Mixing your own feed cuts cost — but only if the mix is balanced. Here's a simple 100kg starting point, what each ingredient does, and how to adjust it.

The key ingredients

  • Maize — the main energy source.
  • Soybean meal or groundnut cake — the main protein source.
  • Fish meal — high-quality protein and essential amino acids.
  • Wheat offal or bran — fibre and filler.
  • Limestone — calcium (especially for layers).
  • Bone meal — calcium and phosphorus.
  • Salt and a vitamin–mineral premix — small but essential.

A simple 100kg broiler starter

  • Maize — 55 kg
  • Soybean meal / groundnut cake — 30 kg
  • Fish meal — 8 kg
  • Wheat offal — 5 kg
  • Limestone — 1 kg
  • Bone meal — 0.5 kg
  • Salt — 0.25 kg
  • Vitamin–mineral premix — 0.25 kg

This lands around 22–24% protein — right for a broiler starter (0–3 weeks). Treat it as a starting point, not a fixed recipe.

Adjust for layers

Layers need more calcium (for eggshells) and less protein than broilers. Raise the limestone and drop the protein sources for a layer mix.

Adjust to your local market

Ingredient prices and availability differ across Nigeria. Swap ingredients by their protein or energy value — never by guesswork. See the full cheaper-rations guide for how.

Weigh and mix evenly

Weigh accurately and mix thoroughly. An uneven mix means some birds get the premix and others don't.

Key takeaways

  • Maize = energy, soybean/groundnut cake = protein.
  • The 100kg starter above lands around 22–24% protein.
  • Layers need more calcium, less protein.
  • Swap ingredients by value, weigh and mix evenly.