Homemade feed: what portion of each ingredient

[BDutch]

I know someone from another forum who makes her own feed with a grain mix as a basic. But she doesn't give the amount / percentages either.

She doesn't care about costs and her chickens free range part of the day. This is a translated quote and photo from here : "That means that I personally have a biological basic grain mix and supplement it with insects, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, seeds, flowers and herbs. Every few weeks, in a changing composition, I make a stock from which the chickens can get out of what they need (or like)."

My question is, is there anyone on here who has used homemade chicken feed regularly/exclusively on their own flock? If so, for how long and do your chickens have any health issues?

Personally, I like scratch grains because I can clearly see what's in them, and the non-gmo/locally produced ones are still affordable. They are just a supplement though.
The feeds' ingredient lists are confusing, and I've heard weird unhealthy things are sometimes added. I can't afford the organic feeds (they are almost double the price of conventional!) So it is frustrating for sure! On this note, do people have brands of commercial they specifically avoid (for health or ethical reasons)?

And yes the biological feed is a more expensive as the non-bio feed with GMO corn and soy. The cheap feed is € 10 for 20 kilo, The biological € 17,50 for 20 kilo.

Price of a cheap egg in the shop is about 17 cents and for a biological egg about 38 cents. If you want to buy healthy food and do not want to cause animal suffering with what you buy, there is a larger price tag.

 

[Rooapalooza]

That makes sense! My chickens free range and spend quite a bit of time in the compost pile. They love scratch grains (and meal worms, of course) but don't seem overly interested in their normal feed most of the time. I figure as long as they have everything available? You can probably tell that I do fantasize about having a fully-self sufficient, efficient farm someday...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How do people who are totally self-sufficient feed their chickens though? Surely in the past, chickens ate whatever was grown on the farm?

Surely they did. That was before large scale poultry production was in its infancy.
You can definitely keep a flock of chickens with bare bones nutrition. My grandparents and great grandparents and earlier did the same here and in Germany. Little was known before scientific research ferreted out what nutrients were most important to poultry and in what ratios. They tried. There are old formulas for mixing grains with milk products to raise the protein.
However, now that we know what they need, it would behoove one's chickens to be fed for best performance.
You can keep a flock of chickens without the due diligence of optimal nutrition. That is up to the individual keeper. Unless one has lots of pristine forage in a mild climate that provides tender forbs and invertebrates year round (and even if they do) production will go down, growth rates will slow and the less vigorous birds will die due to retarded immune systems.
What I suggest is a diet that feeds the birds so they perform at their best as they are genetically able. After all, in many cases, these aren't your grandparent's chickens.
I know farms in Europe, Latin America and I'm sure Africa and Asia that feed very little supplemental feed. They keep large flocks on lots of acreage. Not 5 or 10 birds in a backyard.

 

[saysfaa]

How do people who are totally self-sufficient feed their chickens though? Surely in the past, chickens ate whatever was grown on the farm?

Besides the other aspects given (free range, not meeting genetic potential for production, and so on), there is also what traits the chickens were bred for. Some traits cant be bred for at the same time. Chickens bred for the ability to survive on less than optimal diet will be more responsive to a less than optimal diet (by slowing growth or egg production sooner or to a greater degree or longer or all three) than they will be if bred for persistence of production.

 

[Mossy Dell]

Ok, so I have found soooo many recipes online for home made chicken feed. I have quite a few ingredients but not all ingredients of each recipe I find. If there is anyone out there that can help me with how much of each of the following ingredients that would be awesome! Thanks in advance if any one can help me. Also, let me know if there is something I should most definitely add. I will be providing oyster shell free feed at all times. Also, they free range all day. So they eat what I provide them off and on throughout the day but are mostly out wandering and eating on a 1/2 acre scrathing and pecking at whatever they find as well as going through my compost pile that I am throw food scraps on. I have 25 chickens.

Barley, Hulled (Azure Standard)
Chia seeds (Costco)
Corn; whole, dried (TSC)
Food grade DE (TSC)
Kelp granules (Azure Standard)
Lentils; whole (Winco)
Millet; hulled (Winco)
Nutribalance (Azure Standard)
Oats; unhulled (Azure Standard)
Peas; whole, dried (Azure Standard)
Quinoa; red (Azure Standard)
Soy meal (local grain mill)
Sunflower Seeds; black oil, whole (TSC)
Wheat; hard, red (Azure Standard)
Wheat; soft, white (Azure Standard)

I like your quest for your own mix, Lisa. I will share mine, which often changes slightly, and my reasons. Now, I am raising Old English games, and I want slow growth of young and free range. Adults are in maintenance mode except when breeding and in heavy molt. I boost the protein at breeding.

I am interested in flaxseed and safflower, but for various reasons I tend

 

[Mossy Dell]

... to use traditional grains. An exeption is black oil sunflower seeds.

Maint. w Whole Grains
4 parts fermented oats, 44
2 parts corn, 15
1 parts wheat, 10.8 [more @ breeding]
1 part barley, 11.5 [vy hard kernel for gizzard]
.5 black oil sunflower, 8.5
1 New Country Organics booster pellet 23%, 23
.5 part 32% Diamond Naturals small breed puppy chow, 16
12.8%; dry part = 14%

Analysis: 55% low energy, high fiber grains (oats, barley, BOS); 30% high energy grains (corn, wheat). If fowl are thin, up wheat to 2 parts and drop oats to 3 parts.

Maintenance w Whole Grain & Flaxseed
3 parts sour oats, 33
2 parts whole corn, 15
1 part wheat, 10.8
1 part barley, 11.5
.5 BOS, 8.5 [rich Omega 6]
.5 brown flaxseed, 11.8 [rich Omega 3]
1.5 23% NCO grower pellets, 34.5
.5 32% puppy, 16
14%

17.7% Breeding
2 parts sour oats, 22
1.5 part wheat, 16.2
1 part corn, 7.5
1 part barley, 11.5
.5 BOS, 8.5
2 23% NCO grower pellets, 46
2 33% Victor Yukon dog, 66

 

[Mossy Dell]

Ok, so I have found soooo many recipes online for home made chicken feed. I have quite a few ingredients but not all ingredients of each recipe I find. If there is anyone out there that can help me with how much of each of the following ingredients that would be awesome! Thanks in advance if any one can help me. Also, let me know if there is something I should most definitely add. I will be providing oyster shell free feed at all times. Also, they free range all day. So they eat what I provide them off and on throughout the day but are mostly out wandering and eating on a 1/2 acre scrathing and pecking at whatever they find as well as going through my compost pile that I am throw food scraps on. I have 25 chickens.

Barley, Hulled (Azure Standard)
Chia seeds (Costco)
Corn; whole, dried (TSC)
Food grade DE (TSC)
Kelp granules (Azure Standard)
Lentils; whole (Winco)
Millet; hulled (Winco)
Nutribalance (Azure Standard)
Oats; unhulled (Azure Standard)
Peas; whole, dried (Azure Standard)
Quinoa; red (Azure Standard)
Soy meal (local grain mill)
Sunflower Seeds; black oil, whole (TSC)
Wheat; hard, red (Azure Standard)
Wheat; soft, white (Azure Standard)

Lisa, here are my notes on mostly traditional grains ranked first by energy. Low energy, high fiber grains are important to me for what and how I raise. But some corn is key because it is so digestible and has concentrated energy. Same for wheat, and the two grains complement each other well. A mix is best and diversity is good. However, I tend to keep quantities at no less than 5%. I can see going lower on some ingredients. Figuring my rations with 10 parts (a part can be 50 lbs or 1 scoop, whatever you pick) keeps me honest. I can use a nice variety but it's apparent when I am getting ridiculous at wanting a neat ingredient just to have it.

Common grains ranked by energy/Kcal/lb

Roasted Soybeans 1,644 and 38% protein. Natural oil is easy to digest and will also generate heat while digesting; poultry like the flavor. High in methionine, high Vit E, high lysine, contains phytoestrogens (like alfalfa and clover)

Corn 1,540 and 7.5 protein: 100% digestible, lowest in fiber, low methionine and phosphorus; only cereal grain that supplies Vitamin A.

Milo 1,505 and 11 protein. “Kafir corn or red milo” very much like corn with more fiber; tannins in red varieties can harm palatability and affect digestion."

Pearl Millet 1,470 and 12 protein. High fiber content. Very hard husk, common small millet can pass undigested. Proso has feed value comparable to corn.

Soft wheat 1,460 and 10.8 protein: most palatable to fowl, severely deficient in some amino acids but a good phosphorus source; fed alone, can slow digestion, cause upset—30% inclusion max suggested for young birds; stimulates the gizzard.

Hard wheat 1,440 and 13.5 protein. Same basic nutrient profile as soft wheat. I prefer it for protein boost but soft wheat is what we have here.

Peas 1,300 and 22%+.

Barley 1,250 and 11.5 protein: a very hard kernel, prob works gizzard; beware of digestive problems from high levels unless fermented. Limit to 15% for young fowl w/out added enzymes.

Sunflower 1,200 kcal/lb and 16.9 protein Double this energy for hulled kernels? The oil content of black oil sunflower seeds is about 29%; 44% fat—high Omega 6 fatty acids, almost no Omega 3 fatty acids. High Vitamin E, cystine, methionine, good source of copper and B1.

Oats 1,160 and 11 protein Same anti-nutrient as barley when raw, limit to 15% for young fowl (unless fermented); known to stimulate nervous system. “Oats are a good grain for growing chickens where rapid growth is not critical, such as egg-type pullets.” “Our experiments over a period of about 5 years show that oats are the best single grain for young growing chicks, turkeys and excellent for laying hens, too. They are the best single grain over corn, wheat, and barley.”

 

[Perris]

“Oats are a good grain for growing chickens where rapid growth is not critical, such as egg-type pullets.” “Our experiments over a period of about 5 years show that oats are the best single grain for young growing chicks, turkeys and excellent for laying hens, too. They are the best single grain over corn, wheat, and barley.”

who are you quoting Mossy Dell? Do you have the reference for this please?

 

[Mossy Dell]

See attached study. An oldie but a goodie.

 

[Perris]

Thanks!