What feed do you reccommend I get and why?

[TammyTX]

depending on the age of your chickens I give mine the dumor chicken scratch with layena crumbles mixed with grit in the blue and gold bag at tractor supply and once a month I give them a dose of packets of electrolytes I get all of at tractor supply and a i get them a bail of straw for their nest and once a week I give them the left over broccoli, green beans, lettuce, cucumbers all finely chopped and just put into there yard where have them and they love it and you will get more eggs then you know what to do with my girls lay on an average 5-7 eggs a day and when I got them they had been mistreated by their former owners my four ducks love this as well but layens crumbles are the best just mix it with your grit and scratch and scoop it out and put into there feeders
I hope this helps it did for us have fun our girls are a joy to watch oh and one more thing get them a mineral block to peck at the enjoy it all total you will spend about 48.00 a month for all this depending on where you live

The chickens LOVE the sweet feed of a flock block but I wish they came with a hanger because mice/rats will eat at them.

 

[chicken pickin]

I feed all my animals (chickens, turkeys, ducks and goats) Blue Seal Feed. I liked the Blue Seal feed better last year and previous, then they had a switch over and the bags and names of products were different and the feed seemed different also and contained a lot more fine(powder) feed as a filler in the bag it seems. But I do still love the products and have been buying them for almost 2 years now.

I also buy Blue Seal feed because 1) Its drive thru and 2) it keeps me out of Tractor Supply. Once im in Tractor Supply I buy things I didn't know I needed lol.

 

[SunnySkies]

Feed whatever you can buy, whatever you can afford.

I feed Dumor chick starter/grower to all my birds and offer calcium ad lib. I sometimes add a little flaxseed type supplement to feed going to the hens. Everyone is given a little treat of scratch grains daily, and they free range every day, except for the slow and stupid ones.

I offer meats to my Swedish Flower Hens, a breed that seems to need a little extra nutrition here in the US, a couple times a week.

I also give pumpkins, lettuce leftovers, and other kitchen type scraps when I have them. Right now, this is all going to my feeder pigs.

People tell me my hens' eggs are the best they have ever had. They remind me of the eggs my family's hens produced way back when, and dad didn't buy feed...we fed them scraps and they free ranged.

 

[Going Quackers]

Feed whatever you can buy, whatever you can afford.

I agree, it's super hard with feeds because availability by region effects what you can get. Other than don't feed layer to young birds and don't just feed them scratch, after that a staple feed with some grains is pretty sound. My chickens are fed the same as the ducks, it's a high protein feed(not layer) and then given free choice oyster shell, the ducks have whole corn as an option the chickens prefer to peck at the scratch grains i toss down daily. Everyone has different ideas, methods and claim to fame... i think feed is way over complicated and over marketed, i have pretty much leaned to the simpler and given up the complexities.

 

[Stacyc]

Anoka feed on Main Street carries organic chicken feed.

 

[mgray]

I use either Purina or Dumore layer pellets and use cracked corn and dried meal worms as treats. They do well with either of the brands of pellets. I switched to the pellets so that not as much feed is wasted. They are also a free range flock. The last time we went to Tractor Supply the only laying pellet feed they had was Purina Layena Plus and since I didn't want to come back the next day I went ahead and got that. I guess I figure it doesn't really matter what brand you feed your chickens as long as it is age appropriate.

 

[AZChickenQueen]

I feed Nature Wise organic pellets and use a treadle feeder to keep the unwanted critters out. I also use an organic scratch (forget the name) this time of year which my girls get as a treat with their organs garden trimmings from the veggie patch at least once a day. Remember - you are what you eat. So spend a little time looking at those labels, folks!

 

[res]

I feed Dumor, Layena or Southern States brands depending on which store I will be closest to during my errands. They've never complained about switching brands...

My flock does seem to prefer pellets vs. crumbles. I am feeding starter/grower crumbles right now because I have chicks in the flock that hatched on October 17th. The adult hens are spending more time free-ranging and have decreased their consumption out of the feeders...

I also give scratch grains as a treat. No manufacturer loyalty there, either. Though I do load up on Tractor Supply's wild bird food - the white 35# bags - when they are on sale for $9, as the price per lb is cheaper than the poultry scratch grains. The wild bird food has BOSS, milo, wheat, corn, oats, etc. in it, but is mainly BOSS and milo. The girls go crazy for it!

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

We feed Kent/Blue Seal exclusively to both our layers and broilers. The added specialty ingredients that help improve the birds' health and productivity have help improve the laying persistency and feed efficiency in our small flock.

 

[Xanadu]

I wouldn't have thought they needed animal protein until I saw one of my hens eat a whole frog on two different occasions. And I guess insects aren't plant protein.