cracked corn and mix grains

[bills]

Quote:
Although I agree about not using "medicated" feed as a regular food, I have to say that the packaged feed produced today has it's merits. The ingredients are decided upon after years of testing, to give the hens the optimum diet, taking into account their nutritional needs. They could live healthy on nothing but the feed if one decided to limit the treats, or not allow them access to free range. If anything the diet would be superior to what the birds would get when living in the wild, thus the longevity, and general health of a modern chicken.

The turn over of the commercial feed is quite high, so it hasn't sat for long, and I'm sure most are less then a few months old before arriving at your door.

In principal, I agree with your "organic" method of feeding your birds. This "is" the most natural way. I do wonder though, that even with the food you provide them, and their being allowed to free range, are they getting all they really need for optimum health. Surely you don't have many carcass's around your place for their protein needs..

As well the natural fauna they may find to eat while free ranging, is likely not their native type food.

Each to his own of course, that's just my thoughts..

 

[thedeacon]

I find the best snack is soybean. I sometimes just throw 1 bean at a time and watch they scramble for it. This is usually pretty fun for for about a handful and 20 minutes bounding time.

 

[Beekissed]

I freerange, and though the chickens get a good amount of natural nutrition and proteins in this manner, I still use grains for their dietary needs. Laying mash for peak laying periods and shelled corn for off-peak times. They do receive garden and salad scraps, but the dogs beat them to any real food scraps.

I would venture to say that the chickens can get quite a bit of protein from free ranging, with the goodly supply of grubs, larvae and worms they are finding in my garden and in the leaf litter against the buildings and fences. The orchard alone provides old apples and the bugs that live on and feed on these, as well as things living under the long grasses.

I don't think I would rely on just their free range diet in the winter for adequate nutrition, though.

 

[freefly]

I live in the tropics on a small island. My flock are fenceless free range.
They roam 4 properties and the neighbours don't mind.
They wont eat thier layer pellets or crumbles at all, turn thier beaks at it.
They love thier wheat and a little cracked corn if it is small.
Rolled oats is a treat , they love it, flax seed they quite like. But most of all they like a vegan fruit bar I have that's actually for me but they always end up convincing me that they should get half.
I see them eating all kind of bugs and stuff from dead frogs to grasshoppers. So I guess they are getting the protien they need. I also give them oyster shell . They lay most days and look very healthy and happy so I am going with what they want ... grain only and no layer mash or pellets
Chicken knows best in this case

 

[silkiechicken]

There is a lot of variety in what works for who and where they are. Regular medicated feed and treats is fine.

We have members in other countries where forumations might not be the same as in the US. Furthermore, we have members in tropics or areas where chicken ancestors and wild chickens can actually thrive. Winter in those places don't bring with it 1-3 months of snow and 200 days of clouds and rain, and summer highs in some areas of the US are the seasonal averages in others.

As with most feed questions ask 10 people, get 15 absolute right and only ways to do it.

 

[freemotion]

And the 16th

opinion, based in part on this article, which sites several studies showing the advantage of whole grain diets and allowing both layers and meat chickens to balance the protein levels themselves. http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd17/4/pous17045.htm and also on the article "Turning Off the Grinder" on www.themodernhomestead.com

I have two feeders and a two-compartment supplement bin. One feeder has soybean meal, one has a whole grain mix of oats, barley, and corn, all whole (whole feed corn is too big for bantams and guineas but popcorn will do.) The two small bins contain oyster shell and granite grit.

When free-ranging in bug weather, they pretty much ignore the soymeal. Also, I feed any meat scraps I might have, and might start raising worms next year in my basement (Harvey Ussery has a major worm project in his greenhouse for all his birds, very cool.) They also ignore the grit unless we have snow cover for extended periods in winter.

eta: I offer the whole oats around 3 weeks, then have them switched over completely by about 10 weeks. Don't switch birds over suddenly, it takes about 3 weeks for them to develop the crop strength to handle the whole grains if they have been on a diet of mash or pellets.

 

[digitS']

Here in North America, we don't need to go too far afield for advice on choice feeding of whole grain. Some (not all) land grant university poultry science departments (thru the Cooperative Extension Services) give advice on feeding scratch grains along with commercial feeds. One problem with any advice on scratch grains is the variability of scratch from one location, and one company, to another.

A value to feeding whole grain is the high cost of milling in some parts of the world. That is perhaps why the LRRD organization published the article that Freemotion linked for agriculture in developing nations. However, the research that those people cite is straight-forward, developed-world sourrces in Great Britain, the US, and Canada. In fact, the most current information cited in that LRRD article is from right here, "Choice-Feeding of Small Laying Hen Flocks" at the Manitoba Agriculture Food, & Rural Initiatives of the provincial government offices.

This all makes a fair amount of sense for grain-growing Manitoba and North America in general (altho' I'm not sure how much sense it makes to be importing wheat and oats into the tropics). The cost of milling isn't very high anywhere in North America, however. Milling allows for easy and efficient mixing of feed.

A special note should be made that neither the information provided for developing nation agriculture nor that from Manitoba is talking about soymeal as a source for choice feed. In fact, neither article so much as mentions soy.

What they are talking about is a relatively high protein supplement. Yes, it is likely that the supplement may be made from soymeal but certainly minerals and vitamins are conscientiously formulated into this supplemental feed.

Assuming that these nutrients are available without formulation would be risking feed deficiencies - IMO.

Steve

 

[mtnhomechick]

Here's what I do. I feed layer crumbles in the morning. Then I free range for a few hours like maybe 1pm to 4 pm and I get them back in the run with 1/2 layer crumbles and 1/2 hog feed which has corn and other grains. I have a satisfactory outcome with eggs and my girls seem healthy and happy.

Beyond that I don't worry too much about it. Oh.......btw.......I also have some pullets in the group that arent laying yet.

 

[freemotion]

Thanks, Steve, I forgot about that article....

I should clarify that my birds free-range on two fenced acres with access to a very large compost pile. Even in December in MA they manage to find some places to dig that are not frozen, it always amazes me how they find the south-facing corners where the leaves pile up and keep the ground thawed.

I also have a deep, rather mature litter, which provides resources for them.

And unlike commercial set-ups, which the research was for, I am able to provide my little flock with quite a bit of variety in their diet. Most of how I feed is based on Harvey Ussery's articles and correspondence with him. We can do things in a small way that are not commercially viable but are better for our animals. It is not for everyone, but I enjoy the research and experimenting.

I am also very interested in sustainable practices, and it is my personal goal to raise as much food myself for my critters, and only purchase feeds in forms that I would raise if I could. The soymeal is my only downfall, and only until I come up with a better solution that works in my situation, such as the worm bins, which will be needed only for winter feeding.

My feeding practices are definitely NOT for the confined flock. Yes, I agree that in many circumstances, deficiencies would occur. Thanks for helping me clarify this for those who might change what they are feeding and risk the health of their flock, based on incomplete information.

 

[digitS']

One thing I like about Harvey Ussery is his willingness to experiment. His argument that I read once was that we are willing to experiment with our own diets so we should be a little flexible with what our livestock eat.

There has certainly been artificial selection with our animals, so we are a little set up for failing them because of the high-maintenance requirements of high-production strains. However, I don't think that means we must blindly follow Purina or any of the other parts of industrial agriculture. I certainly appreciate the guidance some of the poultry specialists give us and resent the dickens out of those who obviously, don't even want us interfering with the industrial model.

As you say, Freemotion, on the backyard/small farm scale - variety must be a very important part of nutrition.

Steve