Can adult chickens eat chick food?

[Chris09]

Quote: To be honest there are no such thing as a "Wild" Chicken. The closest living wild relative to chickens are Jungle Fowl.
The Jungle Fowl Hens lay far less eggs than a modern chicken so there needs for calcium is less.


Chris

 

[Chris09]

There is no such thing as a natural chicken. Its a man-made thing. Fowl only lay eggs to have babies, I don't know, depending on species, a dozen maybe, once or twice a year? So the would use their annual calcium stores over that time and then replenish it by eating calcium-rich foods. Because we have bred chickens artificially to produce ridiculous amounts of eggs, we need to artificially provide them with the necessary calcium. I still do believe the more natural and balanced the food, the better, though, and as close to what their natural relatives would maybe have eaten.
But I like the thought of a chicken on the shore, wading through the breakers hunting oysters, would be cool to watch!

Let me ask you this, What is a "more natural" feed for a "man made" animal than a man made feed? (keep in mind that there are no wild chickens)

Chris

 

[hedz82]

whatever is closest to what their ancestors would have eaten. as an example, surely the ancestors of chicken would have more likely been able to derive protein from, say, worms nstead of beef, hence I would think that today's chickens' digestive systems would be better eqipped to handle digesting worms than beef protein.

 

[Chris09]

whatever is closest to what their ancestors would have eaten. as an example, surely the ancestors of chicken would have more likely been able to derive protein from, say, worms nstead of beef, hence I would think that today's chickens' digestive systems would be better eqipped to handle digesting worms than beef protein.

Well since the modern chickens was first bred around 5,400 years ago I will assume that there needs have changed since then just like humans needs are different than the needs that our early ancestors.


Chris

 

[hedz82]

So what do you recommend?

 

[Jacqdiva]

I am confused. Is amprolium an antibiotic? What are the dangers of consuming eggs or meat after feeding it in starter/grower? What can I feed a mixed flock. NOTE I am told by livestock store there is NO UNMEDICATED grower.

 

[lazy gardener]

Amprolium works in the system by blocking Thiamine uptake, thus starving the coccidiosis organism. Unfortunately, it also blocks Thiamine uptake in your chick. I prefer to let my chicks get all the vitamins they can absorb, and even give them extra in addition to their feed to give them a head start in life. I absolutely refuse to give them Amprolium, and have never had issues with coccidiosis. I have had long heated discussions with the uneducated staff at the feed store. They buy the company line, and don't know how to think outside of the box.

Your lifestock store is lying to you or they are woefully understocked with feed options. Ask them to give you Multi-flock Starter/grower crumble (not pellets). The brand I buy has 22% protein, 3.5% fat, compared to chick starter (medicated) which is 20% Prot., and 3% fat. If the crumble seems a bit too big, you can buzz it in your blender for the first week, or feed it moist. My chicks grow like weeds, and have always started laying at least 2 weeks before neighbors and friends chicks which have come from the same supplier on the same day. If you want to give them even more of a boost, turn that Multiflock into fermented feed.

 

[keesmom]

Do you have a multiflock type fed there? Maybe a gamebird feed? There must be something for ducks, geese, turkeys and so on.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...
Your lifestock store is lying to you or they are woefully understocked with feed options. Ask them to give you Multi-flock Starter/grower crumble (not pellets). The brand I buy has 22% protein, 3.5% fat, compared to chick starter (medicated) which is 20% Prot., and 3% fat. If the crumble seems a bit too big, you can buzz it in your blender for the first week, or feed it moist. My chicks grow like weeds, and have always started laying at least 2 weeks before neighbors and friends chicks which have come from the same supplier on the same day. If you want to give them even more of a boost, turn that Multiflock into fermented feed.

X2
Some stores around here only sell medicated starter, some only sell non-medicated, some sell both. You may have to shop around.

Getting advice from a feed store is a gamble at best.

 

[CrazyTalk]

whatever is closest to what their ancestors would have eaten. as an example, surely the ancestors of chicken would have more likely been able to derive protein from, say, worms nstead of beef, hence I would think that today's chickens' digestive systems would be better eqipped to handle digesting worms than beef protein.

Chickens have very different nutritional needs than their ancestors did, because they're very different animals. They've been fed man-made diets for 5000 years and we've selected the birds that do best on that diet. Evolution can happen quickly when there are very strong selection pressures (as you can see with chickens going from laying 50 eggs a year to 300 in the last 50 years). What their wild ancestors ate is just a hair shy of irrelevant at this point - they're a very different species.