Chicken feed

[Sonya9]

I feed game bird feed with oyster shell on the side.

Op many of us feed all flock or game bird (which the whole flock can also eat) because we have had flocks longer so there are roosters, layers, older non-layers and chicks. A food everyone can eat makes things easier.

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x @Folly's place ... I feed Flock Raiser (20%) with extra dishes of grit and oyster shells available. I find it's alot "better" than layer, haven't had any egg or shell issues.

 

[Alaskan]

Oh! You’re Alaskan! My cousin lived in Ketchikan for a long time. I doubt you’ll find these prices up there. I suppose it’s the price you pay for unimaginable beauty and pristine nature. My cousin called it the beauty tax. Here the corn comes cheap at the cost of all of our forests Flat fields of factory farms as far as the eye can see in some places.
If I had the money - I would be your neighbor in a heartbeat

Here 50# bags are 20 bucks or more.

I find lower protein feed is ok in the summer, but mine do better with 20% protein in the winter months.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Oh! You’re Alaskan! My cousin lived in Ketchikan for a long time. I doubt you’ll find these prices up there. I suppose it’s the price you pay for unimaginable beauty and pristine nature. Here the corn comes cheap at the cost of all of our forests Flat fields of factory farms as far as the eye can see in some places.
If I had the money - I would be your neighbor in a heartbeat

@LizzzyJo is feeding a layer feed, 15% protein, not an all-flock feed. Her feed has lower protein and higher calcium than an all flock or grower feed, so her birds aren't interested in the oyster shell. Is it a mash, milled at that feed mill? Mash will be cheaper at the mill, where machinery for making pellets and then crumble haven't been purchased. I've been a lot happier feeding a diet higher in nutritional value myself.
Mary

sorry about that! I suppose it is layer food - they just call it their ‘chicken mash’ lol. Yes it’s a mash. We supplement with daily fruits and veggies. We only have 6, so it’s easy to be careful about nutrition.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'll chime in too. Using an "All Flock" (disclosure, I have ducks, meat birds, dual purpose, and layers) with free choice oyster shell. My birds free range most of the day, mostly by choice - I don't offer the feed 24/7 to force the CornishX to get off their asses on occasion.

When I can't get All Flock, I'll use the Nutrina "Feather Fixer", which is another high protein, moderately high fat, not calcium heavy feed.

 

[Folly's place]

By adding fruits and veggies to a lower protein diet, the protein levels are made even lower, not a good thing. Layer feeds are meant to be fed to Leghorn type hens in confinement, as their only feed. using it for larger birds, and adding lower protein goodies, unbalances the finely tuned layer feed, which has no extras of anything in it.
When i checked out Nutrena's "Feather Fixer', it looked more expensive per pound than Flock Raiser, not an improvement for my flock.
It depends on freshness; get the feed with the most recent mill dates, if quality is very similar. There's no one right answer here.
Mar

 

[Sonya9]

Layer feeds are meant to be fed to Leghorn type hens in confinement, as their only feed. using it for larger birds, and adding lower protein goodies, unbalances the finely tuned layer feed, which has no extras of anything in it.

That makes sense since even young layers don't always lay but leghorns in a battery house do.

I feed game bird with 30% protein, the birds also eat lots of grass when they free range so I expect it equals out. Heck with 14 birds I only get an egg a day lately so they are definitely not malnourished due to all the egg laying (flock is mostly chicks, roosters, seniors, bantams etc..with only a couple of regular layers and some are molting).

I am feeding 14 birds and having to buy eggs at the grocery store.