Do they need crumbles daily?

[ChrisisaGirl]

It's brown and it looks like chunks of Sand, we give it to them everyday and grain everyday. and they freerange all day and eat buggies to their hearts content.

 

[chrissynemetz]

How old are your chicks? Chick crumbles is a complete feed, they definitely do better if they have access to it daily.

 

[azygous]

Are your chickens still bunking in your bedroom?

 

[Kiki]

Can you post a picture of what you are talking about?

 

[EggWalrus]

I'm missing something.
Free range in bedroom? Or just roosting in bedroom?

 

[ValerieJ]

I would always give crumbles or pellets appropriate to the age and development needs of the chicken, as their main food. It is a good way to make sure they are getting all the nutrients they need. In fact, I limit all treats to a handful a day.

Edited for clarity.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Limiting “All treats” really means limiting everything except crumbles, and whatever they forage while outside.

 

[ValerieJ]

Limiting “All treats” really means limiting everything except crumbles, and whatever they forage while outside.

That's right! That's what I meant to say. Crumbles aren't treats, they are the nutrition they need.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It's brown and it looks like chunks of Sand, we give it to them everyday and grain everyday. and they freerange all day and eat buggies to their hearts content.

Where are you located? There are no bugs in forage where I live on New Years day.
If you are talking about chicks and chick starter crumbles, then yes, they need them every day if you want them to be properly fed.
They don't need grain at all because if you read the ingredient label, grain is already in the feed. Adding more to the diet will lower the nutrition.
To deprive them of the nutrients they are known to need in the correct ratios would not be good animal husbandry.
Forget what it looks like. Just read the guaranteed analysis tag and you'll learn that it isn't sand.
The key caveat to all this is that the feed should be fresh. Feed 4 months old or more will have lost much of its vitamin content and amino acids will be diminished. If not stabilized, vitamin content begins to be lost from the day it is milled. Always check the mill date.

I'm returning a bag of Fertrell Poultry Nutri Balancer tomorrow. I brought it home a week ago and called Fertrell with the lot number. It turns out it is two years old. The grain elevator I bought it from is 60 miles from my house. So, I'm going to spend 3 hours to return something the feed store shouldn't have sold in the first place. All the other places that carry it are farther away and they may not rotate their stock either. I'll call ahead for the lot number or mill date any time I have to drive that far.
In the mean time, I'm still looking to enhance vitamin content of my feed. I do have fish meal which I have been adding in moderation.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Basically, "crumbles," or if it says "chick start" or "grower" or something like that on the bag, is ALL they need, and they definitely need it all day, every day. If they get anything else besides that, like grass or grain or bugs or scraps from your table, they also need grit to help them digest those other foods, because they don't have teeth.

Enjoy your chickies and have fun!