial feed, right? Some people say todays chickens have been bred to only thrive on balanced commercial feed. Well, I say give them real protein, fat, carbs, vitamins and minerals in forms of whole foods that you know exactly what it is and find out.

I think, for some, it might all come down to priorities and conveniences and excuses, but without a doubt, commercial feed compared to whole foods..........is garbage.

 

[11th Hour Poultry]

Very small % of poultry keepers could even think about going without commercial feed of some sort compared to % that could actually (not just think they can).

Why? That sounds like b.s. propaganda to make people feel inadequate or incapable of taking charge of their own flock. Everyone is capable of feeding themselves.

 

[11th Hour Poultry]

Not everyone has access to fresh feed.

Be the hero in your own story.

 

[Huntmaster]

Why? That sounds like b.s. propaganda to make people feel inadequate or incapable of taking charge of their own flock. Everyone is capable of feeding themselves.

By your statements you don't really know what actual nutritional requirements of poultry are or what it takes to meet them. And should better educate yourself as to what it takes to create a balanced healthy diet before you make such broad statements. Most do not have the land to even think about growing/creating enough whole feeds as you say. And to buy them and try to be a poultry nutritionist yourself and create your own feed can be very expensive and very time consuming. As far as making this statement (everyone is capable of feeding themselves) just proves you need to educate yourself on these subjects.

If you look at the ingredients list on a bag of chicken feed you will likely see some things on it that you don't know what they are. Well, where did those ingredients come from? Why are they in the feed anyway? Can you go buy a bag of one of those ingredients that you are not even sure how to pronounce from the feed store? How was that ingredient made?

More examples of your need to educate yourself on the subject to be making such statements. I would love to see your feed recipe and nutritional values/%.

Some people say todays chickens have been bred to only thrive on balanced commercial feed.

Another reason for education, today's chickens are more demanding on their nutritional needs. And yes, this does make it a little harder to provide what's needed for them to reach their full potential. And as stated before most wouldn't know where to begin on making their own or have ability to create enough whole foods to do so.

I think, for some, it might all come down to priorities and conveniences and excuses

I can agree with priorities and conveniences but not really with excuses as you seem to think (everyone is capable of feeding themselves) from their high-rise apt. so I will just leave it at that as this is of topic from post. Sorry

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The minimum nutritional recommends on an 100g/d diet for an adult chicken's maintenance are usually given (here in the US) as about 16% crude protein, with key aminos at (about) 0.3% methionine, 0.7% lysine, 0.6% threonine, 0.2% tryptophan, with roughly 2:1 ratio of Ca to P, and an MKe of about 13mJ +/-. Laying hens need an additional calcium source as well. Hatchlings, adolescents, and "meaties" have higher protein needs, meaties have greater MKe needs as well to support their rapid growth to "market weight". Suggestions are around 3.5% fat and about 3.5% fiber, but there is considerably more room for variation in those two figures. I won't go into vitamins and minerals, because most people's modern feed recipes can't meet the big numbers, so there's no point in sweating the smaller stuff.

That's a nutritional composition that simply can't be achieved using solely readily available whole grains and fresh greens. To meet those nutritional needs, its necessary to use some combination of the following:

1) feed more (subject to certain practical limits);
2)supplement with synthetics (this is how the EU gets by with lower total crude protein, and how some of the US market addresses deficiencies in "certified organic" and "vegan" feeds,;
3) accept lower performance out of your chickens (slower growth, slower rate of lay, reduced hatch rates, lower disease resistance, longer molts, less nutritious eggs);
include "by-products" - generally those which have had a substantial amount of their fat removed, leaving a concentrated protein source. Chief among them (in the US) are soybean meal, fish meal, porcine blood meal, crab meal, insect meals, but also canola meal, alfalfa meal, peanut meal, corn gluten meal;
4) Introduce animal/insect protein sources;
5) use lower producing breeds - something not resembling a modern chicken;
6) provide additional food sources in the form of a diverse pasture (which is a less personally labor intensive, but also less reliable/predictable method of doing 1, sometimes 3, and 4, above).

Even if you were able to whip up a whole grain and leafy green recipe that's suited, most lack the combination of space, climate, and equipment to raise a year's worth of various crops to then store and process. For reasons of cost and protein complementation, most US chicken feed's top three ingredients are a legume (or legume by product, more likely), corn, and one or more grains (wheats, oats, rye, triticale.). There are few US states suitable for growing all three. and few backyard chicken owners willing to dedicate their tractor, their labor, a few acres of their land, and considerable storage in their barn to supporting their flock at anything like peak performance.