chicken feed confusion!!!!! need answers!!!

[TurtleChick]

i've been avidly following this thread - i've been looking for a way to give my girls a little more protein. i was so excited when you guys were talking about the purina game bird breeder at 20%! but now i've been calling around to the feed stores in the area, and the only game bird breeder that they all seem to carry is at 27% protein. argh! that seems too high to me. if i could find unmedicated starter OR grower that was 18-20%, they could eat this (1yr old hens) as long as i'm supplementing them w/oyster shell, yes??? they're molting and i've got one who is feather picked (want the pickER to get more protein, want the pickEE to have help in regrowing feathers) and it'd be easier to switch the food than worry about yogurt, eggs, etc (which they do get, in moderation) EVERY day.

 

[BJ]

Quote:
The Purina Flockraiser is 20% protein and is for a mixed flock. I am giving it to a layer right now and she is laying hard-shelled eggs. I started her on it when she was in a molt and I had young chickens that I took off chick feed and started on this Flockraiser. I am very pleased and everyone is getting 20% protein.

 

[the1much]

oh ya,, i got like a gazzillion birds ,, lol
mine get table scraps every night,, they eat whatever i eat,, and sad to say,, but the wifers feeds them out of a big spoon every night,,,,, man i need to move them to the back yard

 

[cmom]

Starter up to 8 weeks
Grower Crumbles or pellets from 8 weeks until you get your first egg
Layer from first egg on.

I use starter/grower until I get my first egg then I switch the girls to layer. I personally use crumbles. I tried a small bag of pellets but they didn't seem to eat it to well, so I switched back to crumbles, but I started them on crumbles. I smashed up the pellets and mixed it with their crumbles. If I have any starter/grower left when they start laying, I mix it with the layer until it's gone. I haven't had any problems with my big girls laying. I personally use the medicated starter/grower. I don't start to give young chicks treats, etc. until they are a month. When I give them treats I give them grit in a separate bowl as free choice.

Chickens do not have teeth. Their food goes, as is, into the crop, where it is slowly funneled into a very small " stomach" for some digestive additives--then to the Gizzard, where it is 'chewed', that is, ground into material that can be digested as it moves into the intestines and so on. The Gizzard is best able to break down whole grains and other chunky bits that they eat when full of grit. Longest lasting grit is Granite, that lasts well. All other rock and stone is so much softer, that it wears down fast and that is why granite grit is best choice, works really well for best utilization of feeds. My baby chicks are given free choice and they choose it with pleasure, baby grit is fine Granite, as soon as they are given anything besides Starter Crumbles. If you can't find any chick grit, then just smash up some regular granite or pigeon grit. Their tiny gizzards are at optimum function at an early age.

 

[magsrags]

Quote:
I enjoyed reading this post and find it really helpfull at this stage of my chicken raising.

Thank you!

 

[scooby]

so would it be a bad thing to start them on layer at 12 weeks? or would they be just fine cause i got a bag of layer right now. if not i got to go back to the feed store and see what they got in right now, I cant believe some of you go though 3-4 bags a week thats insane....that must get so expensive!!! I only got 4 birds right now and they eat like pigs!!!

 

[BJ]

Go ahead and give them the layer. Honestly, I don't think its gonna kill them if that is all you have. some people would say they don't think the calcium in the layer is good for the youngsters that aren't laying yet. Not sure if there have been any ACTUAL STUDIES on this issue....but they just need FOOD, right? So let them eat!! I have a laying hen who is not getting layer feed right now and her eggs are just perfect.

(heck, some hens don't ever eat chicken food at all...they just free range and forage)

I think you will be fine. With these hard times today, don't let anything go to waste.

BJ

 

[the1much]

my hens have gotten layer pellets once,, cause thats all the feed store had,, other then that they have never had it, and their eggs are great.
and the layer wont hurt the chicks a bit,, with the food mix i give them, they get more calcium and protein then any layer food has.

 

[kwynn's birds Alaska]

what exactly is in scratch? I give mine 20% feed, and a handful of corn and oats. I started doing that when it started getting cold. They seem to like a handful of rabbit pellets every now and then. Is it ok to give it to them, or should I not do that? I know chickens eat grass and weeds and greens. Isn't that what is in rabbit pellets is hay/grass? I had some cottage cheese once, and they went bananas over it. Yogurt too. I figured it would give them a little calcium....I also found that all my chicks (older) eat the20% layer feed, and have been for a while. i only bought 1 bag of med. chick starter once, and it's been gone for a while. Also everyone gets some wetted Atta Boy. I had a feather eating thing happening.

 

[halo]

I have been feeding different feed to different birds, and I am going to switch over to straight Flockraiser. I can get oystershell at the feed store, and will just put some of that out also. Right now I have a feeder of Flockraiser and a feeder of Layer crumbles, and the most popular feed by far is the Flockraiser, so once all the feed is gone, Ill just stick with that. I also throw out some scratch that I make myself (cracked corn, sunflower seeds, oats, whatever else I can find at the feed store).