[farmers wife]

Anyone who is familiar with Joel Salatin at Polyface farm will understand how amazing he is at keeping stock with minimal output.  With this in mind and reading  Pastured Poultry Profits we'd like to add minerals to our feed to prevent aliments, improve laying and just keep healthier chickens which may be running behind the cattle to clear the ground.


He quotes Fertrells Nutri Balancer which is a USA product.  This contains calcium,  salt, selenium, vits, lactic acid. which he adds to the poultry mix


Is there a British equivalent?  I have seen there are ones to add to a watering system but for us this is not practical.  Additionally, he adds kelp and a tiny amount of proboitics.


Thanks

[chrismahon]

Nettex mineral powder has some of those ingredients, but it's very expensive. I'd have thought the biggest problem depressing egg production long term would be worms and you don't say how long the chickens are kept under this system Farmerswife? A lot will depend on that and the breed and climate. It's a far bigger picture than you think perhaps?

[clydesdaleclopper]

Perhaps another way to look at it is to remineralise your soil so that the nutrients are already there in their feed.

[darkbrowneggs]

I used to buy a 20 kilo sack of seaweed meal and have it in a pot so they could help themselves if they wanted it.  Used it for all my stock actually, and found generally when they were first given it they were quite greedy with it, but after a while just had a bit occasionally.  I used it on the garden as well 

[farmers wife]

Decided not to bother I use seaweed as I have pallet full and probiotics.  Their feed is organic  layer with supplement of mixed corn pellets.  So they shouldnt need anymore supplements as the ingredients of this makes up for the nutri balancer.