Homemade feed for my hens?? Better than commercial feed? More affordable? I need the truth!

[Shadrach]

I have 2 high production hens (ISA Browns) who are 4 years old and then I have all other heritage breeds who lay large eggs but not as big as my ISA Browns lay.
The only vegetation they have access to in the summer is grass, sprouts from their spilled feed, strawberry bushes, and a large raspberry bush. They also have access to a compost that they can dig and forage in.
Here are some pictures of their run (in the winter):
View attachment 4091563View attachment 4091564View attachment 4091565

Looking at your yard I suggest you stick to commercial feed. Your ISAs may struggle with a lack of metheonine. It's very hard to provide in a natural form at an acceptable price.

 

[Shadrach]

This is the field I range the chickens I care for on for a couple of hours each day. It's an acre in size. Multiple compost areas they can dig through and a wide range of vegitation, mainly due to the fruit and vegetables grown. This picture is a winter picture.
Perhaps @Perris who also makes their own feed would show their back yard.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Hmmm, high protein, 35% average and medium fat. When I cared for free range chickens the fat intake was way above the fat in commercial feeds, but there are good fats and bad fats and from what I could see, good fats were what they tended to favour.

also, free range chickens have much higher activity level, and thus greater energy needs. As result, they are far more tolerant (welcoming, even) of a higher average fat intake in their feed as compared to "kept" birds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

This is the field I range the chickens I care for on for a couple of hours each day. It's an acre in size. Multiple compost areas they can dig through and a wide range of vegitation, mainly due to the fruit and vegetables grown. This picture is a winter picture.
Perhaps @Perris who also makes their own feed would show their back yard.View attachment 4091574View attachment 4091575View attachment 4091576

I'm envious. My birds have more acreage, but the quality of that acreage is MUCH lower.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Back to the food topic, I imagine they get quite a high proportion of seafood in their diet. Have you noticed any preferences?

I live on the beach as well- they LOVE hermit crabs. They chase after them like crazy (you cant take a step without stepping on one).

 

[Perris]

Perhaps @Perris who also makes their own feed would show their back yard.

I would but it would need a lot of photos because only small parts of it are visible from any given spot. Chickens are descended from jungle fowl and like cover, so borders, in preference to open lawns or pasture. Which also make taking photos of where they actually spend most of their time tough. E.g.

 

[CabritaChicks]

so, to be clear, I could feed my hens the recipe (with calcium) above as their only source of food (apart from foraging and kitchen scraps)? Providing fodder is best but not required? Let me know if I got anything wrong!

Fodder is one of the most important aspects IMO, because: It is natural, just make sure it is diverse. Provide decent home-made feed, safe kitchen scraps, and throw in some commercial feed. Don't overthink it. And remember: what you feed one day- or one week doesnt mean it is forever.

Of course, there is more than one way to cook an egg, everyone is different. I feel this thread has gone way off topic. haha.

 

[ChaosMom]

Let's be honest though, "pasture-raised" often refers to chickens confined to a chicken tractor for the entirety of their lives. A moveable coop/run isn't the epitome of natural outdoor living. I agree that many people use the term free-range loosely, they let them roam their backyard and call that free-range. Mine aren't pasture raised, we don't have pasture. We have a secure coop, a mildly secure roofed run with a door that's almost always open to the wilderness of the great outdoors on a remote island, there are no borders, no boundaries, aside from the ocean itself. They are free-range, not feral, they go out in the morning and come and go throughout the day, returning to their coop in the evening to roost. Free-range, to me, means there is nothing restricting their movement, to go where they please, to escape predation, etc. My poultry are free-range, the "free" being a very descriptive word.

Can I come be one of your chickens? Full disclosure, however; my egg-laying days are definitely in the rear-view mirror.

 

[Perris]

I feel this thread has gone way off topic.

it would appear so, especially since the OP is now asking about ready-made commercial feed options, https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/best-organic-commercial-chicken-feed.1658678/

 

[U_Stormcrow]

it would appear so, especially since the OP is now asking about ready-made commercial feed options, https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/best-organic-commercial-chicken-feed.1658678/

Seeking "inexpensive, organic, corn & soy free". That's not a unicorn I'm chasing.