After sharing our fermented whole grain chicken feed recipe and routine online, we’ve received many questions on our product choices, sourcing, prices, and process. So here is our definitive post on the subject, answering as many questions as we can.

The Basics

First, a few fairly obvious points. These prices and sources are accurate at the time of this writing, but can and will change over time. The prices in your area may very well be different, even if you source from the same stores. These are the exact prices per pound that we paid for these feeds when we purchased them. Second, our recipe is just one of many you can find online. It is in no way the only option. Our choices were made based on product availability where we live, as well as affordability. We used the chicken feed nutrition calculator from the Garden Betty website to figure out a protein level close to 16% and that gave us some variety of grains to offer our birds. So, which grains did we end up choosing, and where do we source them?

Our Process

Our feed mix consists of equal parts each: barley, oats, wheat, black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and split peas. Every day we mix enough feed for one day’s worth and add it to a 5 gallon food grade bucket. We add water to cover the grains by at least a few inches, and set it aside to ferment for 3 days. You can stir the mix daily, but we find we haven’t needed to do this. Just make sure there is enough water to keep the seeds covered. After 3 days, this bucket is strained and the grains are placed into feed bowls. We sprinkle some granulated kelp over the grains immediately before serving to our flock. The bucket now gets new grains, new water, and the process begins again. We always have 3 buckets in rotation, so that each day we have a new batch of fermented feed ready to go. Once the grains are strained, they should be consumed that day to avoid spoilage. This is not something that can be fermented in big batches and fed over time. Some people think this sounds like too much of a time commitment, but by setting up an easy routine, you can have feed ready daily with little more time spent than if you are feeding commercial pellets.

Our birds also have free choice access to grit and to a calcium source; either crushed eggshells or oyster shell. We also share garden trimmings and kitchen scraps with our flock. While we are unable to free range our birds due to predator pressures, they have a very large run to graze, forage, scratch, dust bathe, and chase bugs in.

The Ingredients, Sources, and Costs

We looked at many factors when choosing our ingredients, including nutrition, availability, and cost. While I would have loved to find organic options for all the grains, cost made that beyond our reach. After lots of shopping around and juggling our recipe, here is the list of what we currently use, along with the prices per pound we pay.

Barley

We buy organic animal grade whole barley in 45lb bags from Azure Standard. It contains the outer hull, and has between 7-10% protein. While it is cleaned prior to packaging and is grown without any toxic chemicals, it is intended for animal consumption only. The current cost per 45lb bag is $17.49 with equals $0.39/lb.

Cracked Corn

Originally we tried using whole kernels in our feed mix, including a gorgeous organic blue corn from Azure Standard, but the large kernels were just too big for my peace of mind. I was afraid someday it might choke one of our birds. Once we decided to switch to cracked corn, our affordable options were narrowed down. Tractor Supply sells their Producer’s Pride brand for $0.39/lb and the DuMOR brand for $0.99/lb. Walmart sells their Family Farm brand (by MannaPro) for $0.33/lb and often can be shipped and delivered for free. Neither of these brands are organic, but I’ve yet to be able to find a reasonably priced option that is.

Oats

We usually buy our whole oats from Tractor Supply, and the current price is $27.49 for a 50lb bag, which equals $0.55/lb. It is a blend of whole oats for animal consumption from the Producer’s Pride brand. Azure Standard has organic rolled oats available in 50lb bags for $1.19/lb or regular rolled oats for $0.72/lb (though these are currently out of stock until March 1).

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds

We use black oil sunflower seeds over other types of sunflowers because they have a thinner shell, and are much cheaper per pound, and easier to find in bulk. They are high in protein (15%), fat (25%), fiber, calcium, vitamins B and E, potassium and iron. The best price by far I’ve found is at our local Costco store, where a 40lb bag currently sells for $27.99, or $0.70/lb. I realize not all Costco stores sell these, just as our Costco doesn’t sell premade chicken feed. Tractor Supply is around $0.88/lb, Walmart is around $0.74/lb, and Azure sells 25lb bags of organic seeds for $2.21/lb. Shop your local stores in the garden section in their wild bird food and see what you can find.

Wheat

We buy our wheat from Azure in 50lb bags for $22.87, which equals $0.46/lb. This is for organic chicken wheat, which can consist of either hard white winter wheat or hard red wheat. While it is organic and sifted/sorted, it is for animal consumption only, and contains 11-15% protein. Our last batch actually included a bit of incidental vetch seeds, which was a nice bonus for our birds. Unfortunately, Azure is currently out of stock of the animal wheat, and only has human grade product in stock right now, running from $0.83/lb to $1.28/lb. Hopefully they’ll be getting more back in stock soon.

Split Peas

Our split peas also come from Azure Standard. We buy in 25lb bags and they cost is currently $19.30/bag, or $0.77/lb. These are for human consumption and are GMO free. They are a great source of protein and are much easier for the birds to eat than whole peas were. If you find your birds pick through and leave the peas (which ours did at first, but have since quit doing), there is also an option for split yellow peas for $0.92/lb. The yellow color actually seems to keep the birds from ignoring the peas. Maybe they think it’s corn? Or maybe it just blends in better? I’m not sure, but it is an option to try.

Why Ferment?

We choose to ferment our chicken’s feed for several reasons. First, it provides a healthy boost to their digestive systems, just as eating fermented foods does for us. Having healthy guy bacteria helps ward off illness and aids in nutrient absorption. Secondly, by beginning to break down the whole grains during the fermentation process, the nutrition within is more available to the birds. They are able to absorb more value from the same amount of feed than if they were to eat the grains dry. Because of this, each bird actually needs less feed to maintain health and weight, which saves you financially. Which leads us to our next question, how much per bird do I feed?

How Much To Feed?

Conventional wisdom is that each bird in your flock requires approximately 1/4lb of commercial feed per day. But how does this translate to fermented whole grains?

We’ve found that our birds are happy and content with less feed when they are being given our mix of fermented whole grains. The grains absorb a lot of water during the fermenting process, so they final product will weigh much more than when you began the soak. While the water is good for the chickens, it cannot be counted as feed weight. However, as we mentioned above, your birds are actually getting more nutrition per pound of food than they would be if they were eating a dry mix, or a pelleted feed.

What I recommend for those new to fermenting is to begin with a small amount while also continuing to feed your normal pellets/crumbles. After your birds are used to whole grains, gradually provide more of the fermented mix and less of the pellets. Once you’re ready to feed only whole grains, you can begin with 1/4lb dry mix per bird, and monitor how your flock handles it. I like to see just a bit still sitting in the bowl after a few hours of having been fed. Too little feed causes fighting and under nourished birds, but too much left over is waste and can begin to grow bacteria and mold. If you notice you have excess feed being left, taper back your dry mix until you find the sweet spot.

Make sure your birds always have access to fresh water, grit, and calcium.

You can find a link to the buckets and strainer we use through our Amazon link here.

Final Cost Analysis

With those feed prices listed above, mixing 6 pounds of feed per day with equal parts of each grain = $3.20/6lbs = $0.53/lb (dry weight)

For comparison, our Tractor Supply currently sells bags of DuMOR feed for $20.49/50lb bags or $0.41/lb and Purina for $24.49/50lb bag or $0.49/lb. Their Producer’s Pride brand sells for $15.99/40lb bag or $0.40/lb

This cost comparison is actually much closer than it used to be, due to the increase in feed costs in recent years. Factoring in the health benefits and added value from fermenting, and I’m pretty happy with how our mix compares. Our price per pound will obviously be different from what you can find in your local area. I’m simply sharing our experience and our prices. Check your local mills if you are close to some. Buying in bulk can bring down your prices. Be flexible in your ingredients, and fiddle with your recipe until you get one that fits the needs of your flock while being a bit more friendly to your budget. Even if you aren’t ready to switch completely to feeding whole grains, adding a bit to your flock’s diet will still have great benefits.

Other Questions

Can you premix the feed ingredients? Yes, you certainly can. We chose to leave them unmixed because it’s easier for me, and also because I was afraid smaller grains would sift their way to the bottom of the totes. But whatever works for you and your storage, go for it.

Do you feed this to chicks? No, we don’t currently make a mix for our chicks. We feed commercial crumbles to our chicks and ducklings until they are old enough to join the main flock. We introduce it slowly into their diet to get them transitioned over.

Does it freeze in winter? We have a barn adjoining our coop where we store and mix our feed. It stays warm enough that I don’t have to worry about our buckets freezing. If you live somewhere cold, maybe this would be something that has to be done indoors.

How did you figure out the correct protein? We used the feed calculator from the Garden Betty website (see link above)

Can I ferment longer? Yes, you can ferment longer but 3 days seemed the best for us.

Do you have trouble with mold? No, as long as you keep your buckets clean, and the seeds submerged, you shouldn’t have problems with mold.

Can I ferment a big batch and feed it gradually? No, you want your birds to eat the feed within a few hours of removing it from the soak. Only mix as much as your birds can eat per day

Does this have enough calcium? You should always offer your birds a free choice of calcium so they can supplement as they need. We use either ground eggshells or oyster shells

Do I have to do this everyday to get the benefits? No, your flock will enjoy getting fermented whole grains as a treat, or even once or twice a week if that’s what works for you. Even fermenting their scratch grains will give them some of that great gut healthy bacteria

Do you start with new water every bucket? Sometimes, yes, but often we add water from that day’s feed to the new bucket to jump start the fermentation process

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