Organic Homemade Chicken Feed.

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I'm not sure why the Lord saw fit to bless me with the arrival of all these cool animals over the last few weeks, but I sure am thankful for it. I've been wanting chickens for years. YEARS, people. And now I get to make my very own organic homemade chicken feed.

When we found out that we'd be getting chickens upon our arrival in Washington, I began researching organic homemade chicken feed options. It's no doubt convenient to pick up the scratch or pelleted formula from the feed store, but I really wanted a primarily organic, non-GMO, non-soy based diet for the ‘ol girls. Healthier for them and better nutrients in our eggs.

As much as I'd like these chickens to free range, I've got far too much invested in my garden beds to let them do such. They have a nice large coop to roam and roost in and for the time being, they're better off in there. I'm willing to put forward the extra effort though to supplement them with as much of a free-range-mimicked-diet as I can though.

When one thinks about what the chicken actually eats when it free ranges, it's pretty easy to supplement with grains and grasses. Bugs are also a nice addition, should you have any extras (extra worms from our vermaculture bin work great for this!).

Let me point this out before I begin: it's very, very important to source your grains wisely. For example, you'll see that the recipe calls for flax seed. If you head to your local grocery store to stock up on bulk flax, you're going to cry when you get to the cash register – it simply isn't cost effective to buy it from there. Call your local feed store and ask about bulk, organic grains.

Azure Standard is where we order all our grains from and is a great option for animal feed (I've included the price per pound on each grain that was ordered from there in the recipe below). Amazon also has deals on bulk grains sometimes. Shop around and find the most economically feasible option that you can. Then, store them in cool containers like this so that the mice don't feast on your goods!

In addition to our homemade grain mixture, I also supplement our chickens with all of our kitchen scraps (things like carrot peelings, stale bread, or old greens) and a few large armfuls of weeds each day. They love to eat the tender leaves off the wildflowers and weeds that grow around here. This gives them a large variety of foods to receive their nutrients from, which I think is nice for them.

Welp. Let's get to making organic homemade chicken feed, shall we?

Organic Homemade Chicken Feed

Update 2013: The prices below reflect the price we pay through Azure Standard as of June 2013. Prices change monthly and are variable.

Update 2019: The prices of the grains listed below have gone up enough that we now source our grain from a local, organic mill instead of making our own. 

You will need:
– 12 cups organic, feeder oats (.34 cents/lb)
– 8 cups organic, soft white wheat (.38 cents/lb)
– 8 cups organic, hard red wheat (.26 cents/lb)
– 6 cups organic corn (.42 cents/lb)
– 4 cups organic lentils (.54 cents/lb)
– 4 cups organic split peas (.47 cents/lb)
– 2 cups organic flax seed (1.68/lb)
– 1 cup sesame seeds (2.27/lb)
– 3/4 cup kelp granules (3.25/lb)
– 2 tablespoons olive oil, coconut oil, or molasses

Simply combine all the ingredients together in a large bucket. Use your hands or a large spoon to mix and combine all the grains. The olive oil will help the powdered kelp to stick to the grains easily.

Kelp is an important addition – it helps to provide vital minerals to the chickens and is an inexpensive way to do such.

As of now, I find that my 15 chickens eat about 4 cups of this mixture per day. I've inspected the soil closely to see if their leaving particular grain behind but for the most part, they don't sort through the mixture, so I am glad. Even though they aren't fully grown, they can still easily eat the split peas, whole corn, and lentils just fine. They love the wheat, especially.

When I feed the chickens, I simply scatter the feed along the ground in their run. This entertains them, as they can spend their morning scratching through the soil like they do naturally. During the winter months, I'll feed them inside the coop.

This homemade feed may not work for everyone, and it may not be as cost effective for everyone, but it has worked wonderfully for us. The chickens seem to be thriving on the whole grain diet and I am thankful to be able to provide them with such nutritional awesomeness.

Also note: while it's possible to make this feed without corn, I have no reason to do such. Because I am able to buy an organic, non-GMO from Azure, I feel confident feeding it to my chickens in this quantity. If left to their own devices free-ranging, chickens would punish some corn. So corn it is, for us. Feel free to substitute for another high protein feed stuff (such as sunflower seeds), if you wish.

You know what the best part is about this feed? We get to share it with the chickens! Ha! I filled up our wheat bucket that I keep in the kitchen right before I mixed this together for them. And after that, I strolled down to the shop to fill up my mason jar with lentils. Score!

Chickens are cool. So is homemade chicken feed. If that's what you're into.

I totally am.

Watch what I make with all those beautiful chicken eggs over on YouTube!
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Comments:

    • Hi. Altho i found this recipe informative, here are a few suggestions and more information I’ve learned, and lived, along the way that I’d like to share.

      Corn is VERY high in fat. It should only be used during Winter months as it increases the chicken’s body temp..in the Summer, they cannot cool down as easily. If used, it should be used as a treat..not the sole nutrition. There are nearly zero nutrients in corn. In the Northern states, we increase it some during the Winter..to help keep them warm.

      When purchasing grains, most are loaded with GMO’s.. so are any, and all, scraps from grocery stores, restaurants etc.. Large farms HAVE to use those seeds. They are loaded with altering characteristics and now with pesticides built into the DNA. (Thanks to Monsanto 🙁 ) We purchase our grains thru the Amish. They can provide grains from heirloom seeded plants..no GMO’s.

      Fermenting the chicken’s grains can help them retain much more nutrients. Also cuts down on their water useage, as the feed has plenty of liquid. The poo has much less smell, helps them grow out feathers better, provides heavier and healthier eggs without a strong ‘egg’ flavor, meat isn’t as gamey, cuts down on diseases, and is more filling… as well as a multitude of other benefits. Starter feed can be fermented, too. After the initial 3 day process, and the Mother is saved, it can be cycled indefinitely every other day. So easy!

      Fodder is an EXCELLENT addition to their diet, as well. Easily done in trays and is a 10 day cycle. Barley is high on the list, for example. There is no waste, either. All parts are consumable by the chickens.

      Feeding them on the ground adds to diseases.. like EColi. They tend to eat their own poo.. doing fermentation and using healthy grains helps eliminate “left over” unused grain in their waste. Therefore not as much eating of such poo.

      With a variety in their diet like this, they are happier, healthier, and busier. We add vermiculture worms, free ranging, a small compost pile of weeds in their run, left over milk, eggs shells, scraps from the garden (except tomato and cabbage LEAVES.. these are toxic). Cheeses and meats in moderation and only as much as they will consume in a day so as not to attract predators. You can hang cabbage heads.. a great treat!

      Breads have so much salts, and overly processed ingredients, that it will slowly kill them from the inside out.. like cancer does to humans. It can add to the heart attack risk. We avoid breads, pastas, flours…etc.

      Plenty of clean water on hand. Happy happy girls n boys! They really thrive on this diet. Haven’t had a loss yet in 3 yrs due to dietary or cleanliness issues. We consistently get A+ ratings on all inspections.

      Just wanting to share what I’ve learned along the way. There are always other things available out there. These things have worked remarkably well with good health..for EVERYONE, human and chicken alike, with great notice.

      Have a great day, all!

      Reply

      • Great you are so knowledgeable on feed. Hate to break this to you but in reality, until EVERYONE knows, we can’t stop it! All grains for livestock and human food, is dried in the field by spraying with Round up or a like spray. These same grains are sold as ORGANIC! No, they may not be GMO but the cancer causing base for those sprays are intensified when spray on the food to dry it. There is ONE mill in Canada who has announced they will not accept oats that rre spray dried next year.. They do not ship to the states. Hopefully if enough people stand up and shout,, our food and that of our animals will again be safe to eat!

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        • Old post I realize, but this is so not true. My husbands family farm (canadian) never does, nor did, dessicate crops. And they weren’t even ‘certified organic’!!! Farms definitely do this sometimes but it is just fear mongering to claim that they all do. Know your farmer!

          Reply

      • I read that you mentioned cabbage leaves are toxic, later in the article you said to hang a cabbage for the chickens to eat. could you clarify this please?

        Reply

        • I interpreted it as not to feed the chickens the leaves of tomato plants and the leaves of cabbage plants. The tomato fruits and cabbage heads themselves are fine to give to the chickens.

          Reply

      • Oh I wish you could tell me where I can get Amish grains around Ossian Indiana. I don’t knobbier you are located. Perhaps you have local address?

        Reply

      • Hello,
        I have 11 chickens (3 full grown egg layers and 8, 6-7 week old chicks), and I am trying to discontinue commercial chicken feed with soy; I would love to start using this recipe for my chickens. Can the lentils be substituted for bulgar? Recently, I read an article suggesting that peas and lentils can be difficult ingredients for chickens to digest-what are your thoughts? Additionally, can these dry grains be fermented without being cooked prior? If so, how many days must I soak them? I’m a novice at raising chickens, but I’m eager to learn more.

        Thank you!!
        Melissa

        Reply

    • This is such a good post – one of the best I’ve ever read. Thank you for the information and comments. My girls are arriving within the month and I’m trying to make sure I have their “home” ready and safe. Thanks again!

      Reply

    • Dear all
      it is in nigeria.. i have 6 layers might be 4 months old. since the beginning, I am giving homemade feed.
      my ingredient are as follow
      1. corn seed
      2.soya seed
      3. whole wheat
      4. dry lime powder
      5. eggshell powder
      6.onion seed
      7. Carom seed
      8. flex seed
      all chicken growing very well…

      Reply

    • Hello All , taking some time to research the value of herbs is worth it. Especially Oregano. I have fresh herbs in pots and growing around pens, I also cut and dry them and add to feed,

      Reply

  2. Hi! I liked this informative post!
    We actually had 15 Ameracanas a few weeks back but they all ended up dying. We had them for 2 weeks. I have come to the conclusion that the nats had a part in it. I stopped by a Amish homestead on Friday to buy some brown eggs & asparagus! The young lady was confirming my & my husbands thoughts. There was a loss of as many as 200 on one farm she was telling me. I really thought we were going to have some fun & in few months we would be gathering blue eggs! Needless to say we won’t be doing that. I would be just like you hanging out w/them just watching them peck & scratch! We may have to try another batch some day soon! We paid $55 for them & the feed from the feed store was like $18. Not sure what the sack of grit cost. I would be willing to go non gmo, organic, make my own chicken feed so I hope I get to some day soon!
    Take care out there!

    Reply

    • Have you tried food grade diotomatious earth? I sprinkle it in my coop, nests, run area & use it on my veggie beds. I no longer have holes on tomato or pepper plant leaves…chickens no longer bothered by insects.

      Reply

      • Hi, I am enjoying this blog as you do, and read about using DE. I too bought some and have distributed it in their dust bath area, in nesting area, but did not think about sprinkling in coop. I have a tractor coop and live within city limits in a neighborhood. Yes believe me I would rather be on some land, but this is where I am for now. I do only have 7 chickens and love them too. The biggest problem I have found facing are the flies. Oh my goodness!!! I have purchased the hanging down catchers and then I found what is called Stable “something” . Anyhow it suppose to be biodegradable with DE added. It has helped and I don’t think the chickens eat it. But I was wondering about the DE like you mentioned. What kind of DE do you use to sprinkle. The DE I have is so powdery and I have to use a mask to administer it. Any how I am trying to gear up for winter and anything helpful on chickens would be very appreciated. Thank you from Oklahoma girl

        Reply

        • you need a muscovy duck or 2 they eat flys like crazy— if you get a pr. be wear you’ll have plenty of little bug eaters you’ll just love them.Yes they are good to eat too .

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        • I am a huge fan of DE! I eat it, I feed it to the dog, cats, and birds. I have had no issues with worms in my animals since I started using it. Food Grade is important.

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        • I do not have a problem with flies in coop. The reason, I believe, is because I have a layer of straw in there. Coop gets more straw every month. Hens are continually turning. Turning into compost, the easy way

          Reply

    • Hi! We recently began our search for a good Homemade Chicken Feed for our Girls. I realize this post is nearly a couple of years old at this point, but in following all of your links, the cost rolls in at over $19 per recipe! That’s more than double the figure quoted above! Could costs really have gone up that much in 2 years? Curious if perhaps you too noticed an increase and may have begun substitutions? If so, we’d be so thankful to hear of your inclusions! Appreciative!

      Reply

      • Hayley I just calculated a similar price from Azure…I’m wondering if it’s even worth the trouble when Scratch Peck & feed is around $25 for a 25lb. bag. The calculated price is for a 17.5lb mixture. The price difference per lb is almost the same. I’m curious if you’re still ordering from Azure or do you order else where? How have the prices gone up so significantly in two years???

        Reply

          • Hi Shayne, So are you still feeding your girls this same recipe now that the cost has increased so sharply? If you are using a new recipe, or have new sources, would you mind sharing them?

          • I’d love to know your source for non-GMO feed in Spokane. I live near there and our local feed store is under new ownership and no longer carrying the local, non-GMO feed we’ve been buying.

        • I am currently feeding my girls no-soy, no GMO, no corn (for the summer…when winter comes I will add corn) feed from Scratchandpeck, and it runs me $35 for 25 pounds. However, it has a fish meal base, since there is no soy. I question if this recipe would have a high enough protein content with the listed ingredients. I wonder if anyone knows the protein level?

          Reply

          • Corn doesn’t make heat for chickens, but it does add fat. I would recommend using BOSS instead, which is better for the cold winter months in supplying heat. 🙂

  3. So how much does this end up costing, say, per week? And how will that cost compare to the number of eggs you’ll be collecting once they start laying? I completely agree with how much fun chickens are, but I’m also very interested in the economics. We live in the city but on a 1/4 acre parcel, and right now I’m thinking of getting the six birds the city allows ad just letting them range in the backyard. We don’t have anything planted back there yet (and won’t for a year, probably) so I’m not concerned about them ruining anything. What do you think?

    Reply

    • If you are interested in economics, you will see that raising your own chickens reduces stress and your dependence on other markets. In addition to being free entertainment. Pay a little more now and get a lot later. Externalities need to be factored in. My chickens are free range and healthy and my kids can’t wait to start collecting eggs. Its worth it, at some point you have to make decisions not completely based on its economic cost.

      Reply

    • Great question (which I didn’t read through all the comments to find out if Shaye posted the answer…).

      If the feed costs 47 cents per pound… and the chickens eat about 25 pounds each by the time they get to laying age (that’s what we estimate at our ranch), that’s $11.75 worth of feed to raise each chicken to laying age (6 months). They will lay about 200 eggs per year in an ideal scenario (i.e. they never run out of feed, never get chased by dogs, never get left without water, etc), and you can reasonably expect to get 2 years worth of good laying from each chicken. Now, an adult laying chicken eats much more per day than a juvenile. Let’s just say 1/4 pound per day.

      Here’s the math:
      1/4 lb per day * 365 days/year * 2 years = 182.5 lb feed per chicken during their productive life
      182.5 * $0.47 = $85.78 to feed each chicken for 2 years
      2 years * 200 eggs/year = 400 eggs
      ($85.78 to feed each chicken while laying + $11.75 to raise each chicken to laying age )/ 200 eggs = $0.48 per egg for feed costs = $5.85 per dozen

      Be CAREFUL with your costing strategy if you sell your eggs. In this scenario, if you were selling eggs for $6 per dozen, you’d only be making 15 cents per dozen for your labor and equipment and brooder electricity, bedding, water, minerals, fencing, etc. Very VERY important to understand numbers when you are trying to do for-profit farming.

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      • I love the cost break-down for the eggs! Of course, I’m not going to provide the cost break-down for these other added benefits of chickens, but here are other ways that chickens help to earn their keep.
        1. Garden prep. Let them loose in your garden before you’re ready to plant. They’ll eat your weeds, aerate the soil and ‘drop’ fertilizer. Same benefit when your garden is finished. Pull up plants they can’t eat, like tomato, and leave them to tend the end of year garden cleaning.
        2. Fertilizer. They provide TONS of fertilizer from their poop to their leftover eggshells to keep your flowers, herbs and veggies happy. What you feed them does come back to you, and not just in their eggs.
        3. Pest control. They’ll provide chemical-free pest control and entertainment. They’ll eat ticks, mosquitoes, spiders and anything else that catches their attention.
        4. I’ll call this a ‘soft’ benefit. But you can help supplement their calcium with your leftover egg shells. Rinse them, bake them and pulverize them in the blender. Ta-da!

        And I will point out that while I love my dogs more than most people, they’ve never once fed me breakfast!

        Reply

      • Error in the math:
        It should be: 25 lbs feed + (.25 lbs/day * 365 days/year * 2years) = 207.5 lbs per chicken for 2.5 years (agreed)
        Divided this by (200 eggs per year ( 2 years/productivity) = 400 eggs (agreed)
        Cost for chicken feed for 2.5 years = 207.5 * .47 per pound = $97.52
        And then $97.52 / 400 eggs per productivity cycle of chickens = $0.24 per egg (That’s cheap protein!)
        If each egg was medium 1.75 oz (1.75 oz / 16oz per pound = .11lb) then 0.24 cents / .11 lb then you have $2.18 per pound

        Let’s factor in health benefits. If having chickens makes you happier and more responsible, and you learn from them and don’t beat your kids then that saves you 2 sick days per year * $150 per day = $300 more per year (pays for 2 more chickens per year for their 2.5 years) which gives you more chickens = more eggs and kids are fed better, are less sick, you are happier, productivity goes up at work, you earn more year, then you get $2000/year raise, which buys you 20 more chickens each year, which you give to neighbors, and they reroof your house because they appreciate it so much, which saves you $10K…which buys you 100 more chickens

        Of course you have to recoop the cost of housing the chickens etc. Coops cost about…

        Your error was when you took the total cost and divided it out by only 200 eggs instead of 400 eggs. Like you said, if you’re doing it for profit, you have to watch your figures. 🙂

        Reply

        • You missed a really big point of kids and chickens… you only calculated feeding those chickens for 2 years…if you have kids like mine, I can’t kill those chickens after they are done laying, so they continue eating, and eating, and eating long after they are done laying…. DAMN children, 🙂

          Reply

          • Maybe yours won’t stop after two years. Mine have never stopped except in the winter. But as they age they keep laying. One is 14 years old and still laying and that’s happened before. I have a real variety and they all keep laying.

      • Realize this is old but that either that math didn’t add or I misiss d something–first started with 2 years worth of feed costs then divided that but one years worth of eggs

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    • We to live in a city and the birds are not allowed to run the whole yard because of city ordinances and predators (cats, Wildlife,and Such) So check your city ordinances for sure

      Reply

  4. Great mix – I’m so glad Azure Standard is out there! We shared this with our readers at homesteadlady.com.

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  5. Very well written article. I will try your mix. Just had 4 chicks taken out by raccoon. For those like me not bearing arms — and posed with a threat — I loaded a super-soaker with strait bleach x 4, sprinkled 5000 mg of crushed aspirin on killed but not eaten chicken + left a side of anti-freeze.

    No more coon problems . . .

    Reply

    • Would have been much more humane to have borrowed a weapon and shot them. Have you ever watched an animal die from anti freeze? I have and it is a slow torturous death! While racoons kill our chickens they deserve humane treatment!

      Reply

      • Yes that is a very cruel way to kill an animal, someones pet could have ate this antifreeze. I don`t know why people who live on a piece of land and keep animals wouldn`t have a firearm I mean a rifle to shoot predators,it`s a far more humane death than antifreeze which is a long painful death!!

        Reply

      • Agree. Our neighbors traps woodchucks and transplants them to keep out his garden. Trying to find out if this is allowed. I don’t agree with it. We have had a coyote take 2 of our 20 chickens but the hens had flown out of yard via branches from fruit bush. Branches cut back, wings of hens trimmed and all hens safe sofas. We have had a red tail hawk try rosewood up one if the hens, but unsuccessful. One did get one of our friends hen a few blocks up. It is a circle of life.
        We have a fenced yard, free ranging for our hens. We love love love our hens. Our cocker spaniel doesn’t bother them, she actually has a healthy respectful fear of them. So do our cats. They all graze together.

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        • We have guardian dogs. They keep all the predators away. We locked the dogs in a kennel for a while and our flock was diminishing rather quickly. (coyotes) We haven’t lost 1 bird since. Our ducks and chickens are totally free ranged. Sandy

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    • Wow. I have to chime in and say that’s an awful thing to do to any animal. A well-placed shot from a gun is probably the most humane way to rid your homestead of predators. And an enclosed run and secure coop where your chickens are locked each night should protect them from being attacked by predators in the first place.

      Reply

    • I keep the chickens in the coop at night, and you might just get a dog. No reason to kill unless they enter your house and threaten your life, and if they do, you better have a gun.

      Reply

  6. I would also love the cost break-down on this…we buy Modesto Mills organic soy-free food and it’s about $26/50 lb bag when I buy in bulk from the feed store in San Diego. I love the idea of making my own, though!

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  8. This is awesome! We are doing our “chicken budget” right now, and this is REALLY helpful. Here’s a question, though: we don’t eat wheat, and I would love to order grains that we could eat, as well. Do you know of other grains that chickens might appreciate and enjoy in a similar fashion?

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    • Sorghum and sunflower are good. Millet is another. Not sure about cost. I’m in Australia.
      We call the hens ‘chooks.’ 🙂

      Reply

  10. Depending on how much land you have, chickens aren’t terribly destructive to gardens. Mine free range and don’t really care that much about anything but the sprouts. I keep them locked up until the garden is established and lock them up if they start to get to be a problem. But they like to scratch for bugs more than anything. I actually encourage them to spend a LOT of time in the garden after harvest and before planting by feeding them over there so they get all the little bugs they can.

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  11. I’m gluten-intolerant and not jazzed about the idea of handling wheat. Is there a gluten-free substitute that will fill the same nutritional need?

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  12. Thank you so much for posting this! I had been considering making my own but we currently buy a mix like this from someone else for .21¢/lb and I think we’ll just keep it that way 🙂

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    • Lisa B ::: Where do you get your organic feed comparable to the recipe stated above? Can it be ordered online? Name of the company, please?

      Reply

  13. Did you have a particular justification for including the more expensive ingredients (flax seed, sesame seed, kelp granules)? Also, I don’t know whether you give your chickens oyster shell or some other source of calcium and magnesium separately, but once they start laying you will probably want to add some calcium to their diet – otherwise the eggshells will be thin.

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    • I use ground up dry egg shells for calcium – put them in a seperate dish for the chickens and they eat as much as they need, Just be careful that the shells are perfeclty dry before grinding up in the blender.

      Here in Mexico we have a lot of bird epidemics – which caused me to loose my first batch of chickens just as they were starting to lay ( VERY frustrating after babying them for 6 months ! ) so now I stick to a very strick vaccination schedule every 3 months.

      Another good thing to do if your chickens are limited with free ranging is to given them all the weeding you get from your garden – I also grow a long patch of alfalfa out of which I make a drink from for us ( cut off hanfdulls of top growth, put in blender with a little sugar, blend very well and strain. Add cold water, ice and some lemon juice and you have the healhyist drink possible ) the strained left over goes to the chickens who LOVE it. They also get a few handfuls of the fresh alfalfa daily and a handful of worms.

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  14. Hi Shaye, I am really excited about your recipe. I have all of these ingredients in my machine shed and I put all of my 50 lb. bags of grain in cool containers to keep them all separated until I combine them daily. I was just curious if you (or anyone else) grinds their grain. It seems like my chickens are not the biggest of fans yet. I have also been fermenting this recipe – which they always went crazy over my fermented foods before, so I don’t really see a difference. To ferment, I have just been filling up this grain bucket with water and adding about a cup of kombucha and mixing it in and then it is ready about 24 hours later. I feed them the dry mix in the morning and the fermented in the afternoon.

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      • I ferment my oats and wheat with lentils and they love it. I also add veggie scraps from my organic garden, I just blend them up and mix in the fermented feed. I feed my free range meat birds this twice per day and it has cut their feed bill in half.

        Reply

  16. Where do you find your ingredients for those prices per pound? I have been looking on Azure website. but do you recommend an others. I appreciate your recipe and website thank you!

    Reply

  17. Are your sunflower seeds whole or hulled?? We are weighing the cost of making our own food. We haven’t ever feed them GMO laced food and we feel like they aren’t getting enough protein, so we are having to do more research. I don’t want to default to pre-made corn based food.

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    • one of the highest nutrition and least expensive feeds for them is actually green peas, highest in protein for all grains(I think it comes in at about 20% protein), and is pretty cheap, even for the organic type, for a treat we feed our fresh pea plant shoots in the cold weather months, also high in protein, pea shoot microgreens have approx $25 protein, more than chicken itself(crazy but true:-)

      Reply

  18. Hi,
    Have you done an analysis on the nutrient content vs. the regular layer pellets? I would love to try this as long as they are getting the nutrients they need to keep healthy and lay eggs.

    Thanks!
    Carrie

    Reply

  19. Thank you for your recommendation of Azure Standard… I looked into it and was so pleased with the prices. I was going to place an order and was disheartened by the shipping cost. I decided to contact them on the off chance they might have a trucking stop and was thrilled that they do, and much closer than I would have imagined! I live in sw Colorado, in a very tiny town, so major happiness on that news! Turns out I will spend LESS for the same weight as the questionable feed from the store! Win-win! Thanks for the breakdown of cost as well as the recipe!

    Reply

    • Hi, I hope you get this message.
      I have 160 hens and am looking to cut my feed bill. I sell eggs but I barely cut even as the feed bill of scratch, crumble and pellets is huge. I feed veggie scraps etc too- but am looking to save on my feed expenses.
      You said you were happy to have found Azure and a truck stop… how did that work? I live in Buena Vista, CO- I was wondering too if I found a good online price how the shipping will impact it-
      Haven’t found a wholesale deal on chicken feed yet! I hope to hear from you or someone on this- my email is [email protected] please contact me by email- thank you so much!!

      Reply

  20. I am wondering if your hens have started laying and if the feed has provided the necessary nutrients for strong shells and consistent laying?

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    • We are looking to start making our own feed but presently our feed is store bought, organic. We do give scraps and wash out and dry the egg shells and bake them and grind them. Their shells are so firm, yolks are rich. This is the Biggest comment we have received from the eggs we give away.

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  22. To make things even better, I talked to the woman who coordinates the drop for Azure Standard and it turns out she found them only a couple of months ago based on your chicken feed post as well! Your influence is spreading!

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  23. I love your website, and am so glad I ran across it. In your above recipe, you mention “feeder oats”. I don’t see this on azure standard.. do you buy these at a farm supply store, or are they something else? Thanks!

    Reply

    • If you search oats on their website, you should find them. They may be under ‘chicken oats’ or ‘horse oats’ or something like that… I can’t quite remember… but yes, our farm supply store sells them too as feeder oats.

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  24. I have become part of a group in Arizona which pools our feed volume together so we pay wholesale pricing on USDA certified organic chicken feed. The organic feed I buy from them is a corn, soy and canola free organic feed for $26. However, there are over 30 types of feeds for different animals. This pricing a super low in the Phoenix area. With 20 chickens I am personally saving over $100/mo. Here is a link to the prices for anyone to compare: http://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/prices.html

    Reply

  26. Oh my goodness, I LOVE your blog!! We have 2 small kids close to your kids’ ages, and we are working towards similar goals as you, although you are much farther along than us! My question is, have you had any trouble with the grains in storage getting buggy? I am looking at doing this for our chickens, but I think some of the minimum purchase sizes from azure standard will be a years’ supply for our small flock, so I am a little worried they will get buggy or rot? What do you think?

    Reply

  27. Hi, could you feed this recipe to new born chicks but grind it up, and maybe add some water??? I am struggling to find an organic product (that is fish free) for new born chicks (hatched from an incubator) . Any help would be appreciated.

    Reply

  28. Azure is awesome! For those who don’t have the time or inclination to make their own chicken food, Azure also sells 40 lb bag of organic, soy free layer pellets for $22. Comes to $.55 lb. Worth it if you’re short on time. 🙂

    Reply

  29. Hi Shaye!

    Will try and keep this comment condensed as I am excited to find this post and your site 😉

    My big question is, how is the fermenting with this mix going? I am also an Azure customer and have tried 2 of the 3 brands of chicken layer feed they carry with less then desirable results, mainly because of the offensive smell which I believe is due to the peas. So I had started giving some thought to making my own and keeping the peas and kelp out to add just before serving? Any thought would be appreciated. I had great success fermenting their starter and grower with wonderfully yummy smelling results, so don’t believe it’s due to not fermenting correctly 😉

    Anyway, I’ve loaded my Azure cart with all the ingredients you mentioned above and am looking forward to giving it a try ~ thanks so much for taking the homework out of this newest endeavor for me! Your’s was the 1st and only link I clicked on after searching for “homemade chicken feed” ~ for some reason I thought it was going to be harder than that, lol!

    Blessings ~ Kendra of Ramblin’ H Acres, KS

    Reply

  30. I love chickens and use to raise them when lived outside of city limits. Hate how we live in an agricultural area yet can’t have chickens within city limits YET a big city like Seattle can! Go fig! Anyhow… at the beginning of gardening season once the snow is gone from the ground allow your chickens free reign of your future garden. Their poop will make your garden amazing. I remember one year before we planted our chickens were allowed to scratch and peck all they wanted in our garden and late that summer we had the most amazing veggies. When we moved back within city limits our gardens never produced the same quality of crops regardless of how well maintained the garden was. Eventually we gave up because the garden needed those chickens and their poop to fertilize the ground naturally. Never had to use pesticides either because they ate the bugs around the garden (they were kept out of the garden itself). We only had tomato worms once and those green worms were a treat for my girls. I miss my chickens.

    Reply

  32. Help! I started feeding my chickens and two things are very apparent, they need twice the amount you list per day (I have 7 and quickly realized I would not be able to go less than 4c/day) and their egg production has slowly but surely dropped in half. I was getting average of 6/day before switching over and each week has dropped by about 1 egg per day average until now I am only getting 2-3/day… Organic is great to a point… They were getting feed of 20% protein before the switch and I am trying to add extra protein via raw milk, whey, or yogurt, or meat scraps, seems to help for a day or two immediately after feeding but still. Suggestions? Is there more protein in feeder oats than steel cut? I have had to improvise this last month because Azure Standard was out of feeder oats when my order was shipped last month. That is the only thing I can think of as what is different. Can chickens have plain ground peanuts? Wondering if that might help bump up the protein.

    Reply

    • Peanuts are ok, because texasnaturalfeeds.com uses ground peanuts in their feed. (They are not organic, but non-GMO.)

      Have you had any luck with your layers? I would like to try this feed, but don’t want to lessen egg production.

      Reply

    • One reason your egg production has gone down is the length of daylight. Unless you have your chickens under lights for 15 hours a day, they will slow down or even stop egg production. The other thing is feeding 20% protein is fine, but when you switched to the whole grains recipe which is about 15% protein, that drop probably also caused them to stop production. If I was going to feed whole grains without added protein, I would ferment it. Fermenting increases the protein in grains. Without adding some animal protein to bump up the protein of this grain mix, egg production will not be up to par. Chickens are omnivors and need certain amino acids in their diet. The authors chickens are not layers yet, and don’t need the higher protein that layers do. So, her mix most likely will not be satisfactory for laying chickens. Getting the animal protein for chickens on an organic feed is difficult and that adds a lot to the cost. Also at the time of the writing, the chickens were free ranging and supplementing their diet. I find that a large fowl chicken, needs 1/2 cup of feed a day. That would be about 1/6 lb. 15 chickens would need approx. 2.5 to 3 lbs a day.

      Reply

  33. You had mentioned above that you’ve started fermenting this mix and I’m wondering how that’s going? I’ve fermented other mixes with peas & kelp that when ripe were so smelly my chickens wouldn’t touch it. So am wondering about leaving those two out, possibly the lentils also, and just adding to the remaining that’s been fermented, just before serving? Would greatly appreciate hearing what your fermenting results have been 🙂

    Reply

  34. Hello! I am wondering if you know the protein level is in your chicken feed. I would love to feed my chickens this! And, I assume by now they are old enough to be laying eggs, are they good and consistently laying on your feed? Thanks! Love your blog! You inspire me!

    Reply

  35. I found your blog via a friend’s FB link a few weeks ago. We’ve been using a modified form of your feed for our poultry and they seem to be doing well on it. Thank you!

    I have one question, though. We are able to order from Azure, but I can’t find feeder oats. Is there another name by which they might be found? Thank you!

    Reply

  37. We just made your chickie food… we love Azure!. It seems as though eeverything went up iin price since last June. Are you noticing a price increase this winter. The lentils alone are $1.84 per pound. I still love that this recipe is soy free, (Our feed store Organic Layer is full of all sorts of bizzare ingredients including soy) A batch costs us $15.41 and with 2 roosters and 19 hens we are calculating about 14 batches per month totaling $220 per month. However maybe they dont go through this homemade food as fast as commercial food. We will see how this month goes and see if we can afford it. The best part so far was finding their old food all over the floor in the coop as they were trying to get to the new homemade goods at the top of the bucket. I suppose the fact that my family can consume any of the ingredients, as needed says something too. Thank you for being my homestead idol! I’m pretty sure we were meant to be neighbors.

    Reply

  38. I love this post! I remembered seeing it, and searched for it so I could read it again now that we’re making plans for another laying flock. Thanks for sharing this! I copied it down and went to the Azure site to check prices. Not surprisingly, EVERYTHING has gone up. But the one that really struck me was the lentils! At the time of your post they were $.54 per pound….and now they’re $1.84! That’s a HUGE increase. And that was for the organic lentils. The regular ones are currently at $.57 per pound. I can’t imagine why the discrepancy is so big, but I was wondering….are you still using the organic ones in your own mix? Or have you switched to regular, or eliminated them altogether in favor of something else?

    Thanks again!

    Reply

    • I am running into the same problem with the lentils. I can buy organic feed for $0.66/lb so, with lentils being so expensive, it doesn’t make sense for me to do at this time 🙁

      Reply

  40. Wow, thanks for the recipe! We’re new to this and our first chicks are due to arrive around the end of February (we’ll be getting 8 total). I definitely want to feed them organic and when they’re old enough they will get to free range during the day. I’ve been searching all day for organic feed and it seems your recipe may be the best thing for us to follow. I’m not sure if I will start them on it or wait until they’re a couple weeks old. It all depends on if I can find any organic feed locally (doubtful). Thanks again for this great recipe and hopefully I can stop back and let you know if it worked out for us 🙂

    Reply

  41. This might be a really dumb question… but what are ‘feeder oats?’ Very excited to see this recipe & how it breaks down cost-wise. Much less expensive than $37/50 lb bag of organic feed that we just got! Thanks so much.

    Reply

  42. I love this article thanks for writing it. Is this recipe enough or do you still supplement with any sort of mash? Our girls are laying really well on the mash,hen scratch and greens we feed them so I’m a little worried to rock the boat but really like te idea of making my own feed. Would you supplement this recipe with anything else?

    Reply

  43. Hi Shaye~!
    Just found your blog and love it! I went through Azure’s website and priced the ingredients for the chicken feed and my total came out to about $1.00 per pound of finished chicken feed. I’m sad b/c I would love to make my own but our local Farm Supply sells organic for less than that. Any hints or shortcuts to making it more cost effective?

    Reply

  44. Just wanted to say you lifted my spirits with this article. Seeing you write that you’d wanted chickens for years before God led them to you gave me hope. I’ve been praying and wanting chickens for almost a year now, so now I know to not give up. It’ll come sooner or later just like it did for you. So thank you for the reminder that God will give us what we ask Him for. And I’ll definitely be using this feed recipe when I finally get my chickens! 🙂

    Reply

  46. I didn’t read the comments, but I thought you might want to add for those who don’t know that the chickens will need grit and a source of calcium for the layers. Thanks for the great recipe.

    Reply

  51. I was wondering, I know you were buying your feed for your meat chickens. Are you still doing that or have you started making your own yet? If you have started making your own could we possibly get your recipe for that? And how are your hens liking the fermented feed?

    Reply

  52. At long last we recently purchased our plot of land in the country, and are so excited to start our first flock of layers this spring! I cannot tell you how happy I am to come across your website – this post particularly. We love the idea of feeding our flock food we could eat ourselves and just KNEW there had to be a good recipe out there somewhere! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for sharing your recipe AND your supplier. 🙂

    Reply

  53. No need to sacrifice your worms. You can use raw meat scraps in a 5 gallon pail with 3/8″ holes drilled in the bottom and sawdust on the top (smells a bit) to add bugs to your chicken’s diet in the summer. Hang your bucket from the shady side of the chicken house with a lid on. Fish scraps, roadkill, entrails, it all grows maggots which have a homing instinct to pupate in the earth so they fall out the bottom and the chickens eat them. Extreme recycling.

    Reply

  55. Wow! I am really impressed at the low cost you have found for your feed grains! The best I can find around here are triple that cost if not more. Any suggestions on finding organic/non-gmo animal feed grade grains and seeds in northern MN?

    Reply

  56. I’ve seen many questions asking about how your hens are laying on this feed, but no answer. So how are they laying? Do you still have 15 chickens and how many eggs are you getting a day?

    Reply

      • What exactly is great? Do you know your ROL (Rate of Lay)? If you’ve got 15 hens laying, anything under 75% or 11 eggs a day is not that good.

        Another poster wrote about the need for protein and especially animal protein, for chickens as they can not synthesize some amino acids from plant protein. A different poster wrote their rate of lay dropped right off using this recipe. (Granted maybe they were not using lights in winter)

        It has been my concern with recipes that they do not cover all the birds’ nutritional needs. Having, during our first year, dealt with the horrible results of poor or insufficient nutrition, I am very hesitant to use these recipes without concrete proof (ROL or lb/wt/bird/time for meat birds) of results. I almost never see this sort of info. That is why I asked. Can you, a year later, supply this info?

        I am very interested in not using soy in a feed, but I do want to know it will provide what we need for our production birds.

        Also, the prices you quoted, did they include the shipping for Azure?

        I’ll thank you now for the time you take to provide this info.

        Reply

  57. I noticed you linked your kelp coming from amazon. Just in case you aren’t aware, azure sells an organic feed grade kelp that I use that ends up only costing $1.60/lb once I factor in the fees for my particular drop point (azure drop points vary in the fee % depending on how large a volume your location usually has). https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/825/ much cheaper than the current amazon price of $14/lb !

    Reply

  58. Does this work as a laying feed? The feed we buy is specifically for laying chickens and I want to be able to substitute this instead and still get eggs.

    Reply

  59. I was very excited to find this and planned to start right away. I cannot find prices ANYWHERE near what you are paying. Is that current?

    Reply

  60. Hi! Is there any way that you could include the Azure Standard product numbers for the ingredients, as well as how many bags of the smaller quantity things (like lentils, flax and sesame seeds) that you purchase at a time so that you do not run out of one thing prematurely? Thanks!

    Reply

  61. Thes reason I am asking is because as I am working on putting together my Azure order I am finding much different prices per pound than what is listed here. For example, hard red wheat is $43.20 for a 50 lb bag and organic lentils are $51.55 for only 25 lbs! This does not equal .26 and .54 a lb…??? Please clarify and maybe post item numbers so I can see where you are finding these for this price per lb…. Thank you! 🙂

    Reply

    • I’m having the same problem…not finding my cost with Azure to be the same as what is list here. I don’t have my chickens just yet, still finishing the coop, but wanted to get my food ordered. My sister and I are both going to try this recipe but were hoping cost would be lower. For the 2 items mentioned above (organic hard red wheat and lentils) I am getting $.86/lb and $2.06/lb….not $.26 and $54. Help please!!

      Reply

    • Amanda, If you look at the 5lb. lentils from Azure… you can actually buy those cheaper per pound that way! If you want 25lbs, just order 5 of the 5lbs. 😉 Its like 1.97 per pound that way. I’m not sure you’ll find it cheaper than that elsewhere!

      Reply

  63. Hey Shaye, is there a difference between yellow and green split peas? Are both kinds okay for them? Have you ever tried both, if so do they prefer one over the other? Thanks! 🙂

    Reply

  64. Got my very first chicks today! I plan to use this recipe, but while they are babies, do you have a recipe for them? I am new, but I don’t want to stay with starter from the store if I can help it.

    Reply

  65. Thank you for this info! Could anyone tell me how I could modify this recipe for chicks? I’m getting a new batch soon but don’t want to give them anything but organic/non-GMO. Thanks.

    Reply

  67. I am highly allergic to wheat and gluten and now have become allergic to our eggs–I both tested positive and have severe symptoms. The chickens have been eating wheat and so I’m sure that changes the composition of the egg protein. Gloves won’t do the trick here. Can we add more pea protein, sunflower seeds, etc. to substitute? What I’m asking bottom line, is this: Do chickens need wheat?
    Thanks so much.

    Reply

  68. The recipe say 3/4 cup kelp granules or 1/2 oz. When I measured out 1/2 oz it was only about 2 T. So which one do I go by? Thanks!

    Reply

  69. Are feeder oats and oat groats the same thing. I’m trying to buy the items for this recipe and I can’t find any clarification on this ingredient. TIA

    Reply

  70. I am really confused at your links for each ingredient. I click on the link and it takes me to a product that is quite a bit more per pound than you have listed. I’m having a hard time finding the same prices you listed on Azure. Also, did you factor shipping as a cost as well? I’m trying to decide if making my own feed with cost and time involved will really make a difference with the costs I’ve found for each ingredient. The hard red wheat link you gave shows the cost as $1.24/lb and you listed what you pay as .26 cents/lb. That’s changes the .81/day cost considerably!!! Please help me understand how I can get the same prices as you. Thank you, Cori

    Reply

    • Cori, you’ll notice from all the other comments on this post that the prices DO VARY greatly – day to day, state to state. These were the prices of the goods when I wrote this post, through Azure Standard, which was last June. Since then, many of their prices have gone up which would require a complete recalculation of cost. It’s really up to each person to talk to their local feed suppliers, mills, Azure (or other online companies like them) to see what they can find. It’s so variable.

      Reply

  71. This blog post is from almost exactly a year ago. I am wondering if you are still using this feed? If so how is the health of your layers? Are they laying well? How did you come up with these ration ratios? I am currently looking to get off my commercial organic feed after dealing with nutritional deficiency issues…

    Reply

  73. Thanks Jared, that is helpful since I plan on going through Azure. I do feel strongly about not eating anything from the sea since Fukoshima, however, and that rules kelp out for me. What would be a good replacement for Kelp?

    Reply

  76. The prices have gone up so much that our cost for feed from Azure using your recipe is now 93 cents per pound. We were previously paying 40 cents per pound. WOW, I was hoping the egg production would at least increase, but we have gone down to nearly NO EGG PRODUCTION. I have no idea what’s up with that other than they are in the process of getting used to something new. It’s been very frustrating. Ours are also free ranged outdoors all day, AND it’d not due to light as we started in August and we keep light on in the coop for 14 hours per day. We are lucky to get 2 eggs per day and we were getting 6-8 before. Some days we get no eggs. I wish I had an answer, but we will finish out the feed we have and then switch back if we don’t see any improvement. I bought my lentils on Amazon as they were much cheaper than Azure.

    Reply

  77. How is this working out for you now? Are the chickens still in good health? Are you getting good egg production?

    Reply

  78. Thank you so much for this. I have 50 chickens and 40 ducks and I am hoping to go all organic for their feed. I love the breakdown of the price per pound.

    Reply

  79. Thanks for the update in price! I have been crunching numbers and switching recipes because it is becoming so costly! With my own recipe (very similar to yours), if I can make it for $.95 or less, I guess that’s the going rate!

    Reply

  80. Bummer! I just calculated feed cost based on current Azure Prices and it’s 75¢ a pound. That’s the same price as the premade bags of organic…and corn/soy free at that. I have begun to feed just non gmo feed instead of organic because it is half the price of what I get from azure. I did buy some soft wheat to begin to grow fodder for my chickens to reduce cost and boost their nutrition during our cold Ohio winter.
    Thanks for taking the time to break down this feed.

    Reply

  81. Hi I was just wondering if I could sub the split peas for field peas? I don’t know what I would have to do, maybe grind them a little? Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

  82. Hello,
    Just wondering if this feed is only recommended for laying hens, or if it could be given to pullets as well? What age would you recommend starting this feed?

    Thanks!
    Mackenzie

    Reply

  83. hi shaye are you still using this recipe or are you using the scratch and peck? i noticed you used both…

    Reply

  85. That Azure Standard place is crazy high on prices. Wow!

    Try this place…………
    $16 for 50lbs — https://spokane.craigslist.org/grd/4992382581.html

    Or the source is even cheaper if you can buy in bulk and store it…..
    https://spokane.craigslist.org/grd/4993935934.html

    Barley $245/ton, $150/1000#

    Wheat $300/ton, $180/1000#

    Peas $300/ton. $180/1000#

    Oats $170/1700# ( all we can fit on a 1 ton tote)

    Corn $300/ton, $180/1000#

    Swine starter : $580/ton or $18/ 50# bag

    Non-GMO Swine grower $360/ton, $220/ 1000 lbs

    Non-GMO Swine finisher: $350/ ton, $210/1000#

    Show Hog grower $390/ ton, $230/ 1000# (19% CP and 1% Lysine)

    Show Hog finisher $370/ton, $220/1000# (16% CP)

    Chick starter 22% CP: $450/ton, $265/ 1000# (non medicated)

    Poultry Grower (18% CP): $400/ton, $240/1000#

    Non-GMO Chicken Layers $390/ton, $ 225/ 1000 lbs

    Layers 16% $390/ ton, $225/ 1000#

    Non-GMO All stock mix (1/3 peas, wheat, barley, no minerals) $330/ ton, $200/1000# (14% CP)

    Non-GMO Beef grower/ finisher: $355/ton, $220/1000#

    Show steer grower/ finisher with molasses $390/ ton, $225/ 1000# (your beef feed can’t get better than this!)

    Dairy (16% CP): $375/ ton, $230/1000#

    Non-GMO Dairy Goat w/molasses: $390/ ton, $225/1000# (16% CP)

    Mare, Foal, Senior Horse : $400/ ton, $230/ 1000#

    Working Horse: $370/ ton, $220/ 1000#

    Reply

    • What’s the name of the company that you posted prices for? The CL post has been removed. Those are amazing prices!
      Thanks!

      Reply

  86. Shaye, Thanks for the post. I have a question, how do you figure out the protein for everything? I am trying to make feed with what I have and what I can get quickly, but I have no idea how much protein certain things have. Thanks!

    Reply

  87. I highly recommend the addition of a teaspoon of food grade DE to your feed on a regular basis. I will kill the internal parasites that loose feed has in it. I have been raising broilers on organic feed for some time now and noticed that when we switched, that we found internal parasites (worms) in the broilers when processing. I believe that normal feed is too processed to have anything living in it. But DE will take care of it either way. Its also a good idea to have free choice soluble grit (gound oyster shell) and insoluble grit (ground granite) available to help them digest all that organic goodness.

    Reply

  88. This is soooo sad… The prices are soooo extremely high now! Everything is about $1/lb or more. It’s CRAZY!! It costs much more to make my own feed than to buy an organic feed, that is still super high priced! Any good options out there to save money these days???

    Reply

  90. Thank you so much for this post. I’m excited to try it. Quick question, can I ferment this mixture?

    Reply

  91. Curious if you are still doing this since prices are so much higher? Just found your site and as a new ‘farmer’ in the Pacific Northwest I am excited to read more!

    Reply

  92. Is this a good duck feed? I read they just need extra niacin and to put brewer’s yeast in their feed… so would this plus brewer’s yeast be good?

    Reply

  93. I see some recipes that call for nutri-balancer. It is expensive and I’m wondering what your opinion is on the use of it? Thanks!

    Reply

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