Enough chicken feed?

[The crazy chicken lady]

Thank you for all of your advice and skills. I do plan on feeding my chickens commercial feed I would never make an animal suffer malnutrition. I will definitely look into fermented feed and I do plan on growing fodder. Thank you everyone for sharing your experience with me.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

I range my birds all day long and also keep food available all day to them. During the summer when bugs and forage are plentiful they eat less commercial diet but during winter, they have to eat it and go through it very quickly. The commercial food is very good for them and they are still free range if they get to walk around outside. When there is snow they often stay under my carport and don't go out of there at all. I lay down straw for them. Poor guys.

During winter you can give them people scraps, veggies, fruits, and even mealworms or other feeder bugs from the pet store (I raise my own for reptiles so I have lots) to enrich their diet as well if you want to. I do it, and it helps them not be bored and miserable in the cold as much.

 

[FrankHomestead]

Feeding homemade feed does not result in malnourishment, despite popular belief. if someone said to you, the best way to provide nourishment to your child is by feeding them this processed FDA approved food, would you believe them? I don't know you personally, but most people would.
I am one of those who shy away from these, and only feed whole real ingredients I can understand and also know each item is organic and natural. I'm not trying to say the opposed is wrong, each person does everything their way for their own reasons. I already mentioned FIRST that your birds would get adequate nutrition from processed commercial feed. if you feel that is right for you and your flock, then do it. I was just simply giving options to a person with a fresh mind who hasn't been adjusted yet with her birds.

 

[junebuggena]

It is possible for free-ranging to greatly reduce the amount of feed that is consumed. But I doubt that a suburban backyard is going to provide anything more than the occasional snack. You'll need a serious amount of forage and a wide variety. Piles of leaf litter and compost for insects. Large areas of unmowed pasture (not lawn) for seeds and grains. Clovers, dandelions and mowed grass for greens. Berry patches to round out the diet and to provide a bit of cover. I've got all that practically year round and I still go through about 50 pounds of feed a week for about 40 birds of varying ages.

 

[FrankHomestead]

I also feel it's worth noting how our ancestors fed their flocks, they didn't buy this bag of unrecognizable crumble...they fed what they had and what they could grow!
But then again, they had natural livestock, not these freaks of nature that pumped out eggs and breasts faster than you could say Yeehaw!!
Processed food is exactly what they have said, complete, balanced, nutrition, for the fast paced impatient world we live in today. I'm old school, I'm taking it in my own hands.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I also feel it's worth noting how our ancestors fed their flocks, they didn't buy this bag of unrecognizable crumble...they fed what they had and what they could grow!
But then again, they had natural livestock, not these freaks of nature that pumped out eggs and breasts faster than you could say Yeehaw!!
Processed food is exactly what they have said, complete, balanced, nutrition, for the fast paced impatient world we live in today. I'm old school, I'm taking it in my own hands.

You are right to an extent, but people have been buying commercial chicken feed for 100 years or more. When I joined here feeding whole grains was the ticket & never putting anything in the run was the way to go, as everyone was afraid of mold. Do what is best for your chickens. I tried whole grains with the proper vitamin mix years ago & found buying a good PA made organic feed was easier for me. Good luck.

 

[Folly's place]

Most of us don't have the time, space, or nutritional knowledge to make a good balanced ration at home, and we are feeding modern chickens, not 'old time' birds with their much lower egg production, and usually size. If you can do it, great, but it's not something that very many flock owners can duplicate. Mary

 

[lazy gardener]

To OP: Kudos to you for doing your homework before jumping into the chicken ownership! Just a few suggestions:

build your coop and run as big as you can manage. Minimum recommendation is for 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. Build your coop with the idea that birds do not live in a single plane. While us humans look at and use our square footage of floor space, birds also use vertical space. Build your coop so that: nests are below roost level. Roosts should be about 2' (or more) above floor level, and they should have at least 15 - 24" of space above the roost. They should be at least 12" from back wall, though more space is better. And they should have a lot of space in front of them. When a hen jumps down off the roost, she needs a lot of room so she does not do a face plant into the wall in front of her. And ventilation is super important. It's recommended that birds have about 1 s.f. of ventilation in coop PER BIRD. If you supply electric to your coop, you can brood chicks in the coop. (much perferable to doing so in the house!) I recommend a heating pad cave brooder. You can also provide heated water in the winter. IMO, this is super critical if you live in Winter Wonder Land!!!

Get all of your birds from the same place at the same time. Do your homework on what breeds you want. Realize that the production hybrids are bred to pump out the eggs for a cycle or two, and then will most likely stop laying all together or succumb to a reproductive illness. The heritage breeds may not give you as many eggs/year, but they will give you more years of productivity. Also, realize that you may not be able to get exactly the breeds that you want. Have a plan B and a plan C.

Feed: Fermented feed provides increased nutritional advantage and cuts your feed bill. Free range is good, your birds will thank you. But, realistically, they will not derive a lot of nutrition in the standard suburban back yard. However, you can improve their free range by planting your yard to benefit them.

They will also benefit if you provide a deep litter in both coop and run. My coop bedding is made up of 95% leaves and grass clippings. I only buy shavings when brooding chicks, and rarely use shavings in the coop. My run is deep litter, and they have a sun room for their winter pleasure. They are able to shuffle through the leaves and compost year round, even though my ground is frozen 5 months of the year.