I'm fairly new to the chicken game and would love it if experienced flock tenders could "rate" my chicken's diet. I want to make sure I'm doing right by them.
We have 3 pullets and 1 cockerel. They are in the coop/run overnight and most of the week day. They free range a medium - large yard for 3 -4 hours on week days and 4 - 10 hours on weekends.
They are getting "Cascade Grower Complete Poultry Feed" in their feeder. It is soy and corn free, organic and contains 16% crude protein, 4.77% fat and 5.28% fiber.
Once a day they get a "treat bowl". It always contains fruit and vegetable scraps (pumpkin guts, carrot peels, grapes, cilantro, leafy greens). A few times a week I scramble eggs for them or make them oatmeal. I often sprinkle their treats with raw pumpkin seeds. They love tomatoes and have been getting some almost every day. Maybe once a week, I throw in a cup of cat food - which they seem to love. Sometimes I'll pick worms out of the compost bin for them as well. Sometimes they'll get bread or pasta too.
Fresh water every day, obviously.
Are they getting enough protein (they are not quite ready to lay)? We don't eat a lot of meat and I can't bring myself to give them chicken - it seems gross.
I'm not currently giving them grit in their feed. I was told if they "free ranged" for any amount of time during the day you didn't need to, but this is making me nervous. There is some sand in their run.
When do I start giving them oyster shells?
We have 3 pullets and 1 cockerel. They are in the coop/run overnight and most of the week day. They free range a medium - large yard for 3 -4 hours on week days and 4 - 10 hours on weekends.
They are getting "Cascade Grower Complete Poultry Feed" in their feeder. It is soy and corn free, organic and contains 16% crude protein, 4.77% fat and 5.28% fiber.
Once a day they get a "treat bowl". It always contains fruit and vegetable scraps (pumpkin guts, carrot peels, grapes, cilantro, leafy greens). A few times a week I scramble eggs for them or make them oatmeal. I often sprinkle their treats with raw pumpkin seeds. They love tomatoes and have been getting some almost every day. Maybe once a week, I throw in a cup of cat food - which they seem to love. Sometimes I'll pick worms out of the compost bin for them as well. Sometimes they'll get bread or pasta too.
Fresh water every day, obviously.
Are they getting enough protein (they are not quite ready to lay)? We don't eat a lot of meat and I can't bring myself to give them chicken - it seems gross.
I'm not currently giving them grit in their feed. I was told if they "free ranged" for any amount of time during the day you didn't need to, but this is making me nervous. There is some sand in their run.
When do I start giving them oyster shells?