Farmer here. Great video! But just so people know the "people corn" is sweet corn and the "animal corn" is field corn. Both are fine for human consumption but sweet corn is much sweeter!.
I had a bout 10 hens and a rooster when I lived in the mountains up in Washington State and in the winter which was about 25% below 0 , I would cook roled oats and mix bacon grease in with them and feed that to the chickens and they laid eggs all winter .
It's my first time having chickens. I have 6 children and each one chose a chicken, they tend to their baby and I believe this teaches responsibility, but as the mama of all I'm still learning. Thank you
I noticed the she didn't show the puppy food. I have been looking for a comment that explained that a little more! I know this is an older video, but I've never heard of putting dog good in the mix
@@Anjeecm puppy food or dog food is high in protein. Chickens need a lot of protein to lay eggs. It's a trick some use in the winter to increase egg laying because it's high in protein. Some even use cat food for the same purpose. She only uses dog feed in the winter to help them stay laying it would be a quick fix to get them laying.
@@Anjeecm she said she uses stale dog food. Hint: look for busted bags in stores for a discount. My Tractor Supply discounts theirs if busted, a manager is the person to ask, cheap dog food can be found at Dollar stores too and again, ask about those busted bags. DG puts it in the dumpster. Grocery stores and produce stands will normally give you old produce and vegetable scraps. Restaurants will give you food scraps. Discount bakery stores throw out old bread and pastries, ask them to save it for you and always make sure you pick it up on the day that they tell you to come, otherwise they are not going to save it, this goes for any place that saves you free food for your chickens. Seafood markets give away oyster shells, put it in a feed sack and run over them, then use your hammer to finish the job. Grow your own worms, then you have snacks and compost. You also can grow meal worms and soldier fly .
@@Anjeecm hi from Canada, yaa,. Chickens love dog food...so do goats. It's because there's usually grain fillers, and protein. Meat protein, or plant based on they love it all. They need protein to compensate for the lack of bugs in their environment. Oyster shell to compensate for the grit and mineral to to hey get from the dirt. Wheat or hullless Pat's is better than either raw oats or barley. The coarseness of the shell can get stuck in their crop, so better to grind it or eliminate it. Lentils and peas also jack up the protein content.
Stumbled upon this video, I have been doing something similar with my chickens with soaking as a mash. I mix half and half oyster shell and grit. Since we can't free range due to predators the rock grit I found out is very important. Oyster shell is still good for the calcium but breaks down in their system quicker, while the rock based grit sticks around longer and really helps their digestion.
🐣 Thank you Becky!!!!!! My chickens are laying eggs daily thank you to your recipe. I have 6 chickens that just started laying eggs for the first time in the middle of December, I collected 25 eggs. For the month of January I collected 102 eggs and so far this month (February) I've collected 56 already! People are surprised that my chickens are laying eggs in the Winter. I tell them I have secret feed. 😉 Thank you again for sharing all of your great knowledge on chickens.
For people who are not familiar with grit it is important to supply your hens with grit AND oyster shell they need insoluble and soluble. The oyster shell provides the hen with calcium for the egg shell and the grit breaks down the seed in the gizzard Hope that helps
We got our first egg last Tuesday. They’ve been averaging around 4 a day. We have 17 hens and 1 rooster. Yesterday we got 6! It is so much fun going out to check for eggs.
Yes, the health problems that so many people are having today is the lack of “whole foods”. So I will definitely start feeding my chickens this way too/ I’m fairly new to keeping chickens/ so glad to have run across this video. Thank you so much Becky. 💕
Soldier fly larvae works really well. I saw a TH-cam video somewhere that had a bucket growing and collecting them. I set up a similar system and my chickens have been laying eggs non stop - even the ones that stopped laying eggs regularly. Buy yourself a starter pack and grow your own. Very easy to do and the chickens go insane for them. They also don't need a lot since they are so nutrient rich. The eggs also taste a little different, and I get double yolk quite frequently.
I use my clean cement mixer. I pour feed into mixer, then let it turn for several minutes, then dump in my metal garbage can. So much easier on my back.
@@sharilynchristensen6149 Yes, purchase Purina Poultry feed with all the 38 nutrients the chickens need to be healthy. I use the Omega 3 Layena formula because it makes my eggs more healthy for me and my cholesterol.
My wife and I wanted to try this recipe out. We have had laying hens for 11 yrs and just bought the normal layer feed. Well we have 8 new hens that are almost ready for their first eggs and two old ladies. (7 & 8yr old). Well the 7yr (Moosey) laid a egg once a month and just quit this Covid summer. So a month ago, Oct 30, 2020 we starred with our new feed. Here it is Nov 28th and we have had 7 eggs in the last two weeks from a 7yr old hen. The new hens hopefully will start sometime around Christmas. (We know this is her due to the color of the egg). We love the new diet. Thanks so much.... Mike and Kelly
@@Dragon_Fire_2468 Did she also say puppy food??? (Not being a turd; I’m hard of hearing 😅) i didn’t see it mixed in but i swear i heard her say it LOL
Another point on worms in chickens that I am not certain a lot of people know about is that roundworm, a fairly common parasite to afflict chickens can find their way into the "egg factory" of the chicken and get trapped in an egg. Yes you can find roundworms INSIDE chicken eggs. Found one in an egg that I had purchased from a local farm yesterday during breakfast. It's fairly rare as the bird typically has to have a sever infestation for this to happen.
To add calcium, you can also dry and crush egg shells to give back to them! I keep a pie tin (on a baking sheet) in the oven to collect shells. Occasionally, I will turn the oven on just until it preheats and then TURN IT OFF to dry the shells. (*Don't forget to remove the pan before baking! And don't leave them in a preheated oven at full temp!) When no more egg shells can be mounded on top, they are transferred to a big pot and crushed with a potato masher, then finely broken up with fingers. This is oddly satisfying! Any egg shells that weren't fully dried get put back on the pie tin for the next go around. I then mix the crushed shells in with the feed. Of course, the shells are also good for the garden and compost pile. 😊
We did this when I was a lad when there were no oyster shells to be had in the middle of Africa. Also in 1956 there weren't many convenience stores around in the bush either!
We add the shells to a quart size ziplock bag and hand crush then keep in the fridge next to the eggs themselves. Eventually we transfer to a tin or sheet to fry in the oven or even lay out on paper plates to dry
I found using a mini shovel (28" total length) works best for the mixing. It can easily dig deep and on the sides of the galvanized can to mix everything together well. My chickens love this mix and I am so happy to be feeding them this as opposed to machine processed grain.
I have 51 chickens and anything to help the food spread out and last longer is great- I think it was you who said soaking the seeds helps be more filling and nutritious (sprouting the seeds)
Thank you for being you. Thank you for being a good example to others. We are not obligated to agree with others, but rather to be kind and helpful. I enjoy your videos and I'm old enough to be your grandpa, on a "farm with livestock" all my life. Thanks again.
@@morehn hahahah that's so funny!!! My brother is a missionary now in Nevada, because of Covid a lot of missionary work is done of Facebook. Check it out!
Thank you Becky!! I give my chicks/roosters lots of greens from my gardens, their egg shells, and if I ever have dog food that gets a little old, i soak it and give that to them (sparingly) I also give mine coconut oil. I have chickens that are about 8 years old and they just had a chick about 2 months ago. They are still laying- less often, but they still lay.
Thank you so much for this. My chickens are a little over a year old and have stopped laying. I kept wondering what the world i was doing wrong. I really appreciate this video. ❤ Can't wait to make my girls happy again.
Hi Becky, I've been feeding my chickens lay crumble, scratch, bread, and grit. Sometimes meat. However, you're feed recipe makes so much more sense... Moving forward I will use your formula. I love my chickens and I do want them to be healthy. You're so sweet.. and thank you for thoroughly explaining your process of feeding and why. Bless you🐔
What a great video! Becky, you are intelligent, adorable, and down to earth. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Now I will share it with a friend wanting but not knowing how to care for chickens. 😊
I love to hear and watch you caring for your chickens. You look like you are in a countryside. I wish I can visit you one day to learn from you about chickens. You made it all so interesting. I live in UK, and it is so far away to visit your farm. But who knows!!! Bless you and bless your farm.
Was so happy that this popped up on my feed today. I had leftover alpha alpha hay bits from feeding my rabbits. Threw it in to them today. Now I know that there is a really good reason to keep giving it to them
As a licensed F.D.A.Egg Packer. I feed my Free Range Chickens whole corn and the Hens lay all year. Whole corn is cheap and as an added bonus gives the egg yokes a bright yellow color and better flavor which makes our Range Fed Chicken Eggs sell in the store for $6.00 a dozen.
We feed our chooks (chickens) scratch mix, Ie. mixed grain with molasses. They get their other nutrients from roaming around the place pecking at everything. ‘Layer pellets’ from my experience, are about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike.
I am using scratch mix too supplemented with a selection of greens, rolled oats, weetbix, raw meat, corn on the cob ( people style) and other kitchen treats.
Unpopular opinion- I fed my chickens this for 3 months. They had never been sick. Egg quality dropped and they slowly stopped laying…then got horribly sick. Over and over. Switched to store bought pellets and they all started laying again in 2 weeks. Everyone is healthy and recovered. There aren’t enough nutrients in this mixture. I was hopeful and wanted to make my own. But I almost lost my chickens doing this.
Hi Becky, I am new to chickens - just got our first chicks 18 weeks ago. I have never had anything other than a dog or cat, so I got on youtube to learn as much as I could as well as rented books from the library. I found your channel and I really appreciate all you have done to help homesteaders. Thank you for all your time and the great information. I want to raise my chickens as naturally as I can. From watching your videos as well as others - I decided that a whole grain feed was better than dead store bought crumbs. So, after my chicken finished their first bag of chick starter feed (non medicated) I began using a mix of corn, wheat, oats, barely and flax. Adding in sunflower seeds, grubs and mealworms for protein. I have tried to get them to eat peas or lentils for protein - but they won't - I have tried fermenting them, sprouting them, just feeding them dry and they just go uneaten. I thought I would try cooking them next. I have also had a bowl of organic store bought feed that I keep full in their run just in case or as backup, but it hardly gets eaten. Here is my question and my concern - my chicks are now 18 weeks old and they hardly have combs, just little pink stubs and practically no wattles. They also don't seem as big as I thougtht they would be by this age. I'm wondering if I made a mistake and if I should have just fed them grower feed and if I have stunted their growth. If I have - is there a way to come back from this or remedy it? I have never been around chickens so I honestly have nothing to compare them to except pictures on the internet - but it seems like they should have red combs and wattles by now. Thank you so much for everything. I really appreciate you time.
Dear Michael, I'm new to chickens as well. Raised two batches of laying hens so far of six each time. Sad experiences with predators occurred with first batch. Both flocks got to laying age though. About six months and their waddles and combs came in and then laying begins. Did accidently purchase a cute yellow chick in the first bunch who never laid and egg! Figured it must have been a meat chicken mixed in with layers. Your books will help you a lot. Becky's Homestead videos have been very helpful for me too because her enthusiasm is catching. I love her hands on examples and I have used many of her ideas. So, I hope you have found some good results in the 3 months since you posted this. I am going to try Becky's recipe when I can. I use organic laying pellets, oyster shells, scratch mix and meal worms. I did not realize whole food would work. I have six chickens and get 4 to 5 eggs a day. 3 are Rhode Island Reds and 3 are Silver Streaks. I usually see 3 brown eggs and 2 smaller beige eggs at the most each day. Somebody is holding out, so wondering if it is a nutrition problem. Also wondered if I had a cockerel among the Silvies since their combs are odd looking compared to the Rhodies. I read that it could take 2 years for a rooster to complete his feather growth. I have never heard a rooster crow from this bunch though, so think I have safely selected only females. Best of luck in your chicken raising. My spouse and I get way more eggs than we need with 5 to 6 hens working.
I was born on a farm to a mom who was also a farmer's daughter. My grandparents were born in the 1800's. They ate sour cream butter on field corn of a specific variety that was developed to also be eaten by people. There are specific varieties of "field corn" that are grown specifically for human consumption, and it is not the sweet corn we are used to but this stuff was super delicious. I think it was a 149 variety but I doubt it's available any more because those ways are being fazed out. There is always dent corn (Reid's dent corn is super prolific and is still used today) which feeds deer and turkeys and while good for animals it is also used for masa (tamales and taco shells etc) and corn bread. In places where wheat didn't seem to grow too well (in the south mainly) around the civil war they grew lots of corn and cornbread was a daily staple of most household rather than wheat breads. That same corn which fed the animals also fed the people. Yummy roasting ears still are in my thoughts of delicious corn. We'd roast it in the back yard on momm'a's farm along with some chickens and have some steamed clams too. I grew up wanting to eat at the farmer's house across the street because they served corn fed chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and this most wonderful sweet delicious variety of field corn (of course with sour cream butter!) for Sunday dinner. Blanche really knew how to cook! Her pies were the best besides mom's (and now mine). To make sour cream butter one skims the fat off of the milk and lets it get soured before churning it. If it's washed with cold water it tastes like regular sweet cream butter but if it's not washed with cold water to express the milk out of it it has a wonderful tangy flavor to it. Great on just about anything including just out of the oven sour dough bread or piping hot cornbread. I used to love broken cornbread with raw milk. A lot of the farmer's wives used what they called clabbered milk (soured milk- strain the liquid out of it reserving just the milk solids- add some sugar and an egg and use it to make kolachky pastries. With a little bit of home made peach preserves on top it was heaven in every bite. There is nothing wrong with fermented foods. I was raised on it! People eat yogurt and sour cream and drink cultured buttermilk all the time. And if one can find the variety of field corn that was created by farmers breeding it when looking for a wonderful table corn, you've got to at least try it before judging it unsuitable for people.
I've had chickens and ducks for over 10 years. The only way for me to keep my hens laying year round is to provide supplimentle lighting. I have to extend the day light hours for my hens so they are getting 10 hours of light. This can be easily done with a low watt bulb on a timer right in the hen house. Good luck. Oh by the way if you wait to long and the hens stop laying it could take a few weeks of extended light to get them back on track. It's not an over night fix.
I've heard that you can keep your hens laying during the late fall and winter by keeping the lights turned on. That is fine if you keep the hens as stock. I only have four hens and 6 ducks and I see them as pets first and I prefer to let them follow their natural laying cycle. I may get fewer eggs in the winter but I stock up in the summer by freezing the eggs in cupcake tins and then zip lock freezer bags and use the eggs for scrambled eggs, baking, and sauces such as Hollandaise. The frozen eggs work just as well as the fresh in poached and hardboiled etc. and I feel more comfortable that I am giving my hens the best natural care that I can.
I've heard that manipulating the light to make them lay year round makes them stop laying at a younger age and shortens their life span. I just let my chickens lay when they want to and keep it that way. I would rather forfeit some eggs than forfeit my girls. I love them dearly and want them to live a long happy life. Right now I'm getting 14 to 15 eggs every day from my 16 girls. They lay a few double yolkers every week too. I have several regular egg customers but I am also planning to freeze a few flats full my family for winter time.
My wife has gotten eggs through the winter (maybe half as many as in summer) without any lighting, in upstate NY. She does give them warm water in cold weather; they seem to love that.
Thanks for this great video! Just one caution: Inhalation of Diatomaceous Earth can cause respiratory irritation and, if inhaled in sufficient quantity and long enough, silicosis. It's not SUPER dangerous, but still, if I were tossing and mixing that food in a small garbage and sticking my head down into it like that, I'd wear a mask or even just a scarf or bandana over my nose and mouth just while I was mixing it. Lungs face a lot of potential challenges on a homestead, from dust, molds, allergens, particulates from burning wood in wood stoves or burning brush or trash. Since your heart, brain, stamina and life depend on them, best to keep them working at 100% as long as possible!
"Potential challenges"? Give me a break 😂 you are a sheltered city person aren't you. I get sick from going into town amongst PEOPLE. I'm never, ever sick from my own farm life. My aunt is a city person and she is always warning me about all of the potential hazards out there and told me that city people live longer than country people.... and yet she's the sick one needing hand fulls of pills every day.... Not me.
@@sofiaparker6382 That's because you're young. You'll feel it when you get older....well actually you probably won't feel anything depending on how reckless you are on a farm. Hard work is oftentimes dangerous work too.
Thank you for posting this video. I am a visual learner so this helped me tremendously. Now it doesn't seem confusing or hard to know what to feed my chickens and how to mix it. I wholeheartedly agree that whole, clean foods = healthy, happy birds, animals and humans! Love you Becky! ❤🐓
I have no idea why I'm watching this... I have no chickens. But you caught my attention and I love to watch homesteaders take care of their animals... so fun. I am thankful for the fresh local farm eggs I get delivered every week. Someday I'd like to try having chickens... I just can't imagine walking out in 20 - 30 below here in Minnesota taking care of them in winter! 😳🤣 I need to move...
So called animal corn is Dent corn (field corn) & humans can eat it, I did for 18 years on the farm. So called People corn is A sweet corn that is used as a vegetable instead of a grain. We planted dent corn in march for animal feed & Sweet corn in may with all the other vegetables. So the dent corn was ripe (readly to eat) before the sweet corn & we picked it until the sweet corn came in(ripen). The little bit of dent corn that we picked ripe, instead of letting dry was small compared to the 4 acres that we planted. I understand you are working with people who have never been near or on a farm.
I always loved the field corn when a child because it was big and filling...with lots of butter is as good as sweet corn to me....here in east Texas, field corn seems to do better than sweet corn...✌️❤️💥😇🖖🇧🇯
Field corn can be ground to make corn flour! I just got a grain mill and can't wait to grind up some "deer corn"! On that same vein, I wonder if the horse oats can be ground into flour. I just purchased 50lbs of wheat berries and they weren't cheap!
Hey Becky, thanks for the new trick. Last year we added a heat lamp to our barn, and that helped they lay all year, as well as helping them stay warmer in the winter weather. How long does your feed last you? And do you give them more in the winter to help provide them with more energy in the winter time? Again, thanks for this wonderful recipe. I will be trying it with our ladies.
I do the same thing but I use cat food in the winter and I also add safflower, wheat, rye, split peas, and wild bird seed. and oatmeal too! love you and your farm!
I wish I could raise chickens where... I enjoy listening to them, and fresh eggs are so much better than even organic eggs sold in most stores. Pasture raised eggs are the best tasting and nutritious eggs!
Excellent. I do exactly the same for my chicken-girls. I mix oats, sunflower seeds, corn, and I also drop a few handfulls of sesame seed & flax seed, AND..yes, a few spoons of DE as well. Then I add just a little of the store-feed. Thank you for the video it is fantastic!
@@soniabrannan412 Sorry sonia your question just popped up today. I mix without a precise measurement. I just put a bunch of each ingredients to make a total of half a bucket for example & then I add like 2 tablespoons of Diatomaceous Earth, then I mix well & repeat the process to a full bucket. Then mix all well & put in their big feeder in the coop. I hope it helps. Happy chicken farming!!
@@dakota_farmer6141 Sooo... I have a question. I’ve heard that when the farmers started growing corn for ethanol, to put into gasoline. It caused the price of feed corn for live stock to go up. Thus causing the price of beef, pork and chicken to go up. Has this been your experience? I do know that when ethanol is added to gasoline it causes the vehicle to get less gas mileage.
One of my favorite TH-cam channels! We have referenced your videos over and over as we build our homestead! Thanks for all of the great advice! Be on the lookout for our videos! You rock!
so about 4 parts oats, 2 parts corn, 3 parts sunflower seeds, and some Diatomaceous earth for the base mix. Supplement with oyster shell, grit, and alfalfa. as needed yes?
@@sonyia7521 Diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. I love it, the only thing that can kill fleas IN THE EGG!. Its sharp edges (microscopic) cuts the shell. Given to animals as wormer instead of chemicals. Humans too, if you human grade.
I add to my mix flax seed wheat germ pumpkin seeds lentils or beans cooked and they love it,I varieties it so it's not to rich,they have chopped veg scraps and leafy greens,They have plenty of room in the veg garden or back grass paddock.I give them fine oyster shell,Pumpkin seed keeps away pesky grubs they can get I also use a mix of natural herbs which I grow.Have happy chickens.❤
What an amazing video! I had added cracked corn to the chicken feed but always wondered if there was anything else I could add🥰 I have chicks now and will absolutely run with this advice. Great video
We always mixed the feed for our chickens too. But we also feed them our vegetable scraps. They loved the veggie scraps and they would lay eggs even when the neighbor's hens would stop for a few weeks. Our hens' egg production might slow a bit during that time, but they would still lay. One more thing: we never fed them the Diatomaceous Earth though. My grandmother said the hen scratch she used to get for them had "stuff" in it that took care of the worms. I don't know if she was right or wrong, but our chickens were always healthy and strong.
I agree about feeding "whole food". I do the same thing. I feed my two hens the same thing as you, only I use soaked wheat kernels instead of oats, because oats are very high in fiber. And since I can buy fresh chicken for 98 cents a pound, I cook that in a steamer pot. I picked up a 5lb bag of white rice at the 99Cents store for two bucks, so I cook that in the bottom of the steamer at the same time the chicken is cooking, so that the rice cooks in chicken broth. I add a pinch of iodized salt to it, for the iodine and for flavor. I grow lots of organic greens too - collard greens, kale, lettuce - which I also feed them. They get chicken three days per week, and the rest of the time I feed them their own eggs, scrambled with cooked rice and/or soaked wheat kernels and a pinch of iodized salt. I get more eggs than I need, so this is a very cheap way to go, and yet very healthy. I've never added the DE. Maybe I'll do that once a year for a week as a preventative measure.
Hi , Becky good video...I have a library and have had poltry for over 20 years and enjoy raising and watching them. As the are always entertaining and new things we can learn from them... The one thing you missed is there is a difference between grit and oyster shell... All little peeps should be given fine granite grit with chick feed about two days after they hatched as like you said helps their gizzard grind hard corn and even oyster shell down and even a given a as free choice a corser larger granite grit after two months sprinkled in their food...at about 6 months or when your type of poltry begin to lay eggs they will need the oyster shell as the pink areas around their eyes and wattles will become pale from all the calcium is being used in their bodies to make egg shells ...this paleness is called bleaching ...if they are deficient in calcium from producing eggs the eggs will crack easily and become thinner . Calcium is essential for egg laying hens and poltry... Different types of poltry like guinea's or meat chickens like the Cornish or Turkey need higher protein because they grow out much faster so their diet is a little different.. guinea's like to eat small insects ,frogs , lizard s ,mice weed and grass seeds . something also to add to there diet is a cabbage head ,run a string through it and hang it up..it helps keep virus and bad bacteria disease at Bay and and boosts their immune system. FYI also in people... I've also used oregano in there water also helps virus and bacteria infections as a prevention.. as if you have noticed a sick bird or if you add a bird to your flock it is always good to have a quaritine pen to treat and diagnose the problem Incase they are infected with a highly contagious disease...wormwood and diamatacous earth as you said is excellent prevention against parisites and worms and can even be used as a external dust bath box that most poltry enjoy except maybe ducks a course love the water.... Keep up the videos and enjoy your birds!
You really are at the very best at helping us understand how to care for our animals! Your directions are clear I know exactly what to do without guessing. Thank you!
I live in the Caribbean. Getting the right feeds for our animals is so difficult and expensive. Will try to source some of these things, the best way i can. Thank you for all your lovely videos. I grew up on a farm, amazes me to see you enjoying farm life the way you do when all I wish to do is be rid of it😂
Becky I loved your video❤❤❤. I got chickens this year and they look healthy and are very active laying eggs every day. I want to make sure they don't get sick. Thanks for sharing.
Becky I love the natural ingredients for your chickens , how much you mix. Perfect . But how do you feed it ? Just on the ground, in a container? And you feed a can 2 x a day .please help. I'm new .
I'm back looking at this particular video. I would like to educate my daughter about her grown chickens. Is it weird, I feel for those hens. I might get involved with raising them too. Thanks for the video!!
Have been lookin for channel like dis to help me no de proper food to feed my birds as a bignner. Glad 😊 I came across ur channel. Very educative n informative channel... Tanx so much Becky....🙏🙏🙏
Thank you Becky for the advice on the feed mix it is really working for my chickens they are young and starting to lay on the regular now the eggs shells are nice and firm
Thank you for the tips! I have had chickens over the years and never thought to mix my own food. These girls are near the end of egg production. Hopefully I can get a few more years out of them modifying their food. The Diamacious(sp) Earth is also great for keeping mites down. I have a big problem with that.
Have you thought to get a used cement mixer or even a composting barrel that locks and you roll around to mix everything for mixing your chicken feed? I think it would be a lot easier than mixing by hand. Just a thought I had! God Bless!
i thought the same....it isn't sold as the same in this part of the country, in fact, oyster shells for baby chicks is too much calcium, but stone grit there need, especially on that diet
Grit is like little rocks, the chicks needed finer grut for when they start eating grass. Chickens usually don't need additional grit, because they'll find rocks everywhere. Now too much calcium for chicks what causes kidney disease, because they don't need calcium. Full grown chickens need the calcium for egg shells not just for laying.
There are two different types of grit, one is the soft grit like oyster shells and egg shells that are given to them to help in egg production and the other is hard grit is what they need to grind up their food so what she said about the grit grinding up the food is wrong but it is great to give chickens if you want them to lay better/more eggs
Becky is the best. Her videos are the ones I turn to when I don't know what to do. Just cured an egg bound hen. Yes she's right. You don't want to go there.
Depending on where you live, peanut hearts, hemp seeds, other whole grains as available. Nice mix; I'd add both grit and oyster shell, but the seeds give them gloss, and the corn is like candy for them.
Just found your channel and subbed!! Such a great video!! I just bought my chickens oysters shells, and Black oil sunflower seeds today! I have already been feeding them whole corn, but bought cracked corn to add into the mix as well! 😊😁
My first time ever getting some chickens today. Bought 4 adult red hens. Got there food now i need to buy something to house them in. Thank you for your info.
Thanks dear Becky, I have learnt from your video, the unique menu as opposed to the processed milled ingredients. I am building a poultry project with about 20 birds I look forward to applying your knowledge, love from Uganda the Pearl of Africa ❤
Thank you Becky! I absolutely love your videos! Our chickens are almost a year old, and we just bought these items so that they continue to lay eggs during the winter. :)
Your video sound implies you are adding dried puppy food with a lot of meat in the ingredint list, but your video itself shows chickens grazing. So, how much of the puppy food would you incorporate in the feed can--about the same as the corn?
Love your video. I've learned a lot. I supplement my chicken food with spinach, yogurt, dried worms and black oil sunflower seeds. I look forward to more of your videos so I've subscribed. BTW---I live in Northern California.
Very informative, thanks. A couple of things, corn in the hot days is not good, only in winter, to keep them warm. Oyster shell is for strong egg shells. Grit is the rocks or pebbles that help the digest the food.
Becky love your videos and I also experiment with there feed. In this recipe you said to add puppy food, I didn't see you put any in. So how much do you usually use per can?
I've heard that Diatomaceous earth is unsafe for both birds and humans in regards to respiratory problems. I have never used for that reason. Is it really safe to use?
Dear Becky, I’m with you on ALL of this. Of course, I feed my chooks oats, being Scottish. I make them a Chook Stew of all the vegetable peelings and bits left over. I add a cup or two of rice and a beef stock cube. When it is still warm I give it to the girls. It’s heads down and bottoms up! Once a week or so they get a can of cheapest jelly meat dog food. We get premium dog food made from wild possum here in NZ. They get some of this too, usually the end of the roll when it’s a bit dry for the fussy poodles. I’ve watched you from the very start Becky and I reckon you look years younger now than you did before. I love your videos, I’ve learned so much AND been entertained. Please keep making your gorgeously personal videos, they are brilliant ❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉😊
Brilliant. I'm just starting my second batch of chicks - first ones are now 1 year old hens and doing well. Great information - and energy!! An easy: subscribe, like, notifications set and a comment for the creator. Nice job!
I’ll most likely go with a different method of feeding but I really like how enthusiastic you were so I watched a video and I put a thumbs up on it. Thanks for caring about what you do.
Feed always lasts longer if you can free range your chickens which she obviously does . What you should really be concerned about is keeping your chickens well fed & healthy for where YOU LIVE . We all live in different areas usually so feed & nutrition requirements are different . Also in cold weather your chickens will eat more so thus mixture she suggests may not last as long as you think it should . Everyone have a good day & take care .
Thank you so much! I love this video. You gave great information! I loved seeing your birds at the end. Please make more videos. I live in Southern California. I'm a city lady with a country heart. I have always felt like I should have been raised on a farm.
Farmer here. Great video! But just so people know the "people corn" is sweet corn and the "animal corn" is field corn. Both are fine for human consumption but sweet corn is much sweeter!.
I had a bout 10 hens and a rooster when I lived in the mountains up in Washington State and in the winter which was about 25% below 0 , I would cook roled oats and mix bacon grease in with them and feed that to the chickens and they laid eggs all winter .
It's my first time having chickens. I have 6 children and each one chose a chicken, they tend to their baby and I believe this teaches responsibility, but as the mama of all I'm still learning. Thank you
That's a beautiful thing
1. Black oil Sunflower seeds
2. Whole corn
3. Premium Cleaned oats
4. Puppy food (for winter)
5. Diatomaceous earth (for worms)
6. Oyster shell as grit
I noticed the she didn't show the puppy food. I have been looking for a comment that explained that a little more! I know this is an older video, but I've never heard of putting dog good in the mix
@@Anjeecm puppy food or dog food is high in protein. Chickens need a lot of protein to lay eggs. It's a trick some use in the winter to increase egg laying because it's high in protein. Some even use cat food for the same purpose. She only uses dog feed in the winter to help them stay laying it would be a quick fix to get them laying.
@@Anjeecm she said she uses stale dog food. Hint: look for busted bags in stores for a discount. My Tractor Supply discounts theirs if busted, a manager is the person to ask, cheap dog food can be found at Dollar stores too and again, ask about those busted bags. DG puts it in the dumpster. Grocery stores and produce stands will normally give you old produce and vegetable scraps. Restaurants will give you food scraps. Discount bakery stores throw out old bread and pastries, ask them to save it for you and always make sure you pick it up on the day that they tell you to come, otherwise they are not going to save it, this goes for any place that saves you free food for your chickens. Seafood markets give away oyster shells, put it in a feed sack and run over them, then use your hammer to finish the job. Grow your own worms, then you have snacks and compost. You also can grow meal worms and soldier fly .
Kitten food is higher in fat/protein, and that's what you're after!!
@@Anjeecm hi from Canada, yaa,. Chickens love dog food...so do goats. It's because there's usually grain fillers, and protein. Meat protein, or plant based on they love it all. They need protein to compensate for the lack of bugs in their environment. Oyster shell to compensate for the grit and mineral to to hey get from the dirt. Wheat or hullless Pat's is better than either raw oats or barley. The coarseness of the shell can get stuck in their crop, so better to grind it or eliminate it. Lentils and peas also jack up the protein content.
Stumbled upon this video, I have been doing something similar with my chickens with soaking as a mash. I mix half and half oyster shell and grit. Since we can't free range due to predators the rock grit I found out is very important. Oyster shell is still good for the calcium but breaks down in their system quicker, while the rock based grit sticks around longer and really helps their digestion.
🐣 Thank you Becky!!!!!!
My chickens are laying eggs daily thank you to your recipe. I have 6 chickens that just started laying eggs for the first time in the middle of December, I collected 25 eggs.
For the month of January I collected 102 eggs and so far this month (February) I've collected 56 already! People are surprised that my chickens are laying eggs in the Winter. I tell them I have secret feed. 😉 Thank you again for sharing all of your great knowledge on chickens.
Can you write the ingredients so that I can translate them
Q
@@nossa8335 black oil sunflower seeds, whole corn, oats, diatomaceous earth and puppy food
For how long did you have them before they started laying eggs in December?
@@carolmurray5794 how much puppy food did you add to your mixture
For people who are not familiar with grit it is important to supply your hens with grit AND oyster shell they need insoluble and soluble. The oyster shell provides the hen with calcium for the egg shell and the grit breaks down the seed in the gizzard
Hope that helps
I was going to say the same 👍🏼
So should the oyster shell be mixed in with the feed mixture and use the grit separately as she has done?
@@rae_d5564 I keep both grit and oyster shells separate so they take what they need only
👍
Thank you for clarifying!!
@@rae_d5564 no problem 😊
I got my first egg yesterday 😀 I'm so thrilled! Thank you for all the videos and sharing your knowledge! You have been a part in my success ❤️
I love how Homesteaders get joy from the small things in life☀️❤️☀️
We got our first egg last Tuesday. They’ve been averaging around 4 a day. We have 17 hens and 1 rooster.
Yesterday we got 6! It is so much fun going out to check for eggs.
Yes, the health problems that so many people are having today is the lack of “whole foods”. So I will definitely start feeding my chickens this way too/ I’m fairly new to keeping chickens/ so glad to have run across this video. Thank you so much Becky. 💕
Soldier fly larvae works really well. I saw a TH-cam video somewhere that had a bucket growing and collecting them. I set up a similar system and my chickens have been laying eggs non stop - even the ones that stopped laying eggs regularly.
Buy yourself a starter pack and grow your own. Very easy to do and the chickens go insane for them. They also don't need a lot since they are so nutrient rich. The eggs also taste a little different, and I get double yolk quite frequently.
Our chickens are fed organics sometimes
8umlus fermented f
I use my clean cement mixer. I pour feed into mixer, then let it turn for several minutes, then dump in my metal garbage can. So much easier on my back.
This is a genius idea. Thanks for the suggestion. I’m having a hard time finding these feed elements at a good cost. Any suggestions?
@@sharilynchristensen6149 Yes, purchase Purina Poultry feed with all the 38 nutrients the chickens need to be healthy. I use the Omega 3 Layena formula because it makes my eggs more healthy for me and my cholesterol.
@@sharilynchristensen6149 Yes you are Right
I use a small bladed shovel to mix with.
I was just thinking of that as I use my cement mixer for blending garden soil too!
My wife and I wanted to try this recipe out. We have had laying hens for 11 yrs and just bought the normal layer feed. Well we have 8 new hens that are almost ready for their first eggs and two old ladies. (7 & 8yr old). Well the 7yr (Moosey) laid a egg once a month and just quit this Covid summer. So a month ago, Oct 30, 2020 we starred with our new feed. Here it is Nov 28th and we have had 7 eggs in the last two weeks from a 7yr old hen. The new hens hopefully will start sometime around Christmas. (We know this is her due to the color of the egg). We love the new diet. Thanks so much....
Mike and Kelly
Can you write the ingredients so that I can translate them
@@nossa8335 black oil sunflower seeds
Whole corn kernels
Whole oats
@@Dragon_Fire_2468 Is all of the ingredients organic?
@@jamclibusmar depends on if they are labeled as such. But most of the time, those ingredients are organic
@@Dragon_Fire_2468 Did she also say puppy food??? (Not being a turd; I’m hard of hearing 😅) i didn’t see it mixed in but i swear i heard her say it LOL
Another point on worms in chickens that I am not certain a lot of people know about is that roundworm, a fairly common parasite to afflict chickens can find their way into the "egg factory" of the chicken and get trapped in an egg. Yes you can find roundworms INSIDE chicken eggs. Found one in an egg that I had purchased from a local farm yesterday during breakfast. It's fairly rare as the bird typically has to have a sever infestation for this to happen.
Seeing you do this with wedge heels on made my day! We can still be fabulous while we farm! 😆
totally, I am always farming in a dress or skirts, since it is always warm here 😀
To add calcium, you can also dry and crush egg shells to give back to them! I keep a pie tin (on a baking sheet) in the oven to collect shells. Occasionally, I will turn the oven on just until it preheats and then TURN IT OFF to dry the shells. (*Don't forget to remove the pan before baking! And don't leave them in a preheated oven at full temp!) When no more egg shells can be mounded on top, they are transferred to a big pot and crushed with a potato masher, then finely broken up with fingers. This is oddly satisfying! Any egg shells that weren't fully dried get put back on the pie tin for the next go around. I then mix the crushed shells in with the feed.
Of course, the shells are also good for the garden and compost pile. 😊
We did this when I was a lad when there were no oyster shells to be had in the middle of Africa. Also in 1956 there weren't many convenience stores around in the bush either!
We add the shells to a quart size ziplock bag and hand crush then keep in the fridge next to the eggs themselves. Eventually we transfer to a tin or sheet to fry in the oven or even lay out on paper plates to dry
My two year old helps me crush egg shells. He loves to help Mommy with this chore!
I found using a mini shovel (28" total length) works best for the mixing. It can easily dig deep and on the sides of the galvanized can to mix everything together well. My chickens love this mix and I am so happy to be feeding them this as opposed to machine processed grain.
A small pot from the second hand store works great too
I have 51 chickens and anything to help the food spread out and last longer is great-
I think it was you who said soaking the seeds helps be more filling and nutritious (sprouting the seeds)
Thank you for being you. Thank you for being a good example to others. We are not obligated to agree with others, but rather to be kind and helpful. I enjoy your videos and I'm old enough to be your grandpa, on a "farm with livestock" all my life. Thanks again.
Yay!!! Im a Mormon too. Just starting out with chickens though
@@jessicadurrant7344 what are Mormons' favorite jokes?
Knock knock jokes.
@@morehn hahahah that's so funny!!! My brother is a missionary now in Nevada, because of Covid a lot of missionary work is done of Facebook. Check it out!
@@jessicadurrant7344 haha thanks. I think I heard it on the Dry Bar Comedy channel, a Mormon gem.
Thank you Becky!!
I give my chicks/roosters lots of greens from my gardens, their egg shells,
and if I ever have dog food that gets a little old, i soak it and give that to them (sparingly)
I also give mine coconut oil. I have chickens that are about 8 years old and they just had
a chick about 2 months ago. They are still laying- less often, but they still lay.
Time to put that chicken in the soup 😂
Dog food is a great source of protein and helps them stay warm in the winter! puppy chow is a good brand and you don't need to wet it down
Why coconut oil?
Wow!
good fat@@su8111
Please post a ratio recipe for your feed mix. Thank you! Love your channel.
Thank you so much for this. My chickens are a little over a year old and have stopped laying. I kept wondering what the world i was doing wrong. I really appreciate this video. ❤
Can't wait to make my girls happy again.
I think chickens slow egg production down in winter cause of less light and shorter days.
@@scottrayhons2537 correct
Hi Becky, I've been feeding my chickens lay crumble, scratch, bread, and grit. Sometimes meat. However, you're feed recipe makes so much more sense... Moving forward I will use your formula. I love my chickens and I do want them to be healthy. You're so sweet.. and thank you for thoroughly explaining your process of feeding and why. Bless you🐔
11ŵqqaaàxxXx XXX5
What a great video! Becky, you are intelligent, adorable, and down to earth. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Now I will share it with a friend wanting but not knowing how to care for chickens. 😊
I love to hear and watch you caring for your chickens. You look like you are in a countryside. I wish I can visit you one day to learn from you about chickens. You made it all so interesting.
I live in UK, and it is so far away to visit your farm. But who knows!!!
Bless you and bless your farm.
Was so happy that this popped up on my feed today. I had leftover alpha alpha hay bits from feeding my rabbits. Threw it in to them today. Now I know that there is a really good reason to keep giving it to them
As a licensed F.D.A.Egg Packer. I feed my Free Range Chickens whole corn and the Hens lay all year. Whole corn is cheap and as an added bonus gives the egg yokes a bright yellow color and better flavor which makes our Range Fed Chicken Eggs sell in the store for $6.00 a dozen.
Besides side corn, what else do you feed your chicken. Thank you
We feed our chooks (chickens) scratch mix, Ie. mixed grain with molasses. They get their other nutrients from roaming around the place pecking at everything. ‘Layer pellets’ from my experience, are about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike.
I am using scratch mix too supplemented with a selection of greens, rolled oats, weetbix, raw meat, corn on the cob ( people style) and other kitchen treats.
@@primrose64au. sorry what is weetbix?
Oh my God I love you! I'm all the way out in Australia and I'm sending you the biggest support and love. You're amazing.
Unpopular opinion- I fed my chickens this for 3 months. They had never been sick. Egg quality dropped and they slowly stopped laying…then got horribly sick.
Over and over.
Switched to store bought pellets and they all started laying again in 2 weeks. Everyone is healthy and recovered.
There aren’t enough nutrients in this mixture. I was hopeful and wanted to make my own. But I almost lost my chickens doing this.
Hi Becky, I am new to chickens - just got our first chicks 18 weeks ago. I have never had anything other than a dog or cat, so I got on youtube to learn as much as I could as well as rented books from the library. I found your channel and I really appreciate all you have done to help homesteaders. Thank you for all your time and the great information. I want to raise my chickens as naturally as I can. From watching your videos as well as others - I decided that a whole grain feed was better than dead store bought crumbs. So, after my chicken finished their first bag of chick starter feed (non medicated) I began using a mix of corn, wheat, oats, barely and flax. Adding in sunflower seeds, grubs and mealworms for protein. I have tried to get them to eat peas or lentils for protein - but they won't - I have tried fermenting them, sprouting them, just feeding them dry and they just go uneaten. I thought I would try cooking them next. I have also had a bowl of organic store bought feed that I keep full in their run just in case or as backup, but it hardly gets eaten. Here is my question and my concern - my chicks are now 18 weeks old and they hardly have combs, just little pink stubs and practically no wattles. They also don't seem as big as I thougtht they would be by this age. I'm wondering if I made a mistake and if I should have just fed them grower feed and if I have stunted their growth. If I have - is there a way to come back from this or remedy it? I have never been around chickens so I honestly have nothing to compare them to except pictures on the internet - but it seems like they should have red combs and wattles by now. Thank you so much for everything. I really appreciate you time.
Dear Michael, I'm new to chickens as well. Raised two batches of laying hens so far of six each time. Sad experiences with predators occurred with first batch. Both flocks got to laying age though. About six months and their waddles and combs came in and then laying begins. Did accidently purchase a cute yellow chick in the first bunch who never laid and egg! Figured it must have been a meat chicken mixed in with layers. Your books will help you a lot. Becky's Homestead videos have been very helpful for me too because her enthusiasm is catching. I love her hands on examples and I have used many of her ideas. So, I hope you have found some good results in the 3 months since you posted this. I am going to try Becky's recipe when I can. I use organic laying pellets, oyster shells, scratch mix and meal worms. I did not realize whole food would work. I have six chickens and get 4 to 5 eggs a day. 3 are Rhode Island Reds and 3 are Silver Streaks. I usually see 3 brown eggs and 2 smaller beige eggs at the most each day. Somebody is holding out, so wondering if it is a nutrition problem. Also wondered if I had a cockerel among the Silvies since their combs are odd looking compared to the Rhodies. I read that it could take 2 years for a rooster to complete his feather growth. I have never heard a rooster crow from this bunch though, so think I have safely selected only females. Best of luck in your chicken raising. My spouse and I get way more eggs than we need with 5 to 6 hens working.
I was born on a farm to a mom who was also a farmer's daughter. My grandparents were born in the 1800's. They ate sour cream butter on field corn of a specific variety that was developed to also be eaten by people. There are specific varieties of "field corn" that are grown specifically for human consumption, and it is not the sweet corn we are used to but this stuff was super delicious. I think it was a 149 variety but I doubt it's available any more because those ways are being fazed out. There is always dent corn (Reid's dent corn is super prolific and is still used today) which feeds deer and turkeys and while good for animals it is also used for masa (tamales and taco shells etc) and corn bread. In places where wheat didn't seem to grow too well (in the south mainly) around the civil war they grew lots of corn and cornbread was a daily staple of most household rather than wheat breads. That same corn which fed the animals also fed the people. Yummy roasting ears still are in my thoughts of delicious corn. We'd roast it in the back yard on momm'a's farm along with some chickens and have some steamed clams too. I grew up wanting to eat at the farmer's house across the street because they served corn fed chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and this most wonderful sweet delicious variety of field corn (of course with sour cream butter!) for Sunday dinner. Blanche really knew how to cook! Her pies were the best besides mom's (and now mine). To make sour cream butter one skims the fat off of the milk and lets it get soured before churning it. If it's washed with cold water it tastes like regular sweet cream butter but if it's not washed with cold water to express the milk out of it it has a wonderful tangy flavor to it. Great on just about anything including just out of the oven sour dough bread or piping hot cornbread. I used to love broken cornbread with raw milk. A lot of the farmer's wives used what they called clabbered milk (soured milk- strain the liquid out of it reserving just the milk solids- add some sugar and an egg and use it to make kolachky pastries. With a little bit of home made peach preserves on top it was heaven in every bite. There is nothing wrong with fermented foods. I was raised on it! People eat yogurt and sour cream and drink cultured buttermilk all the time. And if one can find the variety of field corn that was created by farmers breeding it when looking for a wonderful table corn, you've got to at least try it before judging it unsuitable for people.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and the recipe!
We also ate feild corn right off the cob its deluscious i still eat feild corn.
Thats what I was thinking! Thanks for confirming! 🌸 🌼 🌻 🌞
Fascinating; we need to go back to those old ways. Healthy & delicious! Thank you so much for sharing
Human slavery is also still common, doesn’t make it ok in any way! HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?
I've had chickens and ducks for over 10 years. The only way for me to keep my hens laying year round is to provide supplimentle lighting. I have to extend the day light hours for my hens so they are getting 10 hours of light. This can be easily done with a low watt bulb on a timer right in the hen house. Good luck. Oh by the way if you wait to long and the hens stop laying it could take a few weeks of extended light to get them back on track. It's not an over night fix.
I've heard that you can keep your hens laying during the late fall and winter by keeping the lights turned on. That is fine if you keep the hens as stock. I only have four hens and 6 ducks and I see them as pets first and I prefer to let them follow their natural laying cycle. I may get fewer eggs in the winter but I stock up
in the summer by freezing the eggs in cupcake tins and then zip lock freezer bags
and use the eggs for scrambled eggs, baking, and sauces such as Hollandaise. The frozen eggs work just as well as the fresh in poached and hardboiled etc. and I feel more comfortable that I am giving my hens the best natural care that I can.
Another way to preserve your flush harvesting is by waterglassing.
I've heard that manipulating the light to make them lay year round makes them stop laying at a younger age and shortens their life span. I just let my chickens lay when they want to and keep it that way. I would rather forfeit some eggs than forfeit my girls. I love them dearly and want them to live a long happy life. Right now I'm getting 14 to 15 eggs every day from my 16 girls. They lay a few double yolkers every week too. I have several regular egg customers but I am also planning to freeze a few flats full my family for winter time.
Brent G I have a question. I want to get chickens but do you think they are easy to take care of?
My wife has gotten eggs through the winter (maybe half as many as in summer) without any lighting, in upstate NY. She does give them warm water in cold weather; they seem to love that.
Thanks for this great video!
Just one caution:
Inhalation of Diatomaceous Earth can cause respiratory irritation and, if inhaled in sufficient quantity and long enough, silicosis. It's not SUPER dangerous, but still, if I were tossing and mixing that food in a small garbage and sticking my head down into it like that, I'd wear a mask or even just a scarf or bandana over my nose and mouth just while I was mixing it.
Lungs face a lot of potential challenges on a homestead, from dust, molds, allergens, particulates from burning wood in wood stoves or burning brush or trash. Since your heart, brain, stamina and life depend on them, best to keep them working at 100% as long as possible!
Or just hold your breath
"Potential challenges"? Give me a break 😂 you are a sheltered city person aren't you. I get sick from going into town amongst PEOPLE. I'm never, ever sick from my own farm life. My aunt is a city person and she is always warning me about all of the potential hazards out there and told me that city people live longer than country people.... and yet she's the sick one needing hand fulls of pills every day.... Not me.
@@sofiaparker6382 They don't know any better and think they're helping. Just let it go, lol, right over your head👍
@@sofiaparker6382 That's because you're young. You'll feel it when you get older....well actually you probably won't feel anything depending on how reckless you are on a farm. Hard work is oftentimes dangerous work too.
@@sofiaparker6382 is cool LOL!
Thank you for posting this video. I am a visual learner so this helped me tremendously. Now it doesn't seem confusing or hard to know what to feed my chickens and how to mix it. I wholeheartedly agree that whole, clean foods = healthy, happy birds, animals and humans! Love you Becky! ❤🐓
I have no idea why I'm watching this... I have no chickens. But you caught my attention and I love to watch homesteaders take care of their animals... so fun. I am thankful for the fresh local farm eggs I get delivered every week. Someday I'd like to try having chickens... I just can't imagine walking out in 20 - 30 below here in Minnesota taking care of them in winter! 😳🤣 I need to move...
Yes you do ! 👍🏻
Our chickens just started laying. They're such a joy to have around. 😊
I just love the fact, you’re doing your farm duties in wedges! I love it!!!! Thank you for your tips
So called animal corn is Dent corn (field corn) & humans can eat it, I did for 18 years on the farm.
So called People corn is A sweet corn that is used as a vegetable instead of a grain.
We planted dent corn in march for animal feed & Sweet corn in may with all the other vegetables.
So the dent corn was ripe (readly to eat) before the sweet corn & we picked it until the sweet corn came in(ripen).
The little bit of dent corn that we picked ripe, instead of letting dry was small compared to the 4 acres that we planted.
I understand you are working with people who have never been near or on a farm.
I always loved the field corn when a child because it was big and filling...with lots of butter is as good as sweet corn to me....here in east Texas, field corn seems to do better than sweet corn...✌️❤️💥😇🖖🇧🇯
Field corn can be ground to make corn flour! I just got a grain mill and can't wait to grind up some "deer corn"!
On that same vein, I wonder if the horse oats can be ground into flour. I just purchased 50lbs of wheat berries and they weren't cheap!
I just answered my own question... Horse oats have the hull, which apparently, is difficult to remove in bulk.
Just been giving mine kitchen scraps, commercial layer feed, and soldier fly larvae.
I'll look into adding this stuff.
Hey Becky, thanks for the new trick. Last year we added a heat lamp to our barn, and that helped they lay all year, as well as helping them stay warmer in the winter weather.
How long does your feed last you? And do you give them more in the winter to help provide them with more energy in the winter time? Again, thanks for this wonderful recipe. I will be trying it with our ladies.
Give them actual nutritious quality food and lots of love and respect and cuddles and !most importantly! LEAVE THEIR EGGS ALONE, THEY BELONG TO THEM!
I do the same thing but I use cat food in the winter and I also add safflower, wheat, rye, split peas, and wild bird seed. and oatmeal too! love you and your farm!
I wish I could raise chickens where...
I enjoy listening to them, and fresh eggs are so much better than even organic eggs sold in most stores.
Pasture raised eggs are the best tasting and nutritious eggs!
It occurs to me that putting DE in the food mix will prevent bugs in there, or will kill bugs for more goodies for the chicks.
Excellent. I do exactly the same for my chicken-girls. I mix oats, sunflower seeds, corn, and I also drop a few handfulls of sesame seed & flax seed, AND..yes, a few spoons of DE as well. Then I add just a little of the store-feed. Thank you for the video it is fantastic!
@@soniabrannan412 Sorry sonia your question just popped up today. I mix without a precise measurement. I just put a bunch of each ingredients to make a total of half a bucket for example & then I add like 2 tablespoons of Diatomaceous Earth, then I mix well & repeat the process to a full bucket. Then mix all well & put in their big feeder in the coop. I hope it helps. Happy chicken farming!!
Thank you Becky for not selling out to Purina and tractor supply like the-chicken-chick did. You rock!
Yes, we plant corn here in S.D. We call it field corn. It’s not for people to eat off the ear; it’s added to many foods.
South Dakota here too...Field corn and sweet corn.. and we can spot the difference just by looking at the plant..🌽😏
@@dakota_farmer6141 Sooo... I have a question. I’ve heard that when the farmers started growing corn for ethanol, to put into gasoline. It caused the price of feed corn for live stock to go up. Thus causing the price of beef, pork and chicken to go up. Has this been your experience? I do know that when ethanol is added to gasoline it causes the vehicle to get less gas mileage.
One of my favorite TH-cam channels! We have referenced your videos over and over as we build our homestead! Thanks for all of the great advice! Be on the lookout for our videos! You rock!
Hi
so about 4 parts oats, 2 parts corn, 3 parts sunflower seeds, and some Diatomaceous earth for the base mix.
Supplement with oyster shell, grit, and alfalfa. as needed
yes?
Thanks
@@sonyia7521 Diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. I love it, the only thing that can kill fleas IN THE EGG!. Its sharp edges (microscopic) cuts the shell. Given to animals as wormer instead of chemicals. Humans too, if you human grade.
She also mentioned puppy food
I also add some rabbit pellets in it
Yes
I add to my mix flax seed wheat germ pumpkin seeds lentils or beans cooked and they love it,I varieties it so it's not to rich,they have chopped veg scraps and leafy greens,They have plenty of room in the veg garden or back grass paddock.I give them fine oyster shell,Pumpkin seed keeps away pesky grubs they can get I also use a mix of natural herbs which I grow.Have happy chickens.❤
What an amazing video! I had added cracked corn to the chicken feed but always wondered if there was anything else I could add🥰 I have chicks now and will absolutely run with this advice. Great video
Cracked corn has no food value. They have removed the germ, that's the most valuable part of corn.
We always mixed the feed for our chickens too. But we also feed them our vegetable scraps. They loved the veggie scraps and they would lay eggs even when the neighbor's hens would stop for a few weeks. Our hens' egg production might slow a bit during that time, but they would still lay.
One more thing: we never fed them the Diatomaceous Earth though. My grandmother said the hen scratch she used to get for them had "stuff" in it that took care of the worms. I don't know if she was right or wrong, but our chickens were always healthy and strong.
Can you write the ingredients so that I can translate them
I agree about feeding "whole food". I do the same thing. I feed my two hens the same thing as you, only I use soaked wheat kernels instead of oats, because oats are very high in fiber. And since I can buy fresh chicken for 98 cents a pound, I cook that in a steamer pot. I picked up a 5lb bag of white rice at the 99Cents store for two bucks, so I cook that in the bottom of the steamer at the same time the chicken is cooking, so that the rice cooks in chicken broth. I add a pinch of iodized salt to it, for the iodine and for flavor. I grow lots of organic greens too - collard greens, kale, lettuce - which I also feed them. They get chicken three days per week, and the rest of the time I feed them their own eggs, scrambled with cooked rice and/or soaked wheat kernels and a pinch of iodized salt. I get more eggs than I need, so this is a very cheap way to go, and yet very healthy. I've never added the DE. Maybe I'll do that once a year for a week as a preventative measure.
Rice is high in arsenic
Hi , Becky good video...I have a library and have had poltry for over 20 years and enjoy raising and watching them. As the are always entertaining and new things we can learn from them... The one thing you missed is there is a difference between grit and oyster shell... All little peeps should be given fine granite grit with chick feed about two days after they hatched as like you said helps their gizzard grind hard corn and even oyster shell down and even a given a as free choice a corser larger granite grit after two months sprinkled in their food...at about 6 months or when your type of poltry begin to lay eggs they will need the oyster shell as the pink areas around their eyes and wattles will become pale from all the calcium is being used in their bodies to make egg shells ...this paleness is called bleaching ...if they are deficient in calcium from producing eggs the eggs will crack easily and become thinner . Calcium is essential for egg laying hens and poltry... Different types of poltry like guinea's or meat chickens like the Cornish or Turkey need higher protein because they grow out much faster so their diet is a little different.. guinea's like to eat small insects ,frogs , lizard s ,mice weed and grass seeds . something also to add to there diet is a cabbage head ,run a string through it and hang it up..it helps keep virus and bad bacteria disease at Bay and and boosts their immune system. FYI also in people... I've also used oregano in there water also helps virus and bacteria infections as a prevention.. as if you have noticed a sick bird or if you add a bird to your flock it is always good to have a quaritine pen to treat and diagnose the problem Incase they are infected with a highly contagious disease...wormwood and diamatacous earth as you said is excellent prevention against parisites and worms and can even be used as a external dust bath box that most poltry enjoy except maybe ducks a course love the water.... Keep up the videos and enjoy your birds!
NEVER feed them stone what the literal fuck. And this was painful to read. Use your heart and brain.
You really are at the very best at helping us understand how to care for our animals! Your directions are clear I know exactly what to do without guessing. Thank you!
Your so nice and I’m glad I can help☀️❤️☀️
I live in the Caribbean. Getting the right feeds for our animals is so difficult and expensive. Will try to source some of these things, the best way i can. Thank you for all your lovely videos. I grew up on a farm, amazes me to see you enjoying farm life the way you do when all I wish to do is be rid of it😂
You can grow so many good healthy stuff for your nonhuman family members!
Then find someone who will love and respect them too!
For calcium I keep my egg shells ,and put them in the oven for about 15 to 20 mins about 350 degrees and crush them up then feed them to the chickens,
Thanks..
Doesnt eork the same. The way calcium is digested make egg shells not as good
You have to bake them? Or can you just let them naturally dry and crush them? Will the dried yolk hurt them?
@@corrinjade3973 I don't suppose you have to bake them, I just don't like saving the wet(and later in the day,smelly) egg shells
2:22 AM..
and i don't have chickens...
1:49 am lol
😂
Same here, but, I had chickens a few years back & want them again some day
Get them!
Yet.
Great videos Becky and for those who can't get Oyster shells, use crushed egg shells or snail shells. That is what I use for my backyard chickens.
Can you write the ingredients so that I can translate them
Becky I loved your video❤❤❤. I got chickens this year and they look healthy and are very active laying eggs every day. I want to make sure they don't get sick. Thanks for sharing.
Becky I love the natural ingredients for your chickens , how much you mix. Perfect . But how do you feed it ? Just on the ground, in a container? And you feed a can 2 x a day .please help. I'm new .
Daylight hours determine egg laying term. Once you get less that 15-16, hours sunlight per day, laying will slow.
I'm back looking at this particular video. I would like to educate my daughter about her grown chickens. Is it weird, I feel for those hens. I might get involved with raising them too. Thanks for the video!!
I enjoyed this video so much, it brought back memories, my great grandmother raised chickens amongst other farm animals.
Nice keep it up
You break things down so easily for those of us who were raised to be absolutely clueless 😩🥰
Have been lookin for channel like dis to help me no de proper food to feed my birds as a bignner. Glad 😊 I came across ur channel. Very educative n informative channel... Tanx so much Becky....🙏🙏🙏
Thank you Becky for the advice on the feed mix it is really working for my chickens they are young and starting to lay on the regular now the eggs shells are nice and firm
Feed back the eggs to the chicken's also
My shells so hard they can't crack them on there own they wait for me they will eat shells and all
Thank you for the tips! I have had chickens over the years and never thought to mix my own food. These girls are near the end of egg production. Hopefully I can get a few more years out of them modifying their food. The Diamacious(sp) Earth is also great for keeping mites down. I have a big problem with that.
I never thought to mix their feed. Thanks for making this video. Thumbs up!
Beck yu look great! I like how you got your hair. Thanks for your advice over the years
I need to try this! My husband is sick of paying tractor supply prices on layer feed. Thank you !
Have you thought to get a used cement mixer or even a composting barrel that locks and you roll around to mix everything for mixing your chicken feed? I think it would be a lot easier than mixing by hand. Just a thought I had! God Bless!
My friend always gives her chickens expired yogurt, she said they love it and the eggs multiply!!! Thanks for the video
That's something I discovered too. Big treat
What kind of yogurt? Do you make your own? If so, how?
I use to watch you years ago. Happy to see your still at it. Your enthusiastic presentations are a joy to watch.
Joy for white people supporting slavery.
And it’s you’re. Your is belonging to you, you’re is a contraction of you are.
I subscribed. I'm getting chickensin the spring to raise . We raised them when I was young and enjoyed the benefits.
Now that's what I call FREE RANGE chickens! a pleasure to watch, thank you for sharing😎😎
I bake and powder my egg shells to their food. I also add brewers yeast. Healthy stuff
What does the yeast do for the.?
You have been a wonderful teacher for me and I think you are darling.
oyster shell and grit are not the same.oystershell hepls pruduce strong eggshells grit is what grinds food in the crop
i thought the same....it isn't sold as the same in this part of the country, in fact, oyster shells for baby chicks is too much calcium, but stone grit there need, especially on that diet
Baby chicks don’t need oyster shell because they aren’t laying yet.
She said that they were out but that she likes to add the shell because they need the calcium to be strong enough to lay eggs. Hers are fully grown.
Grit is like little rocks, the chicks needed finer grut for when they start eating grass. Chickens usually don't need additional grit, because they'll find rocks everywhere.
Now too much calcium for chicks what causes kidney disease, because they don't need calcium. Full grown chickens need the calcium for egg shells not just for laying.
There are two different types of grit, one is the soft grit like oyster shells and egg shells that are given to them to help in egg production and the other is hard grit is what they need to grind up their food so what she said about the grit grinding up the food is wrong but it is great to give chickens if you want them to lay better/more eggs
Becky is the best. Her videos are the ones I turn to when I don't know what to do.
Just cured an egg bound hen. Yes she's right. You don't want to go there.
Helped me lots. I’m one of your subscribers!
Depending on where you live, peanut hearts, hemp seeds, other whole grains as available. Nice mix; I'd add both grit and oyster shell, but the seeds give them gloss, and the corn is like candy for them.
Hi hope you're having a good time today
Just found your channel and subbed!! Such a great video!! I just bought my chickens oysters shells, and Black oil sunflower seeds today! I have already been feeding them whole corn, but bought cracked corn to add into the mix as well! 😊😁
Thanks for the video! Great information. How long does that mixed container of food last?
My first time ever getting some chickens today. Bought 4 adult red hens. Got there food now i need to buy something to house them in. Thank you for your info.
Thanks dear Becky, I have learnt from your video, the unique menu as opposed to the processed milled ingredients. I am building a poultry project with about 20 birds I look forward to applying your knowledge, love from Uganda the Pearl of Africa ❤
Thank you Becky! I absolutely love your videos! Our chickens are almost a year old, and we just bought these items so that they continue to lay eggs during the winter. :)
As long as you leave their eggs alone because they belong to them!
Your video sound implies you are adding dried puppy food with a lot of meat in the ingredint list, but your video itself shows chickens grazing. So, how much of the puppy food would you incorporate in the feed can--about the same as the corn?
Love your video. I've learned a lot. I supplement my chicken food with spinach, yogurt, dried worms and black oil sunflower seeds. I look forward to more of your videos so I've subscribed. BTW---I live in Northern California.
Yes i heard that the birds love cream/yogurt/whey.. good stuff
Very informative, thanks. A couple of things, corn in the hot days is not good, only in winter, to keep them warm. Oyster shell is for strong egg shells. Grit is the rocks or pebbles that help the digest the food.
Been using ur recipe for yrs n my hens r healthy n does lay a lot!!
Becky- you are glowing. I'm so happy for you. You look so healthy and beautiful
It's
Becky love your videos and I also experiment with there feed.
In this recipe you said to add puppy food, I didn't see you put any in. So how much do you usually use per can?
I came to the comments looking for the same answer
Remind them to use FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth and not the stuff for swimming pools... Great Great video...
I show the bag☀️❤️☀️
Where can I get these food as I live in Chicago and I don't find anywhere
@@kokogogza3457 You don't have Tractor Supply Co. where you live?
I've heard that Diatomaceous earth is unsafe for both birds and humans in regards to respiratory problems. I have never used for that reason. Is it really safe to use?
@debandgary Wi Not from what I understand. There is pool grade and food grade.
Dear Becky, I’m with you on ALL of this. Of course, I feed my chooks oats, being Scottish. I make them a Chook Stew of all the vegetable peelings and bits left over. I add a cup or two of rice and a beef stock cube. When it is still warm I give it to the girls. It’s heads down and bottoms up! Once a week or so they get a can of cheapest jelly meat dog food. We get premium dog food made from wild possum here in NZ. They get some of this too, usually the end of the roll when it’s a bit dry for the fussy poodles. I’ve watched you from the very start Becky and I reckon you look years younger now than you did before. I love your videos, I’ve learned so much AND been entertained. Please keep making your gorgeously personal videos, they are brilliant ❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉😊
Brilliant. I'm just starting my second batch of chicks - first ones are now 1 year old hens and doing well. Great information - and energy!! An easy: subscribe, like, notifications set and a comment for the creator. Nice job!
I’ll most likely go with a different method of feeding but I really like how enthusiastic you were so I watched a video and I put a thumbs up on it. Thanks for caring about what you do.
What do you feed
How long do your bags of sunflower seeds, oats and corn last you with 13 chickens? Thank you for that video! Great info! :-)
Feed always lasts longer if you can free range your chickens which she obviously does . What you should really be concerned about is keeping your chickens well fed & healthy for where YOU LIVE . We all live in different areas usually so feed & nutrition requirements are different . Also in cold weather your chickens will eat more so thus mixture she suggests may not last as long as you think it should . Everyone have a good day & take care .
In Pennsylvania we call that "field corn". Great video. Thank you for sharing!
😊🐓😊
Yea I didn't realize other places didn't lol
I'm in Illinois and call it Feild Corn as well.
Love your video..tbank you ao much, we just bought some chickens so your video really helped us to know what to feed them.
Thank you so much! I love this video. You gave great information! I loved seeing your birds at the end. Please make more videos. I live in Southern California. I'm a city lady with a country heart. I have always felt like I should have been raised on a farm.