tsgarvey
Chirping
Hi all... Newbie here and need direction as to what feed I should move to and at what point? There's so many different feeds and different variations as well as different opinions/perspectives that it's making my head spin.
We are one month into raising these seven 16 week old easter eggers.. two of which are roos. I will be keeping one of the roos and possibly (probably lol) adding 3-4 more hens down the road. I am feeding them Nature's Best Organic 20% starter/grower crumbles because that's what the previous owner used/recommended.. and they seem to love it.
I have read that they can stay on a grower feed forever as long as you give them oyster shells/egg shells on the side.. and this is best with having a roo because they don't need the calcium. I think I've also read that they can stay with 20% indefinitely as well? Although.. I see lots of other protein percentages recommended.
We like the idea of raising them organically as we started organic gardening recently and love it. However.. I know it comes with a higher price tag. This Nature's Best is $30 a bag and I will need more in a few days. I haven't done the math but does 50lbs consumed in five weeks seem like a lot for seven birds?
The birds do not free range... I may figure something out down the road how to give them an area outside the run to do so.
So .. my questions..
1.. should my next bag of feed be just a "grower" feed vs a starter/grower.. or are they the same?
2.. do I stick with 20%?
3.. is there a cheaper alternative that I can switch to that is good for the birds and us?
4.. Easter eggers are said to be late bloomers... when would I add calcium to their diet?
5.. when you throw scraps or garden stuff out there for them.. how do you know how much is too much.. or whether it takes away from nutrients they should be getting from their feed??
6.. they know the grit is in that bowl.. right? I don't see them taking from there much.. if at all. So, I throw some under coop area just in case and hope they're taking what they need....
That's all I can think of for now.... TIA
We are one month into raising these seven 16 week old easter eggers.. two of which are roos. I will be keeping one of the roos and possibly (probably lol) adding 3-4 more hens down the road. I am feeding them Nature's Best Organic 20% starter/grower crumbles because that's what the previous owner used/recommended.. and they seem to love it.
I have read that they can stay on a grower feed forever as long as you give them oyster shells/egg shells on the side.. and this is best with having a roo because they don't need the calcium. I think I've also read that they can stay with 20% indefinitely as well? Although.. I see lots of other protein percentages recommended.
We like the idea of raising them organically as we started organic gardening recently and love it. However.. I know it comes with a higher price tag. This Nature's Best is $30 a bag and I will need more in a few days. I haven't done the math but does 50lbs consumed in five weeks seem like a lot for seven birds?
The birds do not free range... I may figure something out down the road how to give them an area outside the run to do so.
So .. my questions..
1.. should my next bag of feed be just a "grower" feed vs a starter/grower.. or are they the same?
2.. do I stick with 20%?
3.. is there a cheaper alternative that I can switch to that is good for the birds and us?
4.. Easter eggers are said to be late bloomers... when would I add calcium to their diet?
5.. when you throw scraps or garden stuff out there for them.. how do you know how much is too much.. or whether it takes away from nutrients they should be getting from their feed??
6.. they know the grit is in that bowl.. right? I don't see them taking from there much.. if at all. So, I throw some under coop area just in case and hope they're taking what they need....
That's all I can think of for now.... TIA
Attachments
Last edited:
