Corn or "scratch" (a mix of milo and corn) are chicken candy. Just for treats, not for food as it doesn't meet their nutritional requirements.
We also feed them plain yogurt, grass, warm oatmeal in the winter.
You can hang a whole cabbage head on a string and they will jump up and eat it, gives...
If you are getting them for pets there is a big difference in
how they will bond to you. My chicks I got at 3 days old will
easily let me pick them up, jump into my lap, eat from my hand.
We got some other chicks that were 3 weeks old and never
stopped being skittish around us.
Don't know about the pen but chickens require attention most every day. I have left them for 3 days with plenty of food and water.
Collecting eggs, checking food and water and making sure everyone is OK is a daily event with us.
Nothing works line a good ELECTRIC FENCE. We haven't lost a chicken since we installed it.
My opinion is you can kill all of the wild predators you want, there will always be more.
What I have been told is:
Starter food for the 1st 8-10 weeks, 20% protein.
Grower food until they start laying, 15% protein.
Layer food thereafter 16% protein with added calcium.
Some say that the extra calcium is not good for the chickens before they start laying.
I personally fed my flock...
Chicken grit is crushed granite. You can get it from a feed mill or tractor supply, it's cheap.
There are 2 kinds of grit, chick grit and adult grit. The difference is the size of the pieces. They need chick grit at this age. My feed mill sells 25lb bag for $7-8, or maybe it's a 50lb bag, I...