Egg vitamins

[cavemanrich]

Quote:
Question - Want more variety for them, I've read corn but not too much. What kind of bird seeds? How is scratch different from MultiPurpose? Guess I should ask at the feed store but there are too many "young kids" that never know. Thank you in advance...

I will list things in order.
Corn. It is good feed but not a complete nutrition. Add it to their diet especially during winter so they generate additional body warmth from the carbohydrate calories. If they consume too much, the results may be decreased egg production due to low protein intake. Use only cracked corn for best result. Whole corn can possibly get lodged in smaller birds throats.

Scratch . Is a mixture of about 4 or 5 grains that corn is usually a large portion of. This is also not a complete feed which may result in decreased egg production if given in too large of amounts. It does provide a variety for the chickens to eat and enjoy. Chickens do have taste buds by the way. They do have their favorite foods. Processed feed seems to be at the bottom of their preference compared to other things.

Bird seed. I do give my chickens wild bird seeds as a treat. They will eat all of it up first. Again, I do not feed it exclusively. I also kept pigeons, and their feed is seeds only. I go thru a lot of bird seeds. Look thru my pix and you will see I feed all the neighborhood song birds as well as squirrels. Chickens get a portion, as well as pigeons. There are about 15 different grains in the mix I get. Just so that you are assured.. I have been keeping my chickens for about 19 years and have been feeding them this way. THEY ALL LIVE LONG LIVES. (I don't eat my chickens, only as pets) Do eat the eggs. My current oldest is 10 now. and my longest living went to the other side after 13 years. I must be doing it right.

All the kitchen scraps of veggies and fruit never go to waste ether.

 

[Bridebeliever]

cavemanrich, you didn't mention Black Oil Sunflower Seeds? is this just mixed in to your seeds? I give a few handfuls of this to my girls every evening when they come to the coop. They go nuts for it...and its got good protein. So this won't hurt egg production will it?

 

[cavemanrich]

cavemanrich, you didn't mention Black Oil Sunflower Seeds? is this just mixed in to your seeds? I give a few handfuls of this to my girls every evening when they come to the coop. They go nuts for it...and its got good protein. So this won't hurt egg production will it?

Actually I do mix in EXTRA black sunflower seeds into the seeds. Got 50 pounds at feed store for like $20. Could not pass it up. Still had some from last purchase, When the deals are great, I STOCK UP.. here is a pix of me being generous.

 

[DragonClaw01]

Okay, a few more questions.

I plan to griw Romaine Lettuce abd Watercress. Is there an optimal time for harvest for chickens?

Kelp, I don't have any tanks set up, but I can. Our family has often had fish, so that's not nuch of a problem. But, wgat kind of kelp?

When should that be harvested?

Marigold, is that the seeds, stalks, leaves or what?

Black Oil Sunflower seeds.

Can you give too much of either?

What is Fermentated Feed? And Allfoock pellets?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can give too much of anything except chicken feed.
I buy dried kelp from the Asian market, blend it up and mix it with their fermented feed. Any kind of kelp/seaweed. I'm using Wakami now.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them
Chickens will eat any succulent green at any age. Grass and other fibrous things aren't that good for them.
As for marigold, I would imagine it is the flowers. That's where all the carotene is. Probably leaves too.
All flock feed is for mixed flocks of layers, roosters, chicks and other types of poultry.
It's a little higher in protein than layer feed and only 1% calcium rather than the 4% in layer feed.

I would imagine that even in Texas in the dead of winter, there is less forage. If you get a bad drought, that will diminish the forage as well.
It's best to stick with a complete chicken feed till you know more. Limit scraps and treats to 10% or less of the total ration.

If you read the label on your feed, it will say that it is a complete feed and no supplements are needed. If you offer too much of other things, you can throw off the balance of nutrients, especially amino acids.