Anyone who’s raised chickens for eggs or meat knows that feed can be ridiculously expensive. You may have considered making your own, but how can you be sure you’re providing all the nutrients that your birds need?
It can all get so complicated.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be. In this article, we’re going to look at two simple, cost-effective ways to make homemade chicken feed for layers and broilers.
Understanding Chickens’ Nutritional Needs
Raising animals for food can be complicated, especially when it comes to understanding their nutritional needs. Chickens are no exception, and there’s a big difference between the feed used to nourish egg-laying hens and those used to raise broilers for their meat.
The key to understanding their different nutritional needs comes down to their life cycle, as well as the nutrients they need for optimal health.
Broiler chickens generally only live a couple of months. As such, they’re fed diets that are higher in protein and fat to encourage growth. For example, broiler chickens generally only live about two months, so they’re fed high-protein diets (20-25% protein) with plenty of fat.
In contrast, layer hens can live anywhere from two to 18 years, depending on their circumstances. They tend to live longer in places like homesteads, where they’re treated more like pets. Their diets need to be lower in protein, around 12-18%.
Otherwise, they could end up suffering from renal failure as their kidneys are taxed from processing too much protein long-term.
Nutrient Needs for Healthy Birds
As far as nutrients go, chickens need the following to grow healthy and strong:
- Carbohydrates for energy and fuel
- Protein for growth and muscle development
- Fats for energy, growth, essential vitamins, satiety, and overall health
- Vitamins for overall growth, development, health, and wellbeing
- Minerals. For example, layer hens need calcium in order to keep laying eggs with sturdy, well-formed shells
Offering your birds a well-balanced homemade chicken feed is the best way to ensure that they’re getting everything they need to develop into strong, healthy animals.
Whether you’re planning on processing them for meat or keeping them for several years’ worth of egg-laying, the healthier your flock is, the more beneficial their flesh and eggs will be for those who consume them.
Homemade Chicken Feed Formula for Laying Hens
This homemade chicken feed is a well-balanced mixture of protein for layers. It’s not formulated for meat birds. Combine:
- 18 cups split peas (protein and fiber)
- 12 cups pearl barley (protein and fiber)
- 12 cups hard red wheat (protein)
- 9 cups oats (protein, calcium, B vitamins, fiber)
- 9 cups millet (for essential amino acids and iron)
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed meal OR 1 cup black oil sunflowers (protein and fats)
- 1/2 cup diatomaceous earth (natural anti-parasitic, plus boosts growth and laying)
- 1/3 cup garlic powder (natural de-wormer, immune booster, antibacterial, etc.)
- 1/3 cup alfalfa meal (encourages egg laying)
- 1/3 cup kelp (high omega-3 content)
- 2 tablespoons dicalcium phosphate (calcium creates stronger shells, aids in overall chicken health, and helps them to absorb phosphorous)
- 2 tablespoons crushed oyster shells (grit and phosphorous)
Layer hens often suffer from low calcium, especially if they’re particularly productive breeds. This recipe has ingredients that help to safeguard against this, but you still need to keep an eye on your birds.
Learn more about how to identify deficiencies in your birds and take steps to help them by reading our article on calcium deficiency in chickens and how to avoid it.
Chicken Feed Formula for Broilers
As mentioned earlier, broiler hens need a lot of protein and higher fat, as they mature quickly and head for the soup pot within a couple of months. This is in contrast to layer hens, which are often kept around for several years.
This recipe has all the nutrients they need to grow into big, healthy birds in time for harvest. Combine:
- 20 cups corn OR sorghum (protein and fiber)
- 20 cups hard red wheat (protein and fiber)
- 16 cups split peas (protein and fiber)
- 12 cups pearl barley (protein and fiber)
- 10 cups oats (protein, calcium, B vitamins, fiber)
- 8 cups fish meal (promotes growth and muscle development)
- 4 cups freeze-dried mealworms (protein, essential vitamins)
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed meal OR 1 cup black oil sunflowers (protein and fats)
- 2 tablespoons crushed oyster shells (grit and phosphorous)
- 1/2 tablespoon dicalcium phosphate (calcium)
This homemade chicken feed formula is for mature broiler chickens. Younger chicks and pullets don’t need to have calcium added to their feed. Additionally, you can increase the mealworm and sunflower content for younger birds until they reach their mature size.
Storage and Usage
Store your homemade chicken feed in sealed containers in a cool, dry place for no longer than two months. If you find any mold growing on the feed, discard it immediately to avoid mycotoxicosis.
Additionally, be aware that some chickens are pickier eaters than others. Some will happily switch from their previous commercial feed to your homemade formula with no problems, while others will behave like recalcitrant toddlers and refuse to partake.
As such, be sure that you don’t discard commercial seed that you have left, or keep an extra bag on hand to mix in with your homemade formula to help them transition.
As far as feeding goes, estimate around one and a quarter cups of feed per chicken every day.
Optional and Beneficial Additions
This homemade chicken feed will be the cornerstone of your birds’ diets. That said, you can supplement it with some fresh vegetables and table scraps.
For example, hanging a lettuce or cabbage on a hook for your chickens to peck at isn’t just an effective boredom buster: the dark leafy greens are ideal for helping to create deep yellow-orange, nutrient-dense yolks.
In addition to insects that they forage in the yard, chickens also love to snack on things like halved watermelons and pumpkins, eggshells, berries, yogurt, and safe kitchen scraps.
For a full list of snacks and treats that you can offer your chickens, whether you’re aiming to plump them up or increase their laying yields, read our article on 19 homemade healthy chicken treats your hens will love.
Notes on Homemade Chicken Feed for Mixed Flocks
If you’re raising a mixed flock, you’ll either want to feed them separately or find a middle ground between the two.
As mentioned earlier, layer birds that consume too much protein can suffer from kidney damage. If your layers and broilers are eating the same feed, then either one flock won’t get enough protein to mature properly, or they’ll be getting too much protein and insufficient calcium.
One of the best ways to negotiate this for mixed flocks is to create a homemade chicken feed that’s a midpoint between the two, and then supplementing as needed.
For example, you can eliminate the corn/sorghum and mealworms to reduce the protein levels, and only add a bit of calcium.
Divide your flocks a couple of weeks in advance to prepare for culling, and supplement your broilers’ diets accordingly with extra fat and protein from plenty of sunflower seeds, corn, and mealworms. In addition, offer your layers extra calcium and phosphorous in the form of crushed egg and oyster shells.
Using homemade chicken feed is a great way to keep homesteading costs down, especially if you grow any of these crops yourself. Supplement this feed with safe vegetables, fruits, and snacks, and you’ll undoubtedly end up with healthy, happy birds, and more eggs than you’ll know what to do with.
