Ace Hardware "Wild Bird Feed"

[Nifty-Chicken]

Hey Kids!

I usually buy scratch grains for my girls. Since I'm in the city it costs about $9.00 for a 50 lb. bag. Ace Hardware had a 20% off sale and I saw wild bird feed for $2.50 for a 20 lb bag. Well, I bought one to try out for my girls since I thought they would like the diversity.

I only use scratch as a treat, so if I only use this wild bird feed as a treat is it as good, better, or worse than regular old scratch?

 

[prariechiken]

I would think it would be alright as long as scratch is just a treat anyways. I'd just double check the ingredients to make sure you don't see anything your unsure of. I know totally changing their feed can cause stress to a flock, but as atreat, the only problem I can see is the need for quite a large birdbath when they start "songbirding" around the yard...

 

[Foghorn]

That brings up a thought. A question actually. What about chickens eating the fall off from bird feeders in yard? I am sure once mine find them they will surely eat whats there. Should I be concerned? I feed mostly unshelled sunflower, thistle, mixed, and suets.

 

[Carole AM]

I dunno, either. A lady I got some birds from once told me thats what she supplements with. It can't hurt! And if your birds are PIGS

like mine, every little bit helps!

 

[kstaven]

There is nothing in the wild bird seed mixes that will harm a chicken. If the ground is moist enough and it starts to sprout they will enjoy it even more.

 

[thechickenfarmer]

My chickens make a bee-line to the spot under the bird feeder to eat anything thing that's fallen. They love it.

Another good thing to keep on hand is those blocks of black oil sunflower seeds. I keep them in the coop for really bad weather days, it gives them something to do and takes at least a day for them to pick it apart.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Quote:
If I have understood your situation correctly, you do not have that many birds...it certainly is not wise to buy a 50 lb bag of scratch!!! A rule of thumb is that what ever bag you open should be gone within three weeks of opening it...that or you are going to have to have a very stable type of storage for you feed...(here is an EXCELLENT article on mycotoxins and feed storage)...
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/disaster/drought/dro-29.html

 

[Llysse]

I can't remember where I saw it, but I read about someone's feed recipe using a portion of wild bird seed, among other things. My only concern with the birds picking under the bird feeder is that they would pick something up, illness-wise, from the wild birds, since obviously there is going to be wild bird doo under there, too.