Feed questions

[Agathas]

Ok so I go to a new feed store yesterday and I'm just taking mychickens off starter food and wanted to do layer but was told that they use it basically for a treat. So I got a 50lb bag of .. says chicken feed on the bag. See pic. So my question to this is , is this good food for my chickens? Was I rite to wanna get layer, or was they rite? Next question is I wanna use wheat in my feed , I know I'd have to soak it 24 hrs and for the following 7 days I have to keep it moist. I'm trying to make my feed last longer , i like the savings but it's no concern either way..but on the last day of my wheat being wet , what do i do. Do i dry it out or give it to them with the regular feed the way it is. I'm not trying to take away the chicken feed they need but just add to it and it still be healthy for my flock???

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Wheat is ok, some manufacturers use it as an ingredient but the feed is already balanced nutritionally. Adding more of a grain will lower the crude protein content in the feed.
But your birds are way too young for layer feed.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

To answer your primary questions we need two things. How old are the chicks and post a picture of the guaranteed analysis tag on the bottom of the bag. Poultry feed tells us nothing about the nutrition.
Adding a single grain won't make it healthier. Without seeing the ingredient and guaranteed analysis list, I can still say that the feed alone is likely to be more nutritious than that feed with wheat added.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Feed is tough, and I only recently unscrambled the lables. Here's what I know.

Layer Feed is meant for laying hens only (by the way, it's not a treat). It has extra calcium to help keep their eggshells thick, but that much extra calcium isn't good for a rooster to a chick who is to young to lay. Feed this to only female chickens when they near laying or are laying. If you have roosters then feed your whole flock All Flock Feed along with oyster shells or dried and crushed eggshells for the hens.

All Flock Feed is made for your whole flock of chickens. Check the labels to see age restrictions. It doesn't have any extra calcium so roosters and not-laying chicks can eat it. But as said above, if you do feed this to your flock and have hens then they will need either oyster shells or dried and crushed eggshells to get more calcium.

I often get Scratch for my chickens, which is a mix of cracked corn and seeds. It is a treat.

Not so sure on this but I think Chick Feed (or Starter Feed) has extra protein to help them grow and is crushed (also called Crumbles) so they can eat it easily.

If your chickens are all girls and four months old then I think you would be okay giving them a mix of Layer Feed and All Flock Feed. I don't follow the rules too tightly, and am okay giving them a bit of Layer Feed before they lay.

Some information you might like is that you can ferment your chicken food. I only just started. You soak a mix of Whole Grains (I think that includes wheat) and your chicken feed, then feed your chickens the mush. I've heard that it's healthier for them and boosts their laying. I've been using Whole Corn and All Flock Feed. Search "fermenting chicken feed" on the internet to find instructions.

I'm not sure if wheat is bad for chickens. I've never used it. Hopefully some person who does know will stop by and tell you!

I hope this info helps! Good luck!

 

[Agathas]

There almost 4 months besidesmy new baby and she is almost 2 months. I have 3 silkies a d one barred rocks.

 

[Agathas]

So wheat is no good for them or I can use some but not much? Now I'm lost. Or google sucks!

 

[Agathas]

Then by looking at tag I posted it says layer. So they told me one thing but sold me the other. When they were pose to sell me the feed we talked about when I asked about layer and was told its just a treat..

 

[Agathas]

Wheat is ok, some manufacturers use it as an ingredient but the feed is already balanced nutritionally. Adding more of a grain will lower the crude protein content in the feed.
But your birds are way too young for layer feed.

Well poop, how old do they have to be for this feed I bought?

 

[Agathas]

Well poop, how old do they have to be for this feed I bought?

Is there a supplement I can add if I do want to add my own wheat to make it as nutritious as just the feed

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You may have misunderstood. They were probably speaking of scratch grains that are only used as a treat, or possibly even the wheat.
They have to be layers to eat layer feed. 2 and 4 month old birds aren't layers, they are female chickens who don't need the extra calcium in order to build egg shells.
I assume the calcium level on the tag is about 4%.