December 9-13 Happy Hen Farms Weekly Newsletter: Feed Formulation

Good Evening,

Everyday this day is open for delivery! If you pick up at my grandparent's store, they are open Tuesday and Thursday (10-3) and Friday (10-5). 

Eggs: 

This week, I have 7 Large dozen's and about 32 Medium dozen's available. 

Egg production has been very consistent, at 6 dozen/per day. 2 of them being Large, and 4 being Medium. 

Newsletter: 

   Since the last few newsletters have been dealing a lot with feed, I thought it would be worthwhile to explain how feed is made. 

Note: I am NOT an expert on making feed. There might be mistakes that I am not aware of, but I have researched those questions that I had, and have not found any sources that conflict with my methods. If you do happen to find anything that conflicts with the newsletter below, please let me know!

   The first step to make feed is to decide what percent of protein you want. So, let's say that we want 36% protein. Next, pick out a variety of grains. While only two grains can be used, most mixes contain 4-10 different grains. Say we choose Corn, Peas, and Barley. We can also include a complete feed and use it as a pre-mix. In this case, let's choose 18% protein (+vitamins, minerals) Chick Starter. 

Corn= high energy, relatively low in protein (9%)

Peas= high in vitamins, minerals, protein (24%) (protein concentrate)

Barley= high energy+protein (13%)

Chick Starter= higher fat, fiber, calcium, vitamin amnts, (18% protein)(protein concentrate).

Ultimately, the minimal amount of skills required for formulation is subtraction. Finding out the cost per pound, cost per dozen, cost per egg is fairly simple too, but it requires a lot of extra numbers that need to be known. In a nutshell, the length of the math problem that develops becomes about 1.5-2 written-pages , at least in my experience. 

Pair a lower protein grain with a higher protein grain, then choose the desired protein %. In this case, there are 4 ingredients, so don't place the end goal % in the middle of the problem. Subtract diagonally to get the ratio. 9-26=17 parts; 18-26=8 parts. 

: 

Corn 9%                                       8 parts Corn

                                   26%

Chick Starter 18%                        17 parts Chick Starter

That's half of the problem! Since the ultimate goal is 36% protein, there needs to be another 10% added to the 26%. All the same steps apply for the 10%. 

Peas 24%                           3 parts Peas

                          10%

Barley 13%                         14 parts Barley

So, this mix contains 8 parts Corn, 17 parts Chick Starter, 3 parts Peas, and 14 parts Barley. Whether the "parts" are in pounds, cups, or a random scoop you found in the garage, it will still work. Consistency is key though, because 8 pounds of Corn to 17 cups of Chick Starter does not yield 26% protein. Always use the same measuring implement for all ingredients. 

While there are even more complex components that are employed in the commercial feed industry (ie, looking at amino acid counts, vitamins, minerals, fats), the "Pearson's Square" method has worked good enough for me. 

If you wanted to get creative with your own animals, you can use the same methods to make or add to their food too. Just check what ingredients can be fed to them before doing so:)

As always, if there are any more questions, please ask them! I am more than happy to answer them to the best of my ability. 

Thank you!