# Chicken Feed



## psider25 (May 4, 2020)

Anybody use chicken feed as fert in summer?

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tractor-supply-dumor-16-layer-crumble-50-lb-3006316-306

What's the best bang for the buck organic material to put down in summer?


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Nope. I've heard some weird ones but never chicken feed. What exactly is in it?


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## Carmelmatt317 (Aug 20, 2020)

The catfish food from tractor supply has double the protein and close to the same pounds. I think it's like 16% of protein turns into nitrogen so that has almost double the nitrogen. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sportsmans-choice-catfish-feed


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## billa9b0ng (Sep 10, 2020)

That is the brand I feed my chickens and sometimes they are allowed in the yard...so yes they fertilize it for me.

Outside of chicken poop I do not use the crumbles to fertilize my yard but I am intrigued.


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

I have movable coops and places where feed spills do green up, maybe just as well as the stuff that has been thru the chicken.........


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## robjak (Mar 31, 2020)

The problem I found with feeds is the birds and other critters that come to feed on it after you put it down. I have used cracked corn and soybean meal before but the amount of birds made it seem that the grass did not get much. Is the prebiotic and probiotic listed on the bag good for the lawn??

Urea is much quicker and cheaper.


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

This is Doc's cheap summer feed. Does he still throw it down? I haven't been following his videos of late.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

Soy bean meal is a good bang for the buck it's about 45% crude protein compared to chicken feed at about 20%. It's not high in nitrogen at all great slow release summer fertilizer and add good OM. Alpha pellets also is good. Cheap if you have a farm cooperative near you.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

robjak said:


> The problem I found with feeds is the birds and other critters that come to feed on it after you put it down. I have used cracked corn and soybean meal before but the amount of birds made it seem that the grass did not get much. Is the prebiotic and probiotic listed on the bag good for the lawn??
> 
> Urea is much quicker and cheaper.


So true I used corn meal on my front lawn a few times the amount of birds was crazy


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

I don't know about chicken feed but soybean meal is awesome. Of all the different products I've applied to my TTTF over the years I have never had a better response from a single product than what I get from soybean meal.
Here's what I use.


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## confused_boner (Apr 5, 2021)

+1 for soybean meal. Worms love it too.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

Butter said:


> I don't know about chicken feed but soybean meal is awesome. Of all the different products I've applied to my TTTF over the years I have never had a better response from a single product than what I get from soybean meal.
> Here's what I use.


How much do you pay for a 50 pound bag?


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## Old Hickory (Aug 19, 2019)

Butter said:


> I don't know about chicken feed but soybean meal is awesome. Of all the different products I've applied to my TTTF over the years I have never had a better response from a single product than what I get from soybean meal.
> Here's what I use.


Is there an N-P-K for that?

The Anderson's has a soy meal product that is 7-1-2. https://andersonshomeandgarden.com/products/innova


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## situman (Nov 3, 2020)

Andersons overpriced. Get the Purely Organic version from HD. It is less than $20 a bag.


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

@M32075 I was paying $13 for a 50lb bag. I got it from a friend that worked at the elevator so I'm not sure if that is retail price or a inside deal. He no longer works there but says he can still get it for me. We'll see.
@Old Hickory 7-1-2 are the numbers that I use. It seems like any SBM based fert is based on 7-1-2 which is a great balance of NPK for maintenance. Anderson's Innova and another one I researched, Down to Earth soybean meal fertilizer, are both just soybean meal. The same stuff we can all buy from the feed store or elevator for a lot less money.


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

+1 for soybean meal here…….I throw down 10 or so lbs./1M every few weeks in summer. Now that I'm retired it keeps me busy along with pgr n preventive fungicide apps.


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

NJ-lawn said:


> +1 for soybean meal here…….I throw down 10 or so lbs./1M every few weeks in summer. Now that I'm retired it keeps me busy along with pgr n preventive fungicide apps.


How does it smell after it gets wet ? I remember hearing it has a bad smell or it could be alpha with the bad smell.


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## frekwentflier (Oct 27, 2020)

Search in the Soil Fertility and/or Organic boards. Quite a few people use cracked corn, wood chips, etc. I use both occasionally, but more for OM, not so much for nitrogen. These are both much cheaper than soybean meal, alfalfa, etc. I don't really know how much good they do, but they're fun to spread at very high rates.


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

I really don't notice a bad smell……maybe if you really over do it. The other thing since I been using organic in the summer for years maybe the soil microbes devour it quickly. Not sure……


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## M32075 (May 9, 2019)

NJ-lawn said:


> I really don't notice a bad smell……maybe if you really over do it. The other thing since I been using organic in the summer for years maybe the soil microbes devour it quickly. Not sure……


You could be on to something I noticed over the years i don't smell Milo after a day or two where's years past before I went more organic on my fertilizer apps Milo smell was strong and lingered for over a week.


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

Funny that I jumped in on this thread. 
My "dealer" stopped by with 2 bags. $15 a bag delivered. He said the guys at the elevator don't believe that he's getting it to put on a lawn for fertilizer. Guess I better keep it on the down low or they'll start charging me Anderson's price.


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