"An Egg Today is Better Than a Hen Tomorrow": Part V The Feed

A happy, healthy chicken will lay the best eggs.  And think of it this way:  whatever you feed your chickens, you will eventually also eat in their eggs, so it's best to feed them the best foods possible.  Chickens are also natural foragers/peckers and will destroy any vegetable and flower garden around (as well as kill off both pest and beneficial insects), it is best to keep them at least somewhat contained so they don't destroy your entire yard/garden/neighbor's yards.

So getting back to the topic:  what is best to feed chickens?  The real question is, how much work/money are you willing to put in?  Here are some options:

• The best form of chicken food is probably going to be organic.  You can either buy the organic pre-made stuff online or from specialty stores, but that will definitely cost you a pretty penny.  Some brands you can look into that are 100% certified organic are Fertrell's, Homestead Organics, and Nature's Best Organic Feed.
• If you want to just make your own chicken feed (which is recommended, since then you have it all in bulk, save money, and know how fresh it is), there are TONS of resources both online and in your local library.  Here is one recipe taken from Greener Pastures Farm:
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  ***  It's not necessary to follow this recipe exactly...  just make sure your birds are getting enough protein, which is predominant in the hard red wheat and the legumes.  Free-range birds usually find plenty of protein from bugs, etc.
  
  
  2 parts whole corn (in winter this is increased to 3 or 4 parts)
  3 parts soft white wheat
  3 parts hard red winter wheat
  1 part hulled barley
  1 part oat groats
  1 part sunflower seeds (in winter this is increased to 2 parts)
  1 part millet
  1 part kamut
  1 part amaranth seeds
  1 part split peas
  1 part lentils
  1 part quinoa
  1 part sesame seeds
  1/2 part flax seeds
  1/2 part kelp granules
  free choice of granite grit
  free choice of oyster shell
  
  
  I store the above items in 6 bins; the corn in one, both types of wheat are mixed in the 2nd bin, barley in the 3rd, oat groats in the 4th, sunflower seeds in the 5th, and the remaining seeds and grains are mixed into the 6th bin.  I leave the granite and oyster shell in the bags they come in.  I then scoop out what I need into a 5 gallon bucket, and pour back and forth from one bucket to another until mixed well.
• Ronda Jemtegaard - Greener Pastures Chickens, http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com