BarredBuff's Homesteading Shenanigans

[Henrietta23]

No, you're chopping up earthworms. How is that balanced!!! Sorry, just teasing. Hope someone can advise.....

 

[Denim Deb]

You really need to ask if you're balanced?

 

[freemotion]

Do these rations sound balanced? What should I add to them?

ADULT POULTRY FEED
Grain Parts
Cracked Corn 2
Cracked Oats 1
Sunflower Seeds 1
Earthworms .5

Protein Content: 20%

BABY POULTRY FEED
Grain Parts
Ground Corn 1
Ground Oats 2
Ground Sunflower Seeds 1
Chopped Earthworms .5

Protein Content: 20%

RABBIT FEED
Grain Parts
Ground Corn 1
Ground Oats 1
Sunflower Seeds 1
Orchard/Timothy Hay 3

Protein Content: 16% (WITHOUT HAY)

**All animals get greens thru forage and sprouts
**The Rabbits get barks and things like that

Am I balanced?

I'm too tired to do the math for you tonight, but the top two....one is incorrect. Corn is about 9% and oats 12% so you have a lower protein in the first ration than the second, but list both at 20%. Have you used Pearson's Square to figure it out? http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html

 

[BarredBuff]

Free, I used that lionsgrips site to get the protein percentages and for whole oats its 14% and my oats are whole and I just grind them up for em.

 

[freemotion]

One of your formulations has 2 oats to 1 corn, which should come out as a higher % than the other, which has more of the lower protein grain at 2 corn to 1 oats. I suspect your formulas are ok, as adult poultry need less protein than growing chicks. Maybe your total is off on the first one? It should be a bit lower than the second.

 

[BarredBuff]

One of your formulations has 2 oats to 1 corn, which should come out as a higher % than the other, which has more of the lower protein grain at 2 corn to 1 oats. I suspect your formulas are ok, as adult poultry need less protein than growing chicks. Maybe your total is off on the first one? It should be a bit lower than the second.

Yeah I need to refigure it for the adults to be 18% and for babies I'd like it to be 22%...does that sound better?

 

[freemotion]

Yeah. You know you can put up two feeders, one with protein and one with a grain mix, and they will balance their own protein? Just keep all the grains mixed together in one feeder, and the protein supplement in another. Put your calcium in a third. That is the maximum number of choices they should be given. They will balance what they need on any given day.

But if your protein is earthworms....they may choose just earthworms! I know mine would! Maybe you can have a grain feeder, a sunflower seed feeder, and toss their allotment of worms to them on the ground once or twice a day. Just a thought.

 

[BarredBuff]

Im gonna try not and feed commercial feed anymore because my chickens and ducks are out side right now free ranging despite the temperatures and snow. They are digging thru the compost and rabbit manure. Im throwing a grain mix out, they get Flock Raiser, and oyster shell. I think once spring hits I can put them on just grain mix because the forage will be so rich. I have excellent forage grounds for them two orchards, an old ornamental garden which is covered in leaves, plus they get kitchen scraps. I think they are doing good.......got a dozen eggs Tuesday, 11 Wednesday and I already have a few this morning. These Doms have turned out to be pretty hardy....

 

[freemotion]

Your program is working! If you have good foraging and you get a broody hen, you probably won't need chick feed. I used very little.

 

[BarredBuff]

Your program is working! If you have good foraging and you get a broody hen, you probably won't need chick feed. I used very little.

I need the chick feed for my babies Im gonna raise in April (meaties and Australorps) but IM GETTING A BROODY somehow or someway so they can raise some Buff Orps.....