Here's a few ideas if you keep poultry,and want to mix a bit of your own feed.I've kept all sorts of poultry and fed proprietry feeds and mixed my own,the first is most convenient (and can be as cheap or cheaper) but everyones circumstances are different,and maybe some one will find this useful.Obviously,if you try to introduce something different,do it gradually.
3 parts cereal ,preferably wheat,but praps barley or oats or a mix of all 3
1 part home grown (or bought) protein ,I would grow field beans.Any pulse is good.
(in a bucketfull )a couple of handfulls of soya meal.
A good dollop of cod liver oil.
Mill all this,I've got an old handmill,but you could use an electric chopper (couple of quid,car boot).
Make wet (water,goat milk etc whatever you've got),don't overdo it,just crumbly like risotto.
I forgot,any greens etc through the mincer add to mix.
Sustitutes: Boiled mashed spuds for some of the cereal (Great also for fattening meat birds).
Roots,through the mincer.Sunflowers,as everyone knows.I've grown lupins just for the seeds,full of protein,(total disaster!)
Pellets are really easy,but I find fowl do better on a wet mash.You can get all the bits from a n agricultural merchant,or experiment with small quantities from a health food place or similar.I know it's different if you're in town,but most farms that raise their own beef from self grown cereal will sell you milled cereal at a good price.(where do you find a farmer? try the nearest small abbatoir early in the morning,ask about they aren't all 'get off my land' ( I am!)you may even get a big bag of pigs liver for next to nothing!).
poultry feed
Re: poultry feed
Cheers for that oldjerry, really interesting thoughts, I normally just feed layers as it is so convenient but with the rising price of feed its nice to think of an alternative. I'm quite lucky at the minute and the birds r paying for themselves as I'm selling the eggs but obviously in the heart of winter this won't be the case. I do give them all the scraps out of the kitchen. Everynight I scrape plates and clear the kitchen worktops onto a big plate and put it out the back, the cats and chickens hav a go and what's left goes to the dogs!!! Everyones happy!! Xx