boney chickens ?

[Jacklynn]

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The snow here is rather deep at the moment. Its also very cold lately. I'm in Canada though lol ! I'm going to get layer mash for my chickens. So hopefully that and regular scraps from the house can help them improve weight wise.

 

[kentucky jay]

hey jacklynn , this is the best place to go for chicken knowledge !!!!!! im new to chickens , but i dont feel new cuz all the great info and advice i've gotten from BYC ........keep us posted on the chickens progress .

 

[Jacklynn]

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I love it here , lots of great advice

ill def. keep everyone posted.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

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Thanks for that. The more ideas the better, then we can use what is available from our mental lists.
Watching the birds is key, like when gardening - how does your garden grow? Do you know the protein content of the catfish food?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

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All good stuff, a couple times a week in really bad weather I'll feed salmon cat food.
Now that things aren't growing my hens don't get out of the pen much so I go to my grocer about once or twice a week for trimmings.
They trim cabbage, lettuce and other greens every morning and it would go into the garbage. Perfectly fine for chickens though. Tougher things like cabbage I'll dice up and they eat more of it that way.

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Others can chime in but actually your older birds will do better on the starter until they are laying well. It will be higher in protein. What does the label say the protein content is in %.
Until they lay and especially with what they've been eating they are still like chicks regardless of their age.
The fact that they are 8-12 months and not laying could be time of year related but more likely proof they haven't been eating well.
They'll take a little while to build their bodies and then reproductive systems before lay commences. Could be right about the time days get a little longer. When they start laying, that takes the heat off of you - (all that time, effort and money and no eggs?) They might just really start producing like mad then.

Besides all the great info from knowledgeable people here, once they are free ranging, you can take your cue from your birds - what do they eat when they can have almost anything.
Mine eat a lot of greenery, seeds and anything that moves. Mine catch frogs and fight over them. That's why I feed more salmon, mealworms, crickets and meat. It is what they would be eating in the wild. (I know they are domesticated but that is their genetics)

 

[Jacklynn]

Update: I went to the feed store. I picked up two bags of starter (18.0 protein) and a bag of layer (17.0 protein). I mixed the bag oif layer with the starter and also added some scratch to the mix. So they are getting a little of everything.

They seem happy.

 

[jeslewmazer]

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Honestly, I have been mixing my own for so long it has become more second nature. I would have to look next time I buy my feed and I'll let you know.

 

[onafixedincome]

I'm a relative newbie to chicken nutrition and care, but have been feeding rabbits for some 25 years and am pretty good at rabbit nutrition.

What I've been doing with my chickens is to try and get away from that gawdawful protruding keel; while I'm not looking for commercial broiler feel, I'm looking for a reasonable amount of muscle and overall condition rather than feeling like a feathered skeleton, which is what a lot of free range chooks feel like around here.

I recently cooped my chickens to save my landscaping; I'd like to have a yard again!

So they are now getting a much more controlled diet, and I can see some improvement. I give a varied supply or mix, depending on what I can afford, of:

Nutrena's newish minipellet with oyster shell and cracked corn;
Dove & Quail mix of whole seed/grain;
Dog food (Costco--the pellets are small enough to eat easily and there's plenty of oils and highly palatable);
Bread from the day-old bread store--if I can get the feed type, it's a lot cheaper and quite varied in types--if not, I just get what's cheap and whole-grain
Whatever scraps I have that I think they'll eat;
The neighbors' veggie scraps, which they put over the fence for the chooks (they get eggs in return, so it seems fair LOL)
As a very occasional treat, I'll buy mealworms, but would rather just dig in my compost pile for redworms.

I try to keep it as varied as I can, which they seem to appreciate, and within about 16-25% protein range with plenty of calcium available..

Suggestions are always welcome.