for those who feed fodder or sprouted grain..

BelleInBoots said:

yeah i can see that they would choose those first, however i am hearing that some people believe that fodder is a complete diet and thats what im really wondering. what else do they really NEED and how true is it that they can thrive on fodder alone? thanks!

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Some folks do believe that fodder is a complete diet, I do not...at least not for chickens.
Would they survive on it? Probably, but I seriously doubt they would thrive on it.

Also, 'fodder' is a rather loose term (tossed about as a 'miracle' for a plethora of reasons) and a lot can depend on what grains you are growing with what technique that determine the nutritional value(s) of the 'fodder'.

There are vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other components in formulated chicken feed that are essential to thriving health.
Even free ranged or wild chickens in a temperate climate will eat things other than grasses and their seeds.

What do they 'NEED'? Look at the ingredients and nutrient list on any decent bag of chicken feed and you'll get a pretty good idea.
Better yet, compare a half dozen different bags of feed targeting different growth and production stages and look at what's different and what's the same.

Nothing is written in stone, nor does 'one size fit all' and everything should be taken in with a grain of salt and a full cup of common sense....for example:
-some feeds have a higher calcium content than other because non laying chicken don't need as much.
-some feeds have a higher protein content because growing and molting birds need more than others.

Also, take what you read with a grain of salt. Just because some one says it, that doesn't make it so. I even am skeptical of the feed companies regarding the "necessary, or recommended" nutrients for poultry. The best thing you can do is look very closely at your poultry. Look at their feathers, their legs, feet, eggs, both in production related to age and overall egg quality, behavior... are they the picture of health, or do you see something lacking in any of these areas? And, I admit to being a novice. I've had my flock for 2 years, though I've had flocks in the past. I consider myself to be much more educated now than I ever was in the past, but still a novice. Still, I look at my flock now, and can see that their health is way better than it was just a year ago.

IMO, I'd not be comfortable giving my flock JUST a diet of fodder, or even JUST a diet of "balanced" layer feed or even the higher protein "Multi-flock" feed. But a combination of sprouts, layer or multi-flock (supplemented with extra calcium), and extra protein, table scraps, and free ranging, IMO will provide a more balanced diet where one item you provide may provide nutrients which may be missing in an other item.

Thanks for the discussion - I just started sprouting Alfalfa seeds and Wheat berries for my girls. They have free choice layer pellets, grit and oyster shells. I supplement with treats once a day - cracked corn, meal worms, in the summer they get more fresh greens. I definitely plan on using the Alfalfa/Wheat fodder as a supplement only. I hung two suet feeders in one room of their enclosure so they'll have something to be occupied with.