BOSS

[Aunt Angus]

So I was at my local grocery store the other day, and they were clearing out a bunch of bags of BOSS. I bought several - only $1.50 per 10 lb bag! My pullets love them (of course), but I don't know how many are too many. Want the purdy, shiny feathers, but don't want my girls to get fat! I searched the forums (or fora) for info, but came up wanting. Please forgive me if this is a repeated topic...

Anybody have a good rule of thumb for how much/how often? I have 4 pullets who free range for pay of every day and will hopefully start laying soon. TIA!

 

[R2elk]

So I was at my local grocery store the other day, and they were clearing out a bunch of bags of BOSS. I bought several - only $1.50 per 10 lb bag! My pullets love them (of course), but I don't know how many are too many. Want the purdy, shiny feathers, but don't want my girls to get fat! I searched the forums (or fora) for info, but came up wanting. Please forgive me if this is a repeated topic...

Anybody have a good rule of thumb for how much/how often? I have 4 pullets who free range for pay of every day and will hopefully start laying soon. TIA!

BOSS should be considered a treat. The total amount of all treats together your poultry get should not be more than 10% of their total diet.

 

[cavemanrich]

So I was at my local grocery store the other day, and they were clearing out a bunch of bags of BOSS. I bought several - only $1.50 per 10 lb bag! My pullets love them (of course), but I don't know how many are too many. Want the purdy, shiny feathers, but don't want my girls to get fat! I searched the forums (or fora) for info, but came up wanting. Please forgive me if this is a repeated topic...

Anybody have a good rule of thumb for how much/how often? I have 4 pullets who free range for pay of every day and will hopefully start laying soon. TIA!

I am one that likes to break the rules, and do not hold to the 10% suggestion.
Boss is good nutrition, compared to something like just plain cracked corn. (which is high in carbohydrates)
I toss out quantities of it along with other grains instead of simple scratch to my chickens daily. MY CHICKENS ARE PETS ONLY, AND LIVE LONG LIVES.. 13 years was oldest. 11 years was recent, that was shortened by predator. 8 to 9 years very common average here.
They also free-range in a very large run area. When I'm outside, they free-range in backyard. Plenty of green vegetation for them to scratch thru 3 seasons of the year.
If you desire maximum egg production, at minimum cost, then stick to the prescribed Federation Recommendations.
When my mom raised chickens in the previous century,,,,,, there was no processed chicken feed. She fed them whatever was available. Mainly boiled potatoes with just a little grain.(but not always) Grain was for our bread use. Chickens naturally free-ranged.
We did alright. Chickens layed eggs, and every 2 weeks we ate a chicken. Roosters were grown out and eaten first.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[R2elk]

When my mom raised chickens in the previous century,,,,,, there was no processed chicken feed.

Many of us have been alive in the previous century. I have been alive for more than half of the previous century and I guarantee you that processed chicken food was definitely available. Now the century before the previous century may or may not have had processed chicken feed available in the early 1800s but it was available in the late 1800s.

 

[cavemanrich]

Many of us have been alive in the previous century. I have been alive for more than half of the previous century and I guarantee you that processed chicken food was definitely available. Now the century before the previous century may or may not have had processed chicken feed available in the early 1800s but it was available in the late 1800s.

When I said in the previous century,,,, its just a crafty way to describe LOOOOOONG ago. Yes I'm from the previous century like yourself. My mom was born at the beginning of the previous century. It also was not on this North American Continent. If there would have been processed chicken feed in her area, the peeps would have been cooking it up for their own food needs.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I buy a Cardinal mix. It's Sunflower seeds, Safflower seeds and Sunflower kernels. It's high in fat, 35 percent.
I mix it with Scratch Grains. Low fat 1.5 percent.
I mix a 7# bag of Cardinal mix into 25# of Scratch.
I scatter a heaping 1/4 cup measure in their pen once a day to my three 2 1/2 year olds. I scatter the same amount to my seven 12 week olds. I give as a midmorning treat. I don't feed any other treats or scraps.
If i were to feed just Sunflower seeds to 4 chickens it would be 1/8 cup per day. GC

 

[Aunt Angus]

And, to be technical, the last century was just under 20 years ago... I'd be willing to bet that most of us on BYC were alive then.

 

[GC-Raptor]

My mom used to buy Blue Seal Laying mash and Cracked corn for her chickens and ducks back in the 1960s 70s and 80s. GC

 

[cavemanrich]

My mom used to buy Blue Seal Laying mash and Cracked corn for her chickens and ducks back in the 1960s 70s and 80s. GC

And your mom probably lived in the Good Ole USA.