Homemade chicken feed? *new question in post #8* - Page 2

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by momtoalexsarah

I just ran that recipie through my feed ration maker program and it is only comming out at 14.2% and that is not near enough to get and keep hens laying.
I would caution those of you that are useing fish meal as a protien souce. Fish meals are a concentrate of fishery leftovers - they are also very high in heavy metals, mercury,bcps and lead. Fish meal toxins when fed to animals is bioaccumulated in the fats - and in the eggs they lay. From a safety stand point I would take soy over fish. The oestrogens in the soy are not passed on through the eggs or meat and if it is organic soy - then there is no GMO.

Thanks for the info on the protein count. It's really weird to me that it's so low, especially since it's supposed to be a WAP recipe. That makes no sense...

As far as the fish meal is concerned, I can see where that would be a problem. However, if it's coming from free-range salmon, like in PaulaJoAnne's case, that is generally a very low-mercury count fish. I don't know what will be available to me here in California, but I'll definitely be thinking about the mercury count when I'm looking.

[littlehawksmom]

Thanks for a well informed thread and great questions!

Here is another. My hens just love the whole fresh coconut that I bought for my kids to whack and eat. The kids lost interest in it and the chickens have been pecking at it for a few days now.

I assume it is okay and maybe good to fatten them up for winter?

[daisycullen2003]

i believe i saw someone advertising feeding coconuts to chickens. you may want to do a search.

i have used the weston price recipe in the past but my chickens were free range and got meat scraps and yogurt/kefir. we always had plenty of eggs. there is a weston price farmers chat group if you are interested in discussing the recipe there. i have never raised baby chicks, however, on this formula. only started it when my chickens were around 4 months old or so.

i am having a tough time now figuring out what to do about protein w/ 34 chicks. i have been giving them scrambled eggs and yogurt, but now they are getting so big and eating so much at 5 weeks old... i am raising meal worms and red worms but not sure i can get them enough right now w/ the amount of worms that i have.

i think when they are older i will try to source some meaty bones/less desirable cuts of meat from farms /grocery to feed as many chickens as i have, but since we have plenty of land, i may not need to because they will probably meet their protein requirements from bugs/worms and such.

it's a process!

lisa

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by daisycullen2003

i believe i saw someone advertising feeding coconuts to chickens. you may want to do a search.

i have used the weston price recipe in the past but my chickens were free range and got meat scraps and yogurt/kefir. we always had plenty of eggs. there is a weston price farmers chat group if you are interested in discussing the recipe there. i have never raised baby chicks, however, on this formula. only started it when my chickens were around 4 months old or so.

i am having a tough time now figuring out what to do about protein w/ 34 chicks. i have been giving them scrambled eggs and yogurt, but now they are getting so big and eating so much at 5 weeks old... i am raising meal worms and red worms but not sure i can get them enough right now w/ the amount of worms that i have.

i think when they are older i will try to source some meaty bones/less desirable cuts of meat from farms /grocery to feed as many chickens as i have, but since we have plenty of land, i may not need to because they will probably meet their protein requirements from bugs/worms and such.

it's a process!

lisa

my girls are free roamers, but they don't get meat scraps or yogurt/kefir.

can you direct me to the wap chicken discussion group?

[daisycullen2003]

sure, it's a yahoo group called WAPFarmers.
lisa

[sarah_bella1050]

Bumping this thread. I really need to start making my own chicken feed this month as I can not afford the organic feed anymore. The WAP recipe is just to long with to many ingredients, it shouldn't be that hard to feed chickens! I like PaulaJoAnne's reciped, but I don't have as easy access to cracked corn, can I use oats instead? The fish meal safety someone brought up does worry me too.

TIA!

[hildare]

this is indeed a great thread.. thanks wise chicken mamas!