Can adults eat grower feed?

[davedavey]

Yes of course its just higher protien. Once they are at laying age you need to ad calcium.

 

[GC-Raptor]

My Golden Comets feather pick on a 16% Layers feed so I'm feeding my hens (28 months old) a Non-Medicated 18% Start and Grow with Oyster Shells in a separate container.
I can get a 25# bag for my small flock. I had a larger bag go bad before it's used up.
Oh and my girls love the feed. A win win. GC

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Thanks for all the info! I am new to chickens and my little flock of 12 are 10 weeks old. I have only gone to the store once looking for feed and was a little dismayed at how old some of the bags of feed were. Some were 3 months old already. I'm glad to know that I can buy whichever is freshest.

 

[lazy gardener]

If I can't get feed and use it by it's 6 week past mill date, I will walk out of the store and go elsewhere.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Another question... my chickies are 10 weeks old. If I buy starter for them, which is a little higher in protein than "required," can I feed them more corn or treats. I have 3 daughters and everyone wants the chicks to like them best and they all want to give them treats. We have also been using treats to get them to venture further away from their coop when they are free ranging. I try to have my daughters only use a tiny bit of treats each time, so that they can do it several times a day. We usually use cracked corn, wild bird seed, and dried mealworms.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

If I can't get feed and use it by it's 6 week past mill date, I will walk out of the store and go elsewhere.

I was pretty surprised. It was TSC. They had several brands, lots of bags, but some pretty old. Some didn't have dates, but instead had codes. I ended up buying Flockraiser because it was the only one that wasn't old. The next time I need feed, I will go elsewhere!

 

[lazy gardener]

I will no longer buy feed there, b/c the feed is consistently old.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Another question... my chickies are 10 weeks old. If I buy starter for them, which is a little higher in protein than "required," can I feed them more corn or treats. I have 3 daughters and everyone wants the chicks to like them best and they all want to give them treats. We have also been using treats to get them to venture further away from their coop when they are free ranging. I try to have my daughters only use a tiny bit of treats each time, so that they can do it several times a day. We usually use cracked corn, wild bird seed, and dried mealworms.

Yes, I recommend a higher Protein 18-20% for a backyard flock, because I/we like to give treats.
I give my hens a mixed bird seed as a treat scattered around their pen on top of straw, so they have to search for it.
I also give them bruised fruit and veggies past their prime, but not rotten.
I get feed from TSC, because I can see the date and not buy if it's old.
A independent feed store I was getting feed from kept feed in a building out back that you drove up to after you paid for it.
I stopped buying from them when a bag of feed that I got was older than I prefer and went bad 5 months past mill date. GC

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

I give the chickies some birdseed every morning. We have 4 dogs that have to go out first before the chickies get tended. Their coop is up against our house and one of the kitchen windows opens into their coop. They have learned that I will open the window and feed some bird seed. This morning was the first time one of them sat on the perch that is nearest the window to eat it out of my hand. All that she knocked out of my hand, fell in the coop bedding with the other chicks scratching like crazy. A very nice way to start the day for me!

 

[CannedMonster]

I give the chickies some birdseed every morning. We have 4 dogs that have to go out first before the chickies get tended. Their coop is up against our house and one of the kitchen windows opens into their coop. They have learned that I will open the window and feed some bird seed. This morning was the first time one of them sat on the perch that is nearest the window to eat it out of my hand. All that she knocked out of my hand, fell in the coop bedding with the other chicks scratching like crazy. A very nice way to start the day for me!

Wait til they’re older and start trying to fly into the kitchen lol!
My birds love tuna, salmon, bits of meat, mealworms, greens, grapes, watermelon, chopped or scrambled eggs, raisins,
cat food (yep ), shelled sunflower seeds, cottage cheese, shredded cheese and probably lots of other things.
Even though they love it I don’t give them very much dairy as chickens lack the enzymes to digest it.