PPT041: Jeff Mattocks Provides a Primer on On-Farm Feed Mixing for Freshness, Health, and Profitibility

I'm joined by Jeff Mattocks and several APPPA Producer Plus members for a Q&A; session on mixing feed on-farm as an alternative to purchasing feed from a mill. It's a common desire to mix feed on-farm, but it's a process that prompts many questions.

Jeff is a poultry nutritionist with The Fertrell Company  and author of the must have book Feeding Pasture-Raised Poultry">Pastured Poultry Feeding and Management. He has a deep understanding of poultry nutritional requirements, the characteristics of feedstuffs, and pastured poultry. Jeff is a unique poultry nutritionist in that he not only understands the nutrition, he understands the nuances of pastured production. This is the area where theory meets reality, and Jeff is a valuable community resource when it comes to navigating the collision of the classroom and the grass.

In this episode, we cover a lot of ground:

Typical bushel weights.

Appropriate feed particle size.

Correct mixing times.

Is fresh feed better?

How does pasture mix affect nutrition?

Buying and storing grains. How do you find a reliable supply?

Buying transitional and organic buffer strips.

Beware of the weed seed.

Common PTO requirements to running a grinder/mixer.

Are all fishmeals created equal?

A brief discussion about the interplay of amino acids.

Enjoy.

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