Feeding Your Chickens on a Budget
When farming with Chickens, the question that is probably asked the most is how to make your Own Chicken feed and reduce feeding cost. Today we will discuss how to make your own chicken feed for broilers and layers. Feeding your chickens can be very expensive and the main reason why farmers fail to succeed with their poultry business. We have put together 3 recipes that works well, but not everyone can afford it so yes, there is a budget Chicken Feed Recipe included in this Article. How to make chicken feed for broilers and layers. So What are the ingredients for chicken feed, let take a look.
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Recipes for Chicken Feed for Broilers and Layers
Ingredients for Chicken Feed
When making your own chicken feed it is important to bag it and store it as you do not want to loose any nutritional value and moist. You do not need to crush your grains and chickens can eat whole corn (mielies), it is actually better as the corn pips does not loose oils and vitamins.
Chickens do spill when they eat, so feeding them whole grain feed will save you money as they will pick up the spills whereas a powdered feed will be lost. For smaller chicks you can crack the grains.
For layers grains are healthier and will produce better eggs with harder shells. You still need to get the balance right as they need calcium, vitamins, protein and calories.
When you buy chicken feed at the stores (generally 14% to 16%) you need to know that there is nothing wrong with that mix, but with you own mix you can increase the protein levels especially when it comes to broilers.
Not every chicken needs the same amount of calcium and too much can destroy their kidneys, Layers need more calcium to produce eggs.
You can introduce egg shelves back into their food mix, but be careful not to give big pieces as you will teach them how to eat eggs. Grinding the egg shelves into powder will be the best solution.
Whole-wheat has about 14 to 16% protein and omega which will be a good value to our chicken recipe.
Oats only has 9% protein but is high in fiber and chickens need fiber. Lots of it.
Corn surprisingly enough, has very little nutrition value, it is mostly calories and you want to add a bigger percentage corn to your chicken feed in winter times to help fatten up broilers and keep them warm at nights.
Corn is good for broilers but keep it balanced for layers.
Flax seed is great to add but it’s hard to get and expensive, with lots of minerals and 25% protein I would suggest to add it to your chicken feed.
How to make chicken feed
good option is to add calf manna, a feed that has 25% protein, calcium and minerals, you don’t need a lot for your chickens. Calf Manna is expensive, you are not saving money with calf manna, but boosting your layers.
How to make Chicken Feed for Layers
- 100 kg Wheat
- 100 kg Oats
- 100 kg Corn (Milieus)
- 60 kg Soybeans
- 10 kg of Calcium (make your own powdered calcium from egg shelves)
This is a very basic recipe and you will get the most eggs from your farming operation. It’s been tested and works well.
How to make Chicken Feed For Broilers
- 100 kg Corn (Mielies)
- 70 kg Soybeans
- 10 kg Oats
- 10 kg Crushed Luserne
- 10 kg Bone or Fish meal
- 5 kg Calcium
- 7 kg Poultry Nutri Balancer – You can buy this at most Agricultural Shops.
A lot of people are against bone and fish meal so here is an alternative recipe for chicken feed.
How to make Basic Broiler Feed
- 100 kg Barley
- 50 kg Wheat
- 50 kg Corn (Mielies)
We have used this recipe many times and our chickens was ready to sell at around 75 days. (2.8 kg in weight – that is way to big, but we like selling BIG chickens.
A Few Important Notes About This Homemade Chicken Feed:
I for one utilize a custom-blend that my neighborhood feed plant causes me to assemble. The formula for that blend is in my Natural Homestead book. Notwithstanding, it is a more muddled recipe (with more troublesome fixings), so I needed to share this recipe.
You don’t need to crush the grains–simply feed them entirety.
There are no lentils in the formula.
- 30% Corn
- 30% Wheat
- 20% Peas
- 10% Oats
- 10% Fish Meal
- 2% Poultry Nutri–Balancer
- Free Choice Kelp
- Free Choice Aragonite
Since I have my feed factory custom-blend me an alternate formula, I don’t have value breakdowns for this specific formula.
Homemade Chicken Feed Notes
We like how adaptable this chicken feed recipe is–you can make a modest quantity or an enormous sum.
Presumably, I will get a few messages over this post. There are sites/books/and so forth that transform taking care of chickens into advanced science, and in fact, you DO should be cautious by they way you are adjusting apportions. In any case, I generally return to the way that incredible Grandma was keeping her run beneficial well before there were sparkling packs of “Chicken Chow” at the feed store, so I falter to overcomplicate the issue. Additionally, when somebody with WAY more chicken experience like Justin Rhodes has steady accomplishment with a formula like this, I believe that.
Throughout the long term, we have gotten messages from individuals in a flat out frenzy over what to take care of their chickens.
GMO/non-GMO, natural/non-natural, hand crafted/bought—there is, in reality, a great deal of choices out there. In any case, here’s the arrangement—we can’t handle each part of our lives. Regardless of whether your chickens are eating the absolute best eating routine in presence, they will at present probably be presented to poisons noticeable all around, soil, water, and so forth.
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Tags: make your own chicken feed, chicken feed recipe, recipe for chicken feed, farming South Africa, How to make chicken feed for broilers and layers, How to make broiler feed, how to make chicken layer feed, how to make feed for chickens
Where do I get the ingredients to make chicken feed?
Farmers are willing to sell barley, wheat, lupino and corn to locals. If you don’t have farmers close to you and you buy the ingredients from the closest Agricultural Store.
How much money will I save if I make my own Chicken Feed?
Depending where you get your feed from. If you get it from farmers you can save up to 60% on your feed cost. You will save up to 30% if you buy your grains from Agri.
Do I need to crush the grains before feeding the chickens?
It is always better to crush the grains as digestion will be faster. But the answer is no, you do not have to crush the grains, not even the corn or mielies.
Will the chickens grow slower with homemade feed?
The mix that Meadow or Tango offers you help your chickens grow faster. This also mean that you will have to pay more for feed. Making your own food will increase the growth time by at least 2 weeks. Keep in mind your chickens will be stronger and healthier if they get the right amount of nutrition.
Chicken farming is trending as sheep and beef are becoming extremely expensive. You do not need a lot of space to farm with chickens and you can grow your own even in your backyard.
See the following posts to learn more about small scale farming.
How to make chicken feed with 3 easy recipes
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I am based in Zambia, rearing layers, and I am using layer concentrate mix with meal no 3. Though the rest are there.still there is need to make feed minus buying of layer concentrate.
How can I go about it?
Gerald Banda
You can still make your own concentrate according to own specifications.
Hi,
Am in Uganda. Poultry is a good business but feel like leaving it. I loved it from the start but it is becoming so hard to make profits out of it. feeds are to expensive and to gain from it, by 5 weeks the birds are to be between 1.8 kgs and 1.5 kgs but that calls for feeding them pellet or mixing mash with concentrate. These 2 are so expensive and everyday they change prices.
If there is anyone who can teach me how i can make my own concentrate for broilers, it will cut on some of the costs i use to buy concentrate and i will profit.
Anyone with the formula for concentrate, ingredients and the amounts i need to add to produce my concentrate and what percentage that is.
Please i need help
You can reach me on my whatsapp +256772619864 or krysonuganda@gmail.com
Thank you
Hi,where do I get these breeds I sa,isn’t there someone to contact perhaps.pls do make contacts available
At what stage can you introduce this self made feed to the chicken.
You need to crush the mix for day old up to two weeks. – thereafter you can feed the chickens normally
I find this info very good. As i am rearing broilers and have layers., and the feed costs are huge. Would i still be able to call my chicken free range, naturally fed and organic.
This feed is 100% for free range chickens, if you want to farm organically, just replaced the grains with organically farmed produce.
I like farming with all my heart.
very helpful thank you. What about the receipt of road runners
Hello
I am currently not a farmer but have passion to farm with free range chickens.
As I read through, you didn’t say anything about how to make feed for free range chicken. Even though I have made research about it, I wished to compare yours with what I researched.
Secondly I would like to hear from you about meals like “mealworm” and fodder for free range.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks
Hi Levy, recipe one and three is for more for free range chickens. I am doing an article about worms as feed soon.
Please I need Rabbits eed recipe
GOOD DAY, PLEASE I NEED RABBITS FEED RECIPES AND HOW TO PELLETS IT TOO
Is it possible to use the above mentioned feed mix for chickens that are not free range?
Yes you can as the protein are high in all feeds. If they are not free range chickens, they will grow even faster
Hi.
I have the following
Maize, maize germ, wheat bran, wheat pollard, Fishmeal, soya, cotton seed cake, sunflower cake. How can I mix (ratio) to get a good feed
Thanks
Good day, where can I find ingredients for producing my own feeds in South Africa? I am in Botswana and struggling to find them all here
Hi do we crush the ingredients or mix as whole
What if I can’t find some of this grains for the receipe of if more expensive
This really interesting,the information is crucial for emerging farmers. Please advise how to make feed for day old broiler chicks.
Hi malcolm
I really appreciate for sharing this recipes
But poultry as stage
Start,grower,finisher= broiler
Start,grower ,layer mash= layer
Are we going to use the same formula for day old to adult chicken?
Please help us here
How to make broilers warm during winter time
Greatly appreciate the recipes. Is it possible also to advice the best formulation for pigs for six months maximum growth. Other rations that I have used are taking long even up the 11 month’s to attain a market weight of 80 to 120 kgs
Hi Elias, I will do a recipe for pigs soon, 11 months for 80 kg is way to long and you are losing a lot of money. We get our pigs to 70 kg in 5 months. If you have not already, subscribe to get notified for the update.
How to mix the ingredients for broiler and layers as well as at what stage because they have stages.thanks
I’m also looking to start free-range chickens. Which chicken feed will be best?
Hello Malcolm, Receipe 3 – The Budget broiler formula- I assume it’s a starter, grower and finisher in one? ( obviously finely crushed for chicks) 2. How can you compare this feed to the commercial growth 35 days / 2kg.
3. I do feed fermentation for 3 days and this will be great because there’s no growth promoters and antibiotics.
Hi Malcolm, you said 75 days. (2.8 kg in weight. This is awesome if it cost less. Please share your cost per broiler for 75 days. Thanks bud
Hi Derick, I will do a breakdown soon, waiting for Agri’s new prices and will do an article on that.
Am starting a chicken farm and i will need all the necessary help i will get please.
Hi Ernest, we have a dedicated category for Chicken farming and it will be updated regularly
Halo I’m so happy to see the amount of knowledge you sharing with us its beautiful and I’m going to be following you from now on.thank you
Good information to have as I’ll soon be starting off (my )farming with boilers . Making my own chicken feed would be cheaper.
Hi Malcolm
Please send me also Budget feed from day old to 6 weeks
Aswell as the feed for runners
And the breakdown cost
Regards
Linda
Hi Malcolm, I can’t wait to read your articles every week,its really inspiring.I’m currently busy with a setup for broiler farming. My current business is in tourism but the way things are going it doesn’t seem like it is going to recover soon.
Since you going to do a article about the latest pricing from agri, can you also let us know where we can buy feed in bulk,if there is other suppliers, like directly from the farms.
Thanks so much.
Hi Marlon, thanks for the positive feedback. Please advise in what area you live?
Hie Malcom.
We are starting a free range project now. Is it okay to take day old chicks as we are approaching winter. Or we take after winter season.
Thank you
Annie
Hi Annie, depending where you live you can still do day old chicks for another 3 weeks. Unfortunately winter is around the corner and then evenings will become to cold for day-old chicks. If you can supply them with heat (gas or coal ) you can continue, but both gas and coal burning are expensive. It would be great to do three batches over the next 3 weeks and test your sales to learn more about your local market.
Ayorinde
Good day I have try to formulate broiler feed, but my chicken did not grow well, I prefer_mix, concentrate, soybeans, corn, groundnut cake, and enzymes, I don’t have the right weight at six weeks,
Can you please explain other additives needed to have the right weight at six weeks
It’s good to hear from the people who are already in the industry
Hi I need to start quail farming, any advice
Great information thank you I’m in Cape town I am preparing to start again growing trying your recipes I stopped because of the expensive feed I want to try your recipe and I still need guidance though like with the amount of recipe provided how much chickens can it feed till they are fully grown
Growing broilers
That’s great news Thembi. Good luck with your new venture.
Hi Malcolm,
If you know where can I buy all of this? I’m in Msinga KZN, near Greyrown
How do I mix the ingredients?
Regards
VSS Mchunu
I hope someone see this and help you in KZN
Hi where can I buy the ingredients? Im in Gauteng
Hi Eric, I hope someone see and assist you with this. We are in Cape Town, however we are getting supplier data that we will publish soon
I always had this question, how much feed should be given to a caged chicken ?
I have 14 koekoeks and my flock is still growing. What is the correct measurement?
Thank you, this info was very helpful. But where can we by these ingredients during the lockdown?
I bought 50kg of mixed grain just before the lockdown and 50kg of duck pills. And i am running out again.. am i giving to much feed?
Thanks
Kind regards
Hi
Thank you very much for the information it is so helpful. Aspectialy the calculating formula and the feeds that one can use.
Many thanks.
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Afternoon everyone! m new hear and glad to hear your comments. tanks to admin for accepting, m learning a lot looking forward to start free-range layers.
I am ցenuineⅼy ɡrateful to the holder of this sitе ᴡho has shared this wonderful
piece of writіng at here.
Thank you very much for sharing valuable information.
We want to make our own chicken feed for our broilers and layers. Please advise where in Gauteng we can purchse the following ingredients to make our own chicken feeds: corn, Soybeans, oats, fish meal, calcium, nutri balancer, crushed luserne, barley and wheat,
Thanks for the information. I have tried by all means to locate where I can buy the ingredients but I have failed, may you please assist with where one can buy the ingredients required to make own feed in the Eastern Cape.
I was under the impression that the Basic Broiler feer is cheaper than commercial feed but i found it to be much more expensive. Is that the case or did i mis something. Really looking for a cheaper option than commercial? Im based in KZN.
Regards Francois
You might consider getting grains like barley from Cape Town area and Mielies from the Free State. Depending on how much feed you need or the amount of chickens you have you can arrange with Epol or Nova to deliver on your farm. You will need silo’s installed at your Coop’s and you should pay around R4.80 per kg whereas Agri will charge you around R8 per kilo.
Hi I want to mix the mixture for layer hens but can’t find soybeans for sale in Western Cape, can I use soybean (olie koek) .
Hi Kobus, you can try your local Agri. Caledon Agri does have Soybeans and if they don’t have stock they can arrange it for you. You can use soybean cake.