I've noticed that as well...I don't understand why people use the expensive brands unless you don't have a feed store close by...I guess i'm lucky that I have one only 1 mile away
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I do the same to my girls! I love when they gather around me! I have no problem with my flock eating the crumbles. Yes they make a mess but they manage to get it all throughout the day and have very little waste.I think my birds waste a lot of feed when in the crumble form. I buy pellets, if they scratch it out on the ground they will still eat it. I also supplement with scratch just because my birds love it. I can go out with a pint of scratch and all 30 birds come running and i get to socialize more with my birds that way. I even have some hens that if I sit down, instantly jump onto my lap assuming they are getting scratch. I do this several times a day if I am home.
I looked up my local associated feed store and go straight to the source to get feed. It is fresher and their quality is great. I have found their products to be great and cheaper than the purina and other name brands.
Here is one of the gals on my lap.
I am surprised at the amount of people that use the expensive brand feeds. I guess I am lucky to like in a farming and ranching community with an awesome feed supply. I get a 50lb bag of layer for $10.15 and make my own scratch that consists of milo, corn, and wheat, (a 50lb bag of each) for just under $25! This usually last my flock of 27 (16 hens, 3 roos, and 8 pullets) for about 3 weeks! I also supplement them with egg shells, and healthy and fun kitchen scraps like spinach stems, pop-corn, watermelon rinds, and apple cores!
My girls are ALMOST to the point where they are paying for their own feed too! By spring I think I will actually be making a profit......until I buy my 'bator that is!
Chickens don't need to be expensive!
Mine tend to take a day or two to like a new food, then it's suddenly their FAVORITE EVER!!! lolJust popping on to this thread now. My little chicken just started laying (I've gotten two eggs so far) and I dutifully switched her over to "big girl food"--the feed store recommending Home Grown Layer. The thing is, it really looks like she is not eating very much of it. I mean, she's nibbled a tad out of my hand, but I never see her at the feeder eating.....she just hunts and pecks out in her run.
Should I be worried that she isn't eating this big time, or will she just eventually settle in to the new food.