feed for a multi-age flock

[loribischof]

Hi folks,

New to chicken raising here and I have a couple of questions.

1. My flock currently consists of 18 pullets ages 2 to 3 months. I am about to acquire an additional 15 chicks. So my first group should be switching to layer feed, but my second group will still need grower/starter. The birds at that time will be housed in a roomy barn that has no divisions for winter (and honestly, I don't want to go to the extra expense of dividing it into two areas). What should I feed them? I was thinking to have two feeders one with layer feed and the other with grower/starter, that way they would most likely get a little of both.

2. On the issue of scratch.... My girls love scratch and I like throwing down a bit so that they don't get bored in their run. It is spacious, but still... I digress, Is there a cheaper alternative to pre-packaged scratch? The stuff I buy at $14.99 for a 5 lb bag looks a heck of a lot like the wild bird seed that I pay $14.99 for a 30 lb bag. I want to give this to them, especially in our cold winter months, but boy does it add up when you have 37 birds.

Thanks so much for your help!

Cheers,

Lori

 

[loribischof]

Just saw a similar post below... So that helps... So keep oyster shell separate and mix the feeds? or use two different feeding stations each with a different feed?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Offer oyster shell in a separate container or just toss it on the ground. The ones that need it for egg shells should eat enough and the ones that don’t need it won’t eat enough to harm themselves.

Do not feed Layer at all. The only real difference in Layer and the other feeds is the amount of calcium. The oyster shells take care of that. You can’t keep the younger ones out of the Layer anyway. Just feed them all the same thing, Starter, Grower, Flock Raiser, or whatever you wish as long as the calcium content is around the 1% level, not the 4% level common in Layer.

Chickens are birds. They can eat bird seed. With any treat they don’t need a lot or they can upset the “balanced” diet they get with commercial feed. As long as they can clean it up in about 15 minutes you are not over-feeding them treats. They will still get a balanced diet.

 

[loribischof]

Offer oyster shell in a separate container or just toss it on the ground. The ones that need it for egg shells should eat enough and the ones that don’t need it won’t eat enough to harm themselves.

Do not feed Layer at all. The only real difference in Layer and the other feeds is the amount of calcium. The oyster shells take care of that. You can’t keep the younger ones out of the Layer anyway. Just feed them all the same thing, Starter, Grower, Flock Raiser, or whatever you wish as long as the calcium content is around the 1% level, not the 4% level common in Layer.

Chickens are birds. They can eat bird seed. With any treat they don’t need a lot or they can upset the “balanced” diet they get with commercial feed. As long as they can clean it up in about 15 minutes you are not over-feeding them treats. They will still get a balanced diet.

Thank you, so much. That makes perfect sense and will be easy enough for me to manage.

 

[Percheron chick]

What could possibly be in scratch that it costs $15/5#? Normal scratch is a blend of grains typically corn, wheat, oats, barley or milo. It should cost around $12/50#. That's less than 1/10th.

 

[loribischof]

I know right! That's what it costs at my Tractor Supply. They only have small quantities and one brand. I know that it is a rip-off. It is packaged for the hobby farmer who has 3 to 5 birds as pets my local agway is a 1/2 hour away and I haven't had a chance to check there to compare prices.

 

[Percheron chick]

That's running $3/#. You can go to the grocery store and make your own scratch in the bulk bin section for less and more interesting. Split peas, sunflower seeds, flax, wheat, rice, gummi worms...

 

[loribischof]

I did buy a huge bag of black oil sunflower seeds, so I think that I will just start mixing my own. I just didn't know if there was something "magic" that made it scratch or if it just referred to whole grain seeds that you throw on the ground as a chicken treat.

 

[Percheron chick]

that they scratch to get the prize.

Cleaning out the pantry can result in some good ingredients for scratch. Especially the buggy ones.

 

[loribischof]

I like that!!!