How do you feed your flock?

[DobieLover]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?

Flock of 25 chickens. Age ranges from 5.5 weeks to 4.5 years. Two roosters, 21 hens, 2 chicks (won't be staying, they're both cockerels). 2 bantams, 3 mid-sized, rest LF.

2. What feed do they get?

Flock Raiser; half dry, half fermented.

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?

Every morning.

4. What feed container(s) do you use?

Homemade hanging trough feeders. One 4', one 6' with a smaller spinning 3/4" pipe on a wire to prevent the large birds from getting on the feeders.
The bowl that the WLHs are at is a heated dog bow that I keep the fermented feed in.

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).

They get three handfuls of bird seed mixed with either mealworms or BSF larvae thrown out into their pen to get them out of my way for morning cleaning. I also cut up my apple cores and give them those and they get butternut squash, cantaloupe and other melon seeds when I process one. I've seen them catch and eat any number of frogs, snakes, moths, bugs and once an English swallow fledgling.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?

I just make sure they go to roost with full crops and top up dry feeders so they can eat as soon as they come off the roost in the morning.

7. Anything else you’d like to add.

They get electrolytes added to their fermented feed during temperature extremes to help them through.

 

[Sally PB]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?

Three year old hens, three two year old hens, one year old rooster.

2. What feed do they get?

Kalmbach non-GMO flock raiser, 20% protein.

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?

I fill or top off bowls in the morning. Snacktime is mid-late afternoon, when I spend time in the run with the chickens.

4. What feed container(s) do you use?

Big rubber bowls from TSC.

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).

Oyster shell/egg shell on the side for the layers, and grit in a small bowl if they want it. Some veg/fruit scraps as treats, but their main "treat" is their regular feed mixed with water to make a mash. Great way to use up the powdery bits in the bottom of the bowl. Occasionally mealworms and BOSS, less occasionally (< 1x month) bread.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?

I use a heated dog water bowl to keep their water from freezing. Their mash snack is warm in the winter.

7. Anything else you’d like to add.

A wet mash is a great way to get them some more liquid on hot days. I can also mix in some probiotics or electrolytes in extreme weather and be sure that they get it.

 

[Brooks_]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?
19 hens, 2 roosters aged 1 year to 2+ years
2. What feed do they get?
Purina flock raiser crumble
3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?
Daily. Usually in the morning.
4. What feed container(s) do you use?
Hanging gravity style.
5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).
Kitchen scraps and what they find. I also mix 6-7# of scratch with 40# Nutrena all flock pellets to use as a treat. I figure with that mix I can give a hefty amount and they'll only have a few tablespoons of scratch between them all./
6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?
I don't think my winter counts, but I'll give some extra scratch late in the day on those few nights of expected cold.
7. Anything else you’d like to add.
I can't think of anything at this time.

 

[3KillerBs]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?

2. What feed do they get?

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?

4. What feed container(s) do you use?

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?

7. Anything else you’d like to add.

1. Ages currently range between 7 weeks and 2.5 years. Mixed sexes with the cull cockerels held separately. ~ 25 laying/point-of-lay pullets and hens, 14 chicks in two age groups, and 7 cull cockerels.

2. All-flock type feed, pellet or crumble according to age group and/or which is available and/or cheaper.

3. About every other day with this many. After culling/sales for winter I expect to increase that to every 3rd day.

4. I have 4 different feeders in 3 different styles. I'm wanting to get another of my favorite -- the deep-pan metal handing feeder with the good rolled lip that prevents waste.

5. They have access to a large run that still has vegetation. They get kitchen scraps -- peelings, trimmings, and other waste as long as it's not just empty starch and is neither greasy nor salty. Their primary "treat" food is Dubia roaches a couple times a week (my sister breeds them for her reptiles and gave me a colony).

6. No, though they don't get as much kitchen scrap since we don't have as many fresh vegetables/fruit to prepare.

7. I never catered to picky kids and I won't cater to picky chickens. They eat whatever I put in the feeder.

And if they spill too much of it I don't refill the feeder until they've cleaned it up off the ground.

 

[Vicker]

1. I'm down to 5 Australorps and one Ideal 236 in my adult flock. I have 3 BR and 3 Sapphire Gems that are 2 mos old.

2. What feed do they get? Hens get layer pellets with added probiotics and oyster shell. Chicks get starter/grower
3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)? 4. What feed container(s) do you use?
The hens are living in the chickshaw right now. They eat from a rubber livestock bowl placed outside that I fill every other day. The chicks have moved into the main coop where I will integrate the flock. The main coop has a DIY gravity feeder attached to the inside wall that holds about 20-25 pounds of food that lasts a good while.

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible). Food scraps and garden trimmings most days. Scratch in the winter. Occasional dried meal worms, usually in the winter. Insects that I catch when I'm in the garden.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how? I make sure to give them something green when there's no grass, scatter scratch to prevent boredom, and suet if we are having long spells of below freezing temps.

7. Anything else you’d like to add. When the grass is lush and worms are plentiful, which ain't happening now during the drought, they go through noticeably less feed.

 

[DanetteGrace]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of? I have ten hens: Two Barred Rocks (1 year olds), two Black Copper Marans, (1 year olds), one Rhode Island Red (1 year old), three Easter Eggers (five months old), one Welsummer (recently adopted 3 year old), and a four year old Easter Egger (recently adopted). Listed in order of addition to flock.

2. What feed do they get? Recently switched back to Purina Layer feed as the babies just started laying. Fed All Flock with oyster shell on the side while the chicks were growing.

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)? Once every month or two? Maybe less. I do loosen the feed in the hopper every morning.

4. What feed container(s) do you use? I have three treadle feeders, two large and one small.

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible). They forage in the backyard most of the day and are given garden and table scraps (kale, cabbage, weeds, watermelon rinds) and some freeze dried bugs or scratch in the afternoon to get them back in the run.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how? I will make oatmeal in the winter during the week or two a year it gets below freezing here (Seattle).

7. Anything else you’d like to add? Thanks for asking, and I love this community!

 

[MrSquirrel]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?
2 year old turkeys tom and hen, 16 4ish month chickens and one turkey, 3 2 month turks
The chickens are 4 of each smokey pearl, amberlink, cali tan and isa brown.

2. What feed do they get? Crumble while theres chicks pellets once it fits in the beak. What ever tsc has and is cheap.

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)? They get a little scoop when i let them out and a big scoop when i put them up.

4. What feed container(s) do you use?
Little black rubber cow bowl and a smaller house bowl for the ones who get pecked.

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).
They cruise the yard. Right now they're loving poke and elder berries. Table scraps from home and some times leftover kids lunches from the nursey. Whats left of the finicky dogs wet food the next day. I try to avoid chicken, but sometimes they beat the cats to it. The cats food if hen turkey will shoo the cats. Awful warning: I think they got a litter of newborn kittens this week.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?
We don't have much cold winter but nights its cold or stormy they get double feed. My dad gets free corn when they combine it so soms of that.

7. Anything else you’d like to add.
They're putting on weight good and keeping it.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I was going to do a poll, but there are so many options…please leave a comment answering the following:

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?

I have 2 flocks currently,
flock 1: barred rock, 1 EE hen, 2 EE started pullets, silkie hen, orpington hen, BCM, silkie/EE, silkie/barred rock, polish and silkie rooster.
Flock 2: (all 6 week pullets) orpington, sapphire gem, red sexlink, *supposedly* Starlight Green.

2. What feed do they get?

Flock 1 is getting nutrena all flock with oyster shell and grit. Flock 2 gets purina star and grow.

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?

I don't know

4. What feed container(s) do you use?

The regular hanging feeders

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).

They get fruits and vegetables when I have some and of I buy scratch they get some

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?

During molt I feed nutrena feather fixer.

7. Anything else you’d like to add.

I used to feed purina flock raiser but it was more expensive and I didn't like the crumble.

 

[Cinnabar45]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?
Ours is a mixed flock of about 35 hens, mostly Easter Eggers, with a Speckled Sussex (my favorite!) and Rhode Island Red who came to us as refugees. Ages range about 2-3 years.

2. What feed do they get?
A scoopful of scratch on the ground when they go out in the morning and another when they come in at night, plus organic layer pellets (in their feeders). (BTW, plastic one-gallon vinegar bottles can be cut into excellent scoops. I also use the scoops to defend my hands when collecting eggs from broody or aggressive hens.)

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?
Every morning. I also clean and refill their water bowls.

4. What feed container(s) do you use?
One hanging circular feeder and one long metal tray feeder (from a commercial chicken farmer). If we're going away for a couple of days, I'll put out another feeder or two and fill them full.

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).
They get the occasional carton of spent produce from our local co-op, any greens that have seen better days, melons, weeds from the garden (they particularly like greater celandine [Chelidonium majus], and lots of Japanese knotweed, which they adore and which is taking over the riverbank.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?
No knotweed or weeds from the garden (we have winter here). Their treats are mainly kitchen scraps.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I think they got a litter of newborn kittens this week.
They're putting on weight good and keeping it.

I'm sorry but I have a warped sense of humor. You know anything that's at their level is free game to them.
I'm glad they are doing good. Question are your smokey pearls friendly? My 3 are not.