Can I just get a basic rundown of proper diet, for a total newbie?

[SmittenChickens]

I've been researching diets for chickens and I'm so overwhelmed!

Do they need pellets or crumbles AND corn? What about "scratch", and what IS scratch exactly?

Do you feed them ad lib, as much as they want? Or will they overeat, so you have to give them set portions?

Do they have to be weaned from one food to another gradually, can chickens get upset stomachs like other animals if switched food abruptly?

Can you just give them human food leftovers whenever, is it good for them?

What about calcium or giving them eggshells or something? Do I buy that in a store or how does that work?

Help! LOL!

 

[1muttsfan]

Visit the learning center for good information on feeding chickens throughout their life.

 

[SmittenChickens]

I'm not seeing an answer to any of my questions in the Learning Center, am I missing something?

 

[blondiebee181]

I've been researching diets for chickens and I'm so overwhelmed!

Do they need pellets or crumbles AND corn? What about "scratch", and what IS scratch exactly?

Do you feed them ad lib, as much as they want? Or will they overeat, so you have to give them set portions?

Do they have to be weaned from one food to another gradually, can chickens get upset stomachs like other animals if switched food abruptly?

Can you just give them human food leftovers whenever, is it good for them?

What about calcium or giving them eggshells or something? Do I buy that in a store or how does that work?

Help! LOL!

If you have week-olds to about 16 weeks you need to be feeding starter crumbles either medicated or non-medicated. Starter is known as a "complete feed" as in, they don't need anything but starter for 16 weeks and water of course.

Scratch is another name for "cracked corn" and sometimes may have other grain mixed in. It should only be used as a treat as it has little to no nutritional value.

Chicks and young chickens should be given as much as they want and food should be available at all times. As jthey get older you can start putting them on more of a schedule and only feeding a certain amount at a time, to conserve on wasting feed.

If you are raising hens for eggs, at 16+ weeks you need to switch them over to layer feed, again, a complete feed. You may feed them non-layer but you MUST have an available source of calcium free choice at all times. Oyster shell is the best supplement. Most people I know just feed layer, but as I have 2 three month old ducks, I have everyone on Flock Raiser a tthe moment which is a complete feed that is approved for all poultry, and my laying hens have acccess to the oyster shell. This makes their egg-shells strong. You can find all these feeds and oyster shells at a feed store.

Treats, mealworms and kitchen scraps are okay for chickens that are 4 weeks and older who also have access to grit. Chickens have crop-type digestive systems and MUST have access to small stones of course sand that they can ingest which will help them digest their food. Grit can also be obtained at feed stores. Popular treats include yogurt, mealworms, greens, fruits and veggies....chickens will eat almost ANYTHING but there are things that aren't very good for them and also poisonous. Do not feed raw beans, potatoes, or apple cores or peach pits. Do not feed anything that is high in starch or fat. Hope this helps. There is a complete list of chicken treats on here somewhere....I think in the learning center.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

I've been researching diets for chickens and I'm so overwhelmed!

Do they need pellets or crumbles AND corn? What about "scratch", and what IS scratch exactly?

You should feed them starter (crumbles) until 18 weeks of age. Then they can be switched to Layer food.

Personally, I prefer layer pellets. They minimize waste for me. My chickens do seem to prefer crumbles, but they also seem to spill them all over the place.

Corn only provides carbs for the chickens. Here in Kansas winters can get very cold, so I feed Scratch and corn to help them keep the weight on and stay warm. I also sprinkle a few handfuls in the yard in the summer, so they have something to keep them busy.

Scratch is usually a mix of three or more grains. I buy Purina, and it contains cracked corn, milo, and oats.

Scratch and corn are NOT a complete food, and should never be fed alone, because it has next to 0 nutritional value.

I feed a mix of 75-90% Layer and 25-10% Scratch. The scratch gets sprinkled outside so they can well... scratch for it.

Do you feed them ad lib, as much as they want? Or will they overeat, so you have to give them set portions?

Chicks should be given food free choice, so you let them eat all they want all day. Once they are full grown, you can get a good idea of how much they'll eat in a day, and you can just feed them, but they shouldn't overeat. So, you could just fill up all their feeders and let them eat as much as they will, but a lot tends to go to waste.

Do they have to be weaned from one food to another gradually, can chickens get upset stomachs like other animals if switched food abruptly?

You can just switch them at 18 weeks. But I usually have some starter left over, and mix that in their layer until it's gone.

Can you just give them human food leftovers whenever, is it good for them?

Human leftovers are USUALLY okay, but as long as they don't eat too much of one thing. blondiebee covered that really well in her post.

What about calcium or giving them eggshells or something? Do I buy that in a store or how does that work?

I think most layer foods will have all the calcium they need, but you can buy oyster shells for them. NEVER, EVER, feed egg shells from store bought eggs.
Help! LOL!

Hope that helps!

 

[blondiebee181]

Yup, I agree with all that.....I do feed layer pellets I forgot to say that, it does help them not waste so much. And, yes corn and scratch is good when i starts to get cold but as we said, not a complete feed.
An addendum to when they get older and you know about how much they eat...if you continuously fill the feeders full all the time, the chickens will begin to realize this. Not kidding, so they will scratch A LOT of the food out of the feeder and pick out their favorite pieces, knowing that you will fill it up again. If you don't feed as much at a time and put them on more of a schedule they will clean the feed up WAY better and not scratch or waste as much on the ground.
*Confined chickens are less prone to wasting than part or full-time free rangers.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

Yeah, my dad got crumbles once. Oh wow, I've never seen such a mess lol.

And about them scratching out their favorite pieces. I totally agree, I tried doing a free choice system, and layer was all over the floor, and their was absolutely no corn, anywhere.

Oh and BTW, mine are full time free rangers, so I don't worry about providing grit, since they pick it all up from our gravel driveway and the sand pit and such.

 

[SmittenChickens]

Thanks for all the input guys, great info! Making things much clearer.

My hens won't be free range, but their run is going to be sand flooring. So I still need to provide something else for grit?

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

That should be good on the grit. . If your going to just have sand though you should probably provide a box of dirt too so they can properly dust bathe.

~~~Ms.B.

 

[blondiebee181]

That should be good on the grit.

. If your going to just have sand though you should probably provide a box of dirt too so they can properly dust bathe.
~~~Ms.B.

Thanks for all the input guys, great info! Making things much clearer.

My hens won't be free range, but their run is going to be sand flooring. So I still need to provide something else for grit?

Yeah, my run is all sand too so my girls don't need extra even if they weren't part time free range. Sand is also a good floor because it acts as a giant cat litter box and there is way less messy slick poo everywhere because it gets covered and then disintegrates.
Are you sure you don't want to consider part-time free ranging? I live in the city and it's totally manageable. It's better on your hens and feed bill. If you can't swing it, make sure that your girls have PLENTY of room in the run, it's completely fenced and protected and that they get plenty of green scraps and things to entertain them. Confined hens will easily get bored and can lead to a slew of other problems if there isn't enough room or things to do.