We found and interesting 1913 book on Gutenberg.org (Gutenberg is free public domain stuff) titled Our Domestic Birds by John H. Robinson. He talks about the backyard flock. The most common grains fed in the United States were cracked corn and wheat a couple of times a day, supplemented by...
I am new to chickens too. We have had our flock for 9 months and live in the suburbs. I can tell you my experience with our little flock of 3 Buff Orpingtons, 5 Wyandottes, and 5 Buff Brahmas. We selected all of these breeds because we had heard they were quiet since we have neighbors on each...