How to Mix Chicken Feed
Chickens are becoming more popular as people get more interested in where their food comes from and more involved in growing their own. Mixing your own chicken feed can be a simple, inexpensive alternative to paying for commercial feed mixes. It also allows you to control what your chickens are eating and to make changes for better laying, higher meat quality and happier chickens. Mixing your own feed requires only a few inexpensive ingredients and a little time.
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Things You'll Need
- Millet
- Kelp
- Quinoa
- Wheat bran
- Ground oyster shell
- Grain mill or blender
- Whole corn
- Hard red winter wheat
- Soft white wheat
- Diatomaceous earth
- Oat groats
- hulled barley
- Split peas or soybeans
- Lentils
- Sunflower seeds
- Peanuts
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
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1
Mix the finer ingredients: 3 parts millet, ½ part kelp, ½ part quinoa, 1 part wheat bran and oyster shell. Grind these ingredients in a grain mill or blender to create a coarse, sandy mixture. If you have no grain mill, simply mix them together.
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2
Grind 1 part split peas or soybeans and 1 part lentils.
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3
Place 2 parts whole corn, 3 parts hard red winter wheat, 2 parts soft white wheat, ½ part diatomaceous earth, 1 part oat groats and 1 part hulled barley in a blender or grain mill, and grind to about the same texture as the premix.
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4
Combine the ingredients from Steps 2 and 3 with the premix.
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5
Chop 2 parts sunflower seeds and 1/2 part peanuts into small pieces using your mill or blender, but do not grind them finely. Mix nut pieces and 1 part sesame seeds into your chicken feed.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Store your chicken feed in a large plastic or metal bin, and remix before feeding in case portions of the mixture settle in storage.
Grinding nuts too long may create nut butter.
Experiment with different mixes to find the right one for your chickens.
Choose organic grains and beans to ensure your chickens are pesticide-free.
Allow your chickens to range freely whenever possible.
Don't skimp on quality when buying grain for your chickens.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit chicken image by Michael Shake from Fotolia.com
