What feed do you reccommend I get and why?

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: It doesn't really save money. I am doing it for flock health. However, depending on your price for organic layer pellets, it could save just a bit of money.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Oh and oyster shell of course. I would like to find a good vitamin mix to add so if anyone has suggestions, please share.

http://www.fertrell.com/poultry.htm
Fertrell nutri-balancer is a name I see a lot on BYC but have not tried it.

You might be able to get it from Azurestandard if you order from them.

 

[bhaugh]

Thanks I guess they dont sell it in my area. I dont order from azure so Ill have to look for it online

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thanks I guess they dont sell it in my area. I dont order from azure so Ill have to look for it online

Your feed store might be able to order it or another brand of poultry vitamin premix.

 

[bhaugh]

Thats a good idea. Ill call tomorrow. If anyone has any they would like to sell me.....say 5 lbs or so, that would be awesome too

 

[NicChicks2013]

I just read through all the post, some great info in them No one uses Agway? I just switched today and was hoping to find some feed back. I was using purina layena, it was suggested to me to avoid purina products. So I switched, even my dog food too. The doggies now get Victor ( pricey compared to Happy Dog..lol ) Agway reviews?

 

[southernbelle54]

they do love a mineral block to peck at my girls play queen on the block sort of speaking but on cold days and when the get bored they peck at it. also someone posted on here a while back I don't know who it was that on extremely cold days heat up some oatmeal and feed it to them my girls like the instant kind and they like it a little on the runny side. someone also posted a do and don't list of what to feed your chickens my kids made sure they printed that list off so that when we go shopping we didn't get anything that would harm our little girls. and we have 16 hens 2 roosters 3 ducks and they all eat the same thing oh and once a month the get a electrolyte mixture to keep there immune system good.
and with what we have been feeding them we get anywhere from 8 to 10 eggs a day and that's pretty good considering the conditions in which we had rescued these guys from. you just have to see what they like

 

[LindaB220]

bump

 

[8machines]

We have tried many different feeds but my chickens were raised on O.H. Kruse layer mash and it has been like pulling teeth to get them to eat anything different. It is all over the ground but they wont eat any pellets or crumble. I ended up fermenting all different brands. They like the corn color so to get them on a crumble the food will have to be yellow. I had to ferment feather fixer too. The folks at Double Diamond Feed told me that Purina uses chicken wings in their food as a filler. I am going to look at Nutrena with the marigold and see if it is yellow enough. We add oatmeal to their food and give them scratch, meal worms, and oyster shell. As a treat I defrost frozen corn and they love it. We buy 2 bags a week. It has been trial and lots of error.

 

[mrballance]

Mash is powder, crumbles are larger and pellets are the largest feed. Chicks will start out with crumbles and I don't see the need/use of mash though many use it. Pellets I feed as soon as they are large enough to eat them- 12 weeks. My larger birds through crumbles all about the ground then refuse to eat them so I've much less waste when feeding pellets.

The size of feed has no bearing on type. Which type of feed you use, starter, grower, layer or one of the game bird feeds, is dependent on purpose of bird or age of growth. They vary in protein, fat and calcium amounts. Then there is your choice of soy free, organic and levels of animal protein. Actual name brands are rather irrelevant if you know what you want and read the ingredients/nutrient analysis. They should have brochures or you can look online for that. It's also listed on tags on bag.

Egghead is right on !!! But I have given mine crumbles with no problems. It all depends on the flock.