Informal Survey - What do you feed and why?

[draye]

I bought some oyster shell here while back. My birds would hardly touch it, they go occasionally a peck at it.

 

[enola]

When I was looking the best shipping deal was to invest in a pallets worth.   2000 lbs.   As I would never have enough birds to need that much I passed.... 

You do know the founder of Ultra Kibble is a regular contributor here on Backyard Chickens.    Hes a scientist that worked as an adviser to Zoos on enclosures and feeding programs.  Hes a very interesting read.  And advocates a different kind of housing for chickens....  Called a Cote.

sorry I digress   but quickly this is a link to one of his threads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-coops-cotes-shacks-and-shanties#post_5266575

deb

The last time Resolution signed in was in 2013. He needs to come back and post some more of his research. What he wrote was easy to read and understand.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Yep last discussions I lurked on were about Peacocks and how he was part of an effort to do a DNA data base on hundreds of them from preserved pelts that have been stored in museums....

deb

 

[KayTee]

Layer pellets 15.3% (cheap local brand that I realise contains GMO soy now that I study the label more closely) - available 24/7 as dry pellets, plus a bowlful freshly made into wet mash each day (unmedicated as you can't get any other sort in France)

Oyster shell available 24/7

Free ranging in a huge garden (1000m² for 5 birds)

Scratch from under the wild bird feeder

Kitchen scraps

An occasional handful of tinned sweetcorn, which is the equivalent of crack cocaine to my girls, so rationed very carefully!

 

[RichnSteph]

Let me see......



Our chicks right now are getting Dumor medicated chick starter while the flock is eating Jupe Mills Layer Pellets (20%). They'll continue this until the layer pellets are gone and then we're going to a complete flock raiser (20%) with much less calcium since by then our alternative feed (BSF) will be self harvesting and those little guys are calcium rich. Other than that they get a handful of scratch a few times a week, eat the corn out from under the deer feeder and free range on an acre.

So far so good!

 

[ozexpat]

fyi

personally i don't buy into the gmo thing but dont want to argue it here

i respect peoples wishes

i did read one post where the auther described at great lenghth her organic feeding regimen and then added a cup of calf manna pro which is eaasentially 60% gmo soy

 

[Tomtommom]

fyi

personally i dontt buy into the gmo thing but dont want to argue it here

i respect peoples wishes

i did read one post where the auther described at great lenghth her organic feeding regimen and then added a cup of calf manna pro which is eaasentially 60% gmo soy

I have people asking for it.

Organic isn't as 'clean' as people think it is either. Pesticides are still allowed, but they're 'natural'.. Ofcourse foxglove is natural, so is poison ivy, black widow spiders... etc.

If you want clean food, grow it yourself

 

[ochochicas]

fyi

personally i dontt buy into the gmo thing but dont want to argue it here

i respect peoples wishes

i did read one post where the auther described at great lenghth her organic feeding regimen and then added a cup of calf manna pro which is eaasentially 60% gmo soy

I'm with you on the GMO hype. If people actually understand the definition of GMO they will realize they can't avoid it no matter how hard they try. Eating one thing all day long can't be healthy for anyone. My chickens get a variety of different foods which is better for their health and mental well-being. When I bought some hens from a lady that said she fed 100% organic non-GMO feed, I couldn't get any of the eggs to hatch. Now that they are on regular food, the hens are healthier and their eggs have a better hatch rate.

 

[enola]

I am reposting this because I forgot the alfalfa pellets.....

I use a 5 gallon bucket to measure the dry ingredients together; Purina All Flock 2/3 by volume, Scratch 1/3 by volume. To that I add about 1 quart of alfalfa pellets. I mix all that together and then ferment it, one batch per 2 gallon bucket. The alfalfa helps the yolks become a gorgeous shade of dark yellow. Also available are grit and a calcium source. I don't put ACV in their water, i do put it their feed 2 times a week. They also get all of their egg shells fed back to them, any extra eggs are boiled and fed to them, table scraps, weeds from the garden and in the summer, I feed them mosquito fish from the horse water trough.

There are several benefits from fermenting their feed; 30% savings on feed cost, thicker egg shells, shorter molting time and beautiful, softer feathers.

 

[mightymax]

You know though, I don't recall all these non-product containing products being around when my grandmother raised chickens. Or for that matter, them being around even 25 years ago when I first started raising chickens. Given all the illness and disease in our midst, it makes me wonder sometimes if we, with our new age and new and improved way of thinking, might have somehow overshot, over thought and perhaps even completely missed our mark where 'healthier/better living' is concerned.
ALRIGHT ALREADY !!! Enough on that topic...

I feed a, get this, non medicated

starter/grower poultry feed that's 20% protein to all my poultry and waterfowl. They all free-range together so I've found this to be the best option for us. They also get all the dark green, leafy vegetables I can get my hands on (our grocer thinks we own a vegan restaurant that only serves salads). I also supplement with the occasional: scratch mix, boss, oyster shell prn, fish meal, kelp, dry cat food, other produce and left overs from my kitchen (the one at home...we don't really own a restaurant...but don't tell my grocer that...lol !!!), meal worms and pizza (j/k). So basically my chickens eat better than I do and should presumably be
healthy. But they're still devastated by Marek's. Ugh. Such is life.

-kim-

Edited by Staff