What to feed my chickens
- Thread starter josh85
- Start date
Are they adults? Adult laying hens need a laying feed. Around 16% protein and 3-5% calcium. Crumble or a pellet.
Avoid Purina. I hate to trash a sponsor of this site but realistically, Purina is crap feed. Try to find a brand milled locally by a small company, they tend to have much higher quality control. Usually the best brands will only have feed available within the surrounding few states of their mill, maybe only within their home state. If you have to go commercial brand, try to get Nutrena, their feed is OK and on the cheap side.
No more than 10% of the diet should be scratch (whole grain treats).
No more than 10% table scraps if you are feeding 10% scratch or 20% table scraps if no scratch.
No onions, raw potatoes, avocado, chocolate, citrus, or anything extremely sugary/fatty. Meat and dairy are fine but feed no more than a few times a week.
Avoid Purina. I hate to trash a sponsor of this site but realistically, Purina is crap feed. Try to find a brand milled locally by a small company, they tend to have much higher quality control. Usually the best brands will only have feed available within the surrounding few states of their mill, maybe only within their home state. If you have to go commercial brand, try to get Nutrena, their feed is OK and on the cheap side.
No more than 10% of the diet should be scratch (whole grain treats).
No more than 10% table scraps if you are feeding 10% scratch or 20% table scraps if no scratch.
No onions, raw potatoes, avocado, chocolate, citrus, or anything extremely sugary/fatty. Meat and dairy are fine but feed no more than a few times a week.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #3
You can estimate. Figure out how long it takes to feed out a 50# bag of feed when they are receiving no treats, and feed no more than 10# of table scraps and scratch in that time period.
I feed a higher protein all flock ration. By feeding a higher protein I can give some extras without too much worry. I used to feed a layer ration but my birds weren't doing as well. I offer oyster shells in a separate dish. I feed Sprout brand made by Fleet Farm here in the Midwest, I tried Dumor, my birds refused to eat it.
It depends on which Purina feed your referring to.
If you referring to there low end feed like there start and grow, flock raiser, layena chicken feed etc. then I would have to agree.
Now if your referring to all Purina Mills/Land-O-Lakes feed then I have to disagree.
Purina/Land-O-Lakes makes a very good show feed, wild life feed and a top of the line zoo feed.
http://www.purinamills.com/show-feed/
http://www.purinamills.com/game-feed/products/?specie=Game Bird
http://www.mazuri.com/
Most local mills us a mixer that has all the proteins, vitamins and minerals for set feed and all the mill has to do is grind there corn and add it to the mixer and maybe some calcium carbonate if the feed is going to be a layer.
http://www.buckeyenutrition.com/products/40-poultry-concentrate.aspx
38 Poultry Base
https://kentfeeds.com/products/other-animals/poultry
- Thread starter
- #7
littlelune810
Chirping
Im a complete chicken newbie, but I would say don't overthink it. Go to your local feed store and find an affordable layer feed if they're already laying. You can also ask/shop around for organic and non gmo type feeds. Dont give them too much scratch(maybe a handful a day) and dont give them too many kitchen scraps. Put a pie plate with crushed oyster shells in the coop and make sure they have grit and fresh water. Have you read any books on chicken keeping at all? You may try A Chicken in Every Yard as well as Storey's guide to raising chickens. Hope this helps.
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The easiest way to feed your birds hands down.
Find a good non-medicated chick starter or start and grow feed that is around 20% protein, feed your birds that feed from chick to death. When your hens start to lay put a pan of oyster shell out for them. If you are going to offer treats (scratch, greens, table scraps) that's fine just keep them around 20% of there diet, that's about 20 pounds of treats per 80 pounds of there regular feed or about 2 pounds of treats per 8 pounds of feed and if your feeding treats provide them with grit.
The average backyard chicken raiser doesn't need to feed all the different types of feeds for different stages of life like Pre-Starter, Starter, Grower, Conditioner, Finisher, Maintenance, Pre- Layer, Layer, Breeder, Layer/ Breeder or even the "specialty feed like All-Flock, Omega Rich feeds. All they need to feed is a good non-medicated chick starter or start and grow feed that is around 20% protein.
- Thread starter
- #10
I have been feeding them Purina layer feed that I got from a little feed store down the road but I want a organic non-GMO feed for them but I'm wondering if I need to feed them layer feed to lay eggs isn't that not natural what would they do in the wild to be able to lay eggs and what would they do for food
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