Currently feeding non- medicated Dumor for my 10 week old chicks but need to buy more. Should I be using medicated? They seem healthy & happy now but the stink factor has ramped up. Have you found a food that produces less stink? They’re spoiled pets so I’m not necessarily looking for the cheapest food…What’s your fave?
Favorite Food Brand?
- Thread starter -Laura
- Start date
Brooks_
!!Florida Man!!
At 10 wks I assume they've had access to the soil for a while. It is likely unnecessary for medicated now.
I use Purina flock raiser for all. Oyster shell on the side for the ones that need more calcium.
Edit: Crumble. Flock raiser pellets exist, but I've not seen it.
I use Purina flock raiser for all. Oyster shell on the side for the ones that need more calcium.
Edit: Crumble. Flock raiser pellets exist, but I've not seen it.
Last edited:
U_Stormcrow
Crossing the Road
Medicated or not is a very personal and fact specific determination. I won't offer a blanket recommend on that subject, unless you know that you've had coccidosis outbreaks on your property in the past - in which case, your hatching and brooding practices need to be carefully considered as a whole.
Stink is a combination of factors, but coop/run ground covering is a BIG factor, as is ventilation and moisture. Again, no quick and easy answer. Cecal will always reek, of course.
In general, for the typical backyard owner, of the typical backyard flock, with typical backyard management practices, I recommend feeding an All Flock/Flock Raiser crumble, with free choice oyster shell on the side. I generally recommend that be done as either an oatmeal-like consistency wet mash, or a fermented feed - but of course what won't work if you rely on gravity feeders.
I recommend you choose food (look at the date code on the bag) which will be not more than three months old when your birds finish eating it (an admitedly arbitrary number).
And of the readily available complete commercial feeds, Purina's "Flock Raiser Crumbles" is the one I would now recommend as the best option, after considerable research. There are many good options out there.
...and in the interest of full disclosure, I don't have a typical backyard flock, nor the typical backyard management practices, and thus, do not feed my birds in the way I've just recommended. For reasons I'd be happy to discuss. I do feed medicated, but its my only option in the feed I do mix for my birds - its not something I've deliberately sought out.
Stink is a combination of factors, but coop/run ground covering is a BIG factor, as is ventilation and moisture. Again, no quick and easy answer. Cecal will always reek, of course.
In general, for the typical backyard owner, of the typical backyard flock, with typical backyard management practices, I recommend feeding an All Flock/Flock Raiser crumble, with free choice oyster shell on the side. I generally recommend that be done as either an oatmeal-like consistency wet mash, or a fermented feed - but of course what won't work if you rely on gravity feeders.
I recommend you choose food (look at the date code on the bag) which will be not more than three months old when your birds finish eating it (an admitedly arbitrary number).
And of the readily available complete commercial feeds, Purina's "Flock Raiser Crumbles" is the one I would now recommend as the best option, after considerable research. There are many good options out there.
...and in the interest of full disclosure, I don't have a typical backyard flock, nor the typical backyard management practices, and thus, do not feed my birds in the way I've just recommended. For reasons I'd be happy to discuss. I do feed medicated, but its my only option in the feed I do mix for my birds - its not something I've deliberately sought out.
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And their food should be wet? I thought it should stay dryThank you. HelpfulI am curious about your non- typical flock and techniques
Brooks_
!!Florida Man!!
You can mix a wet mash for feeding. But yes, the food is to be stored dry.
U_Stormcrow
Crossing the Road
OK, will take this in reverse order. (sort of)
I feed once daily, in the evenings, to get my birds to come back to the run, offer me an observation period, head count, etc so I can get a sense of the health of the flock, how effectively they are foraging, looks for obvious signs of injury and disease, etc. My birds free range 1.75A of pasture, and an additional roughly 2.75A of underbrushed woodland at least 12 hours daily, which saves me between 15-35% on feed, seasonally dependent.
Many people offer pelletized food, because its shown to reduce waste. Up to several percent. Doesn't matter much when you only have a half dozen birds. Adds up quick when you are buying 500# of feed at a time. By serving the day's feed ration wet (oatmeal-like mash), it clumps and stays together better. So when birds spill it out of the plastic gutters they are more likey to find it again and gobble it up, rather than mixing it into the soil. Damp feed can also be used for climate management- less incidence of impacted crop in hot weather when the feed is already wet and somewhat expanded, while mixing it with hot (or cold) water can help offset extremes of air temp.
Some people fully ferment their feed (frees up some additional vitamins, makes the feed easier to digest, saves of feed quantity) but I don't find the savings to be enough to make it worth my time consistently, though I do ferment from time to time, more often in winter.
My flock is in the sig below, multiple species, broad range of ages, mix of hens and (mostly juvenile) Roos. I hatch a dozen eggs every three weeks with a so/so hatch rate. 50% on average, are cockerels, destined for my table. That means at least one a week. I also cull out aging hens for stock/stew/sausage when their laying drops in the second year. and remove breeding roosters, again for the table, before they've had more than a year at the girls, to keep the genetics fresh. I'm working, slowly, towards a dual purpose, predator aware, free ranging bird well suited for my climate and geography. Its my culling project.
Adult hens produce eggs which I sell either as shell eggs or hatching (I'm licensed for both). I also take eggs for my own use, either at table, or in the incubator.
I have found that, in my situation, with the feeds available to me, I get the most bang for my buck by feeding my hatchlings 24% protein feed intended for game birds to encourage early weight gain, particularly in the males who are mostly destined for table, and to help sort the best performers (speed of maturity, body size and shape, pattern and plumage) from the others, which aids culling. The birds get that till around 8 weeks +/- when they become fully integrated with the adult flock (until that time, I can ensure separate feeding stations, as they have their own pen and run). That's a standard calcium mix, high niacin (relatively), and its also suited for raising my pekin ducks (from time to time, I have both in the grow out pen - "older" chicken hatchlings and 2-3 week old ducklings - at a protein percentage that helps them put on meat, while minimizing risk of inducing "angel wing". Unfortunately, 24% feed is about 30% more expensive than more typical feeds, and it offers no significant benefit to chickens or ducks once they have most of their early growth done.
The adult flock gets a feed I mix to either 18 or 20%, by combining one (or two) bags of much cheaper local mill layer feed with one bag of the 24% game bird feed. This results in a mix around 2.5% calcium - high enough to have the potential to damage the internals (over time) of my males, and any hens who are slow, or infrequent, to lay. However, as noted above, the males are going to be culled soon - most in the next 8-10 weeks. The hens who don't lay soon, or frequently, get culled as well - though at ages closer to 8 months. That's before the extra calcium is likely to have more than rare and incidental negative impacts on the flock. There is no visible difference (and I don't keep good enough notes) in the performance of the birds on 18% or 20% protein feed (though of course there is cost savings for me of 11.5c/lb vs 12.5c/lb, or about $50/year). The science tells me, however, that my egg quality and frequency improve at thehigher protein, my males should weigh a bit more at culling, adult hens will molt faster, and of course the calcium in the 20% mix is lower (2.25% average vs 2.66% average) which plays the odds a bit in favor of fewer potential organ problems in the males (stduies suggest chances areabout 1 in 7 for clinical presentations of problems in hatchlings and males at 3.5%+ over the first 12-16 weeks of life), and much lower for presentations the typical owner might observe without getting their hands into the birds weekly.
As I'm culling constantly for table, I get my hands inside a bird or three every week, and can take a close survey of what I find, use that to adjust feeding if I find problems.
That's what works best for me.
However, my biggest egg buyer (several flats a week) wants me to feed non-GMO and is willing to pay for the privilege. I have a reasonably priced ($0.148/lb) 18% protein non-GMO feed available to me, which the whole flock now gets, hatching to cull. There has been a visibly obvious decrease in performance, across the board. However, there are a number of complicating factors, such that I can't claim the food is solely responsible for that.
Helpful?
Oh, and just so it doesn't get missed in the wall of text above, I do offer free choice oyster shell to the adult flock (basically everyone over 8 weeks) by pouring it into a 4' section of plastic gutter and letting them take it as they desire. Refill periodically. The Roos will peck at it - they explore the world with their beaks after all - but quickly ignore it. No danger of calcium toxicity when offered up this way.
I feed once daily, in the evenings, to get my birds to come back to the run, offer me an observation period, head count, etc so I can get a sense of the health of the flock, how effectively they are foraging, looks for obvious signs of injury and disease, etc. My birds free range 1.75A of pasture, and an additional roughly 2.75A of underbrushed woodland at least 12 hours daily, which saves me between 15-35% on feed, seasonally dependent.
Many people offer pelletized food, because its shown to reduce waste. Up to several percent. Doesn't matter much when you only have a half dozen birds. Adds up quick when you are buying 500# of feed at a time. By serving the day's feed ration wet (oatmeal-like mash), it clumps and stays together better. So when birds spill it out of the plastic gutters they are more likey to find it again and gobble it up, rather than mixing it into the soil. Damp feed can also be used for climate management- less incidence of impacted crop in hot weather when the feed is already wet and somewhat expanded, while mixing it with hot (or cold) water can help offset extremes of air temp.
Some people fully ferment their feed (frees up some additional vitamins, makes the feed easier to digest, saves of feed quantity) but I don't find the savings to be enough to make it worth my time consistently, though I do ferment from time to time, more often in winter.
My flock is in the sig below, multiple species, broad range of ages, mix of hens and (mostly juvenile) Roos. I hatch a dozen eggs every three weeks with a so/so hatch rate. 50% on average, are cockerels, destined for my table. That means at least one a week. I also cull out aging hens for stock/stew/sausage when their laying drops in the second year. and remove breeding roosters, again for the table, before they've had more than a year at the girls, to keep the genetics fresh. I'm working, slowly, towards a dual purpose, predator aware, free ranging bird well suited for my climate and geography. Its my culling project.
Adult hens produce eggs which I sell either as shell eggs or hatching (I'm licensed for both). I also take eggs for my own use, either at table, or in the incubator.
I have found that, in my situation, with the feeds available to me, I get the most bang for my buck by feeding my hatchlings 24% protein feed intended for game birds to encourage early weight gain, particularly in the males who are mostly destined for table, and to help sort the best performers (speed of maturity, body size and shape, pattern and plumage) from the others, which aids culling. The birds get that till around 8 weeks +/- when they become fully integrated with the adult flock (until that time, I can ensure separate feeding stations, as they have their own pen and run). That's a standard calcium mix, high niacin (relatively), and its also suited for raising my pekin ducks (from time to time, I have both in the grow out pen - "older" chicken hatchlings and 2-3 week old ducklings - at a protein percentage that helps them put on meat, while minimizing risk of inducing "angel wing". Unfortunately, 24% feed is about 30% more expensive than more typical feeds, and it offers no significant benefit to chickens or ducks once they have most of their early growth done.
The adult flock gets a feed I mix to either 18 or 20%, by combining one (or two) bags of much cheaper local mill layer feed with one bag of the 24% game bird feed. This results in a mix around 2.5% calcium - high enough to have the potential to damage the internals (over time) of my males, and any hens who are slow, or infrequent, to lay. However, as noted above, the males are going to be culled soon - most in the next 8-10 weeks. The hens who don't lay soon, or frequently, get culled as well - though at ages closer to 8 months. That's before the extra calcium is likely to have more than rare and incidental negative impacts on the flock. There is no visible difference (and I don't keep good enough notes) in the performance of the birds on 18% or 20% protein feed (though of course there is cost savings for me of 11.5c/lb vs 12.5c/lb, or about $50/year). The science tells me, however, that my egg quality and frequency improve at thehigher protein, my males should weigh a bit more at culling, adult hens will molt faster, and of course the calcium in the 20% mix is lower (2.25% average vs 2.66% average) which plays the odds a bit in favor of fewer potential organ problems in the males (stduies suggest chances areabout 1 in 7 for clinical presentations of problems in hatchlings and males at 3.5%+ over the first 12-16 weeks of life), and much lower for presentations the typical owner might observe without getting their hands into the birds weekly.
As I'm culling constantly for table, I get my hands inside a bird or three every week, and can take a close survey of what I find, use that to adjust feeding if I find problems.
That's what works best for me.
However, my biggest egg buyer (several flats a week) wants me to feed non-GMO and is willing to pay for the privilege. I have a reasonably priced ($0.148/lb) 18% protein non-GMO feed available to me, which the whole flock now gets, hatching to cull. There has been a visibly obvious decrease in performance, across the board. However, there are a number of complicating factors, such that I can't claim the food is solely responsible for that.
Helpful?
Oh, and just so it doesn't get missed in the wall of text above, I do offer free choice oyster shell to the adult flock (basically everyone over 8 weeks) by pouring it into a 4' section of plastic gutter and letting them take it as they desire. Refill periodically. The Roos will peck at it - they explore the world with their beaks after all - but quickly ignore it. No danger of calcium toxicity when offered up this way.
Last edited:
WIchickMama
Free Ranging
I use the same, they seem to like it (meaning they eat it)
U_Stormcrow
Crossing the Road
A healthy bird won't intentionally starve to death - even if they didn't like it, eventually they would eat it.
That's part of the problem with "dangerous" plants in the run. Chickens, by and large, won't more than nibble on it as part of exploring their world, in quantities too small to be likely to impact them. But take their feed away for long enough, and they will eat those things that are dangerous to them, in quantity. Its one of the things to be aware of when using chicken tractors. Like it or not, your chickens ARE going to eat whatever is in the area you've confined them to - they don't have another choice - so you have to be far more careful of your greenery when using that practice than iif they free ranged a much larger area. and in either case, a monoculture of a single grass or grain is just begging to cause dietary imbalance.
I purchase whatever brand offers the most favorable combination of protein percentage, freshness, and cost.
Lately simple availability has been an issue with rolling shortages affecting animal feed just like other products.
Lately simple availability has been an issue with rolling shortages affecting animal feed just like other products.
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