Chicken Feed from scratch…. home made organic chicken feed.

We wanted to go to an organic, homemade feed for the chickens. The biggest challenge was figuring out the correct quantities of ingredients to get to 16% protein. I created an excel spread sheet to calculate this. See the attached sheet. For the ‘amount’, I am using a small coffee can to measure (so that is by ‘volume’ and not weight)

I have found many recipes on-line, but since I don’t always have the same ingredients available, I needed a way to adjust my mix and calculate the mix protein. Enter, the attached spreadsheet. Feel free to copy and use. If you don’t have a specific ingredient, enter ‘0’ for amount, adjust the other amounts to match what you have on hand so the final product is 16% or greater.

When I am using this spreadsheet, I will enter the amounts, then print out the formula – I cross out the Zero quantity items, then make my mix.

Note of the food mix: I found that once I started using this feed, the chickens were emptying the feeders onto the ground everyday. they were digging out all of the feed just to get to the meal worms (their favorite!). What jerks! Kinda like an extended family member who used to eat all of the Lucky Charm marshmallows as a child. (have you ever noticed how some people actually put effort into being unlikable ? !) Anyway, back to the chickens…

Now I have been keeping store bought organic feed in the feeders for when they are hungry, and every evening (or most evenings anyway); I toss a big scoop of my homemade feed in for them. two thoughts here:

1 ) they get the ‘good stuff’ daily, and it gives them something to scratch for; but if I forget they still have the store bought stuff in the feeders.

2 ) I do this in the afternoon or evening, I’m worried that if I start doing this in the morning they might start squawking for their morning ‘treat’ and I don’t want to start that habit.