Anyone making their own chicken feed?

[lakeruby]

I'm just starting this and am looking for tips and experiences! I got my basic recipe from a friend, who got it from this site: http://greenerpasturesfarm.com/ChickenFeedRecipe.html
with a few changes-- we're not using kelp granules, but fish meal instead, and adding some Fertrell Poultry Nutri-Balancer. We grind ours up, but I've heard that you don't have to. I have heard of chickens having a hard time digesting this feed if it's not ground...

I've also been feeding them yogurt and sprouts, but would like to add kombucha or kefir to that, if I start making it at home.

My friend was feeding hers earth worms, but had one chicken get a bacterial infection from them, and stopped that. Mine do like mealworms, though! I haven't had any problems with those, but they are a rare treat.

What do you feed your chickens?

[Traci mom23boys]

I sprout wheat for mine. I add a bit of kelp and flax (when I remember)

[simple life]

I am so interested in this! I am going to look at the link shared. Hope to hear what others might have to say.

We are very new to the chicken world, but would like to make their food, since they will be making food for us! We'd like to know what they are eating, and know it's good for them and free of 'stuff', and also as close to what a chicken would naturally eat.

[Pepper44]

I was interested in making my own chicken feed before, but I can't afford to since I'm not able to grow the ingredients myself.

The most important thing to pay attention to is the amount of protein in the feed--not enough and they will get too fat and/or weak and not live long or lay well.

I feed mine ground feed (mash) from the local feed mill. It has corn, wheat, barley, oats, and one other grain in it plus bone meal. I'm kind of iffy about the bone meal, the more I read up on it the more I dislike it. However this feed is one of the freshest options here and it's local. It's 18% protein. I add black oil sunflower seeds to it, and oyster shell for calcium. They also free range and get scraps and sometimes kefir or yogurt if it's about to expire or just expired.

[mtn.mama]

I try to feed as local as possible. So in Alaska, we're pretty limited. The main ration is sprouted barley. I add BOSS, salmon meal, kelp and beet pulp... and as much fresh food as possible.

[lakeruby]

Mountain Mama-- what is BOSS? Beet pulp sounds good!

I am worried a bit about the cost. We only have 2 hens right now, though, so I can afford it, but we'd really like to expand a bit, although legally we're only allowed to have 4 I think, in the City limits.

I am trying to think of more "free" stuff to feed them. I kind of wish our garden produced more weeds for me to pull and give them!

[Pepper44]

That's why I can't afford it--I have 35+ chickens and they eat about 50 pounds a week. The fresh ground feed from the mill is only $15 for 100 pounds!

[mtn.mama]

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds.

Its costs me half as much to mix my own feed, as it does to feed store brands.

I have 108 birds, and they get two buckets a day...

[talia rose]

right now i am cooking for my chickens (!!!) which I know is crazy but we are raising them gluten, soy, dairy free. I cook them up rice and split peas in our solar oven. Then I add oyster shells, flax seeds, and ground up compost. This I shred in our food processor. It allows me to use every bit - things like peels and broccoli stems that they normally would not eat. I think, because we started out with full grown hens we got on craigslist they were not used to eating anything but chicken pellets and had a hard time switching over to harder foods. I also give them a sunflower seed/cracked corn scratch.

In the summer, when it is dry and dusty here I sprout for them and go to our community farm to get more broccoli leaves and stems ect than I have available in my garden.

my husband laughs at me for cooking for them (especially since he is the one who mostly cooks for our family!)

I worry if it is balanced enough but they get a pretty good variety with eating our leftovers as well, plus they free range.

[lakeruby]

Originally Posted by talia rose

right now i am cooking for my chickens (!!!) which I know is crazy but we are raising them gluten, soy, dairy free. I cook them up rice and split peas in our solar oven. Then I add oyster shells, flax seeds, and ground up compost. This I shred in our food processor. It allows me to use every bit - things like peels and broccoli stems that they normally would not eat. I think, because we started out with full grown hens we got on craigslist they were not used to eating anything but chicken pellets and had a hard time switching over to harder foods. I also give them a sunflower seed/cracked corn scratch.

In the summer, when it is dry and dusty here I sprout for them and go to our community farm to get more broccoli leaves and stems ect than I have available in my garden.

my husband laughs at me for cooking for them (especially since he is the one who mostly cooks for our family!)

I worry if it is balanced enough but they get a pretty good variety with eating our leftovers as well, plus they free range.

That's interesting! Why are you raising them soy/corn/dairy free? Just curious!

[talia rose]

They/we eat corn - just not gluten, soy, dairy.

My daughter and I have pretty sensitive food allergies. We test bad on eggs from chickens who eat gluten but test good on eggs from chickens who have not. And we love eggs! Plus, baking gluten free is MUCH easier with eggs.....

[lil_miss_understood]