Debating on switching feed

[tiffnichole20]

I have an EE hen that's a little over three months old, right now, her diet consists of cracked corn, what she forages for in the coop, & occasional treats of dried mealworms. I'm thinking about switching her to a different feed, but my problem is that she doesn't really serve a purpose, she's literally just a pet, and I haven't been able to find a feed specifically for pet chickens.

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Cracked corn alone isn't usually enough. Even if she doesn't lay eggs, she needs a formulated feed. How much are you willing to spend? A 5lb sack of showbird/gamebird is $6, while a 50lb sack of featherfixer is $16. I hear Kent feeds are the good, but the pricy.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I have an EE hen that's a little over three months old, right now, her diet consists of cracked corn, what she forages for in the coop, & occasional treats of dried mealworms. I'm thinking about switching her to a different feed, but my problem is that she doesn't really serve a purpose, she's literally just a pet, and I haven't been able to find a feed specifically for pet chickens.

I'm surprised she's still alive with that diet.
There is no specific "pet chicken" food. But there's chicken food sold everywhere.
Even wal mart sells chicken feed.

 

[tiffnichole20]

Cracked corn alone isn't usually enough. Even if she doesn't lay eggs, she needs a formulated feed. How much are you willing to spend? A 5lb sack of showbird/gamebird is $6, while a 50lb sack of featherfixer is $16. I hear Kent feeds are the good, but the pricy.

I try to go cheap but still provide her with what she needs, my main reason for switching is because she doesn't seem to be growing much on the cracked corn. I wasn't informed when I bought the cracked corn that it wasn't a complete form of nutrition.

 

[tiffnichole20]

I'm surprised she's still alive with that diet.
There is no specific "pet chicken" food. But there's chicken food sold everywhere.
Even wal mart sells chicken feed.

I have it planned to go to Walmart tomorrow to get some feed, but like I said, I wasn't informed that cracked corn wasn't a complete form of nutrition

 

[The Moonshiner]

I have it planned to go to Walmart tomorrow to get some feed, but like I said, I wasn't informed that cracked corn wasn't a complete form of nutrition

Wow
Read some of your other threads. Seems you werent informed about much of anything when it comes to raising chicks/chickens.
Luckily you have found the most informitive place in the world when it comes to chickens.
If I was you I would start reading up on the right way to care for her. Even if you think she serves no purpose other then a pet she still needs proper care and that is your responsibility.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

For this bird at this age you would be best served to get a small bag of starter or grower feed. Layer can wait until she is a bit older and starts producing eggs. All of these feeds are just as appropriate for a "pet" chicken as one kept for production purposes as the nutritional needs are the same regardless.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Is this the only chicken you have?

 

[TattooedChicks]

You'd probably get a better deal at a feed store than Walmart, but there are several cheaper brands available that would be more nutritional than her current diet. My town has one that sells their own blend of chick starter at 70 cents a pound for small batches.

 

[lazy gardener]

To OP: also check the mill date on the bag of feed you buy. It should be less than 6 weeks old. Since she's not been fed adequately until now, I'd suggest that you put her on multi flock or un-medicated starter. You will need to buy some oyster shell to have available to her when she turns 4 months old.