DIY Chicken Feed

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

Hi all,

I am trying to find a budget-friendly recipe for a DIY hen feed. Any suggestions or recipes would be very helpful. Thanks!

Kuritsa

 

[Brooks_]

It is generally ill advised to do so. The odds of making one that is complete nutrition and cheaper than commercial feed is not much higher than zero.

 

[nuthatched]

A well balanced and nutritionally fulfilling homemade feed will cost $5-$12 a pound, depending on your location, double or triple that for organic/nongmo. Your average chicken eats 3 oz-5oz a day.
If you have 8 hens, they'll eat approximately 32 oz= 2lbs a day.
Let's say the average cost of homemade feed per pound is $8, that's $16 a day, $480 a month.
To offset those costs, averaging 5 eggs a day, 150 eggs a 30 day month, 12 and half dozen, to even recoup half the cost of feed, you'd have to sell those eggs (every one laid, no eggs for you) at $20 a dozen.
I don't know about you but I do not have an extra $430 to sling at my chickens every month. I'm happy buying two 50# at $24 each that lasts 6 weeks.
If you still want venture down that rabbit hole, you will need:
Vitamin mix powder
Fish/swine blood/by product meal
Soy/kelp meal.
The ability to buy ingredients in large bulk quantities.
The ability to store all it in a pest free, relatively climate controlled area.
Good recipes will not contain large quantities of flax, sunflower seeds, or pet food.

 

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

Thank you for the advice and calculations @Brooks_ and @nuthatched. Are there any feeds you recommend that are a bit on the cheaper side?

 

[Brooks_]

Are there any feeds you recommend that are a bit on the cheaper side?

For typical backyard flock? Most any 18-20% protein starter/grower or all flock/flock raiser with oyster shell and grit served in separate dishes. Look at what you can get locally that offers the best combination of protein, price, and freshness.

 

[Sally PB]

@Kuritsa y Utochka, where are you located?

 

[nuthatched]

Thank you for the advice and calculations @Brooks_ and @nuthatched. Are there any feeds you recommend that are a bit on the cheaper side?

Where are you located? I usually feed whatever has the highest protein for a good price, which is usually Purina gamebird layer, nutrena egg producer or country companion hi-pro layer.

 

[Kuritsa y Utochka]

@Sally PB @nuthatched I live in Northern Virginia. Could I find those feeds at a pet store or online?

 

[Sally PB]

Could I find those feeds at a pet store or online?

Look for a feed called "flock raiser" or "flock maker." Those are not brand names; they're more like designations of types of feed. Purina, Kalmbach, Dumor, Nutrena are examples of brand names.

When you first get chicks, you'll want to start them out on "chick starter" which is again, a type of feed, and all the major brands will have something like that.

What you're looking for is the percentage of protein. Chick starter is usually around 18-20%, and the flock maker I feed my adult flock is also 20% protein.

Layer feed, however, is usually only 15-16% protein. Here's why: That is the LOWEST amount of protein that commercial poultry operations have found they can feed laying hens and get a good egg laying average from the birds. If the birds could produce on less, believe me, they would feed less! At their scale, fractions of pennies matter.

You and I aren't feeding at that scale. That's why it is MUCH (much-much) less expensive to buy premade feed, and spend a few dollars more per bag to get better protein.

Where to buy it... Do you have a store called Tractor Supply Company, or Rural King, or Family Farm and Home near you? Those are 3 big chain stores that would have chicken feed. A regular pet store probably wouldn't, but they might. You can look online; a lot of places ship nowadays.

What does it cost? The Kalmbach 20% flock maker that I feed is about $22 for 50 pounds. There are also non-GMO and organic options, but they are about $30 for a 40 pound bag, so a lot more expensive.

 

[Brooks_]

Where to buy it... Do you have a store called Tractor Supply Company, or Rural King, or Family Farm and Home near you? Those are 3 big chain stores that would have chicken feed. A regular pet store probably wouldn't, but they might. You can look online; a lot of places ship nowadays.

Adding to this: Ace hardware is a possibility - they are Purina dealers in my area. I wouldn't trust the ones local to me to have fresh feed, but just 20 miles out in a more agriculture area might. Also, I've heard of some Wal-marts that carry chicken feed.