Chicken Feed Ratios, IMO Deep Litter, Rice Bran Sourcing

Drake opens with chick feeding basics: feed around 10am so the feeder runs dry two to four hours before sunset. He reviews an old training video from Kim on KNF chicken nutrition, with a general feed ratio of about 30% fresh greens, 30% fruit or leftover food mixed with IMO corn, 30% starch and bean, and a smaller portion of an IMO-based mix.

On deep litter systems, Drake explains that a floor inoculated with indigenous microorganisms uses Bacillus subtilis to break down manure into a different, more digestible product. If your floor isn't inoculated yet, add IMO. For protein, options in Hawaiʻi include eggs, hemp, mac nuts from mainland distributors, sweet potatoes, and bananas. Drake admits he tried raising maggots for protein and it failed — heating the setup isn't worth it on a small farm.

Chickens go for juicy grasses over dried-out ones: banana stalks, banana leaves, pele, and tree spinach are favorites. Drake compares scale, from a Korean farmer named Bumbuk feeding around 1,500 birds with big mixers, to his own 40 chickens on about one five-gallon bucket a day. He ties rice bran in the feed to Korea's export-driven agriculture, contrasting it with Hawaiʻi, which imports rather than exports and so lacks the same cheap byproduct streams.

Later, Drake notes the same feed works for pigs except you skip the rice bran on top, since pigs don't like it but chickens do. Chicks can eat whole eggs, including the white. For hands-on chicken training, Drake points people to Mikey on Oʻahu.

Questions answered

19:51 How much food should chicks get and when should the feeder run dry? — Feed chicks around 10am and let the feeder run empty about two to four hours before sunset.
21:09 What's the basic KNF chicken feed ratio? — About 30% fresh greens, 30% fruit or leftover food mixed with IMO corn, 30% starch and bean, and a smaller IMO-based portion.
21:55 Do I need to inoculate my coop floor for a deep litter system? — Yes, if the floor isn't already inoculated with indigenous microorganisms, add IMO so Bacillus subtilis can break down the manure.
24:10 What protein sources work for chicken feed in Hawaiʻi? — Eggs work, and locally hemp, mac nuts from mainland distributors, sweet potatoes, and bananas are options.
27:55 Has anyone tried raising maggots for chicken protein? — Drake tried it and it failed — heating the setup isn't worth it on a small farm, so he still doesn't do it.
28:39 What grasses do chickens actually like? — Chickens go for juicy grasses, banana stalks and leaves, pele, and tree spinach, not dried-out fibrous grass.
29:47 How much feed do you need for a large flock versus a small one? — Korean farmer Bumbuk feeds around 1,500 chickens and needs big mixers, while Drake's 40 chickens take about one five-gallon bucket a day.
30:24 Why does the feed include rice bran? — Korea has a functioning agricultural system that produces and exports rice bran locally, so it's cheap and available there.
31:42 Why doesn't this feed system work the same way in Hawaiʻi? — Hawaiʻi is an importer, not an exporter, so it lacks the cheap byproduct waste streams that make these feed systems work in Korea.
42:49 What's different about feeding pigs the same mix? — Everything is the same except you leave rice bran off the top, since pigs don't like it but chickens do.
51:04 Can baby chicks eat whole eggs, including the white? — Yes, chicks can eat the whole egg including the white.
51:50 Who's the best person to learn chicken methods from? — Drake points to Mikey on Oʻahu as the chicken master to learn from.

Topics: knf, imo, deep litter, bacillus subtilis, chicken feed, rice bran, tree spinach, banana, pigs, chicks, hawaii agriculture, korea

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Chicken Feed Ratios, IMO Deep Litter, Rice Bran Sourcing

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