Feed recommended

[tytia]

I'm new to chicken keeping. Had two chickens wander up to my property after their owner moved and abandoned them. Is there any feed that's recommended and any I should avoid. I hoping for something that's kind of cheap but I don't want to feed them anything harmful. I'm also giving them veggies. I know I need to get grit and oyster shells.

 

[TattooedChicks]

Depends on what you plan on doing with them. If you are going to keep and coop them, there are lots of options for layer pellets or all-flock blends that aren't very expensive, and a 50lb bag would last two birds a good long time. There are some table scraps that aren't good for them, like citrus and avacado, chocolate or anything spoiled, but for the most part chickens seem to be cute little garbage disposals.

 

[tytia]

Depends on what you plan on doing with them. If you are going to keep and coop them, there are lots of options for layer pellets or all-flock blends that aren't very expensive, and a 50lb bag would last two birds a good long time. There are some table scraps that aren't good for them, like citrus and avacado, chocolate or anything spoiled, but for the most part chickens seem to be cute little garbage disposals.

They will just be pets. I do plan on getting more hens as soon as possible since these two are only months old and one is a rooster. I do want eggs but they won't be raised for meat. I just want them to be healthy. Come spring I'll have a huge veggie garden to help feed them. They will be cooped with their own yard. They can free range most days as long as I'm home.

 

[TattooedChicks]

The free ranging will definitely help with cost. For my birds, I prefer to give them crumbles with a bit higher protein, at least 18% and 22 if I can get it. Some people even feed game bird for the whole life of their birds to max out on the protein.

My regular bag of Kalmbach starter grower is about $16 and lasts my 24 bantams about 6-7 weeks as they forage and get extra veggies everyday.

 

[lazy gardener]

The down side of having only 2 birds is that the stable shelf life of chicken feed is only about 6 weeks. After that time period, the nutrients start to break down. So, if you're of the mind set to get more birds, I suggest that you get your coop in place and add to your little flock. Recommendations:

Look at Henderson's chicken breeds chart
Get all of your birds from the same source.
Read up on some of the many integration recommendations. Azygous is the queen of early integration. Aart also has good advice.
Coop and run space: avoid the pre-fab doll house coops. They are of poor design, cheap construction, and not built with the needs of a chicken in mind. They lack adequate space (manufacturer grossly misrepresents his product's capacity), as well as lacking adequate ventilation, roost space, or height to be able to manage litter effectively. The roosts are often too skinny for comfortable perching, and too close to back wall and ceiling, placing the bird at risk of frost bite, as well as wearing their tail feathers when they perch at night.
Recommended space for back yard flock is 4 s.f. in coop, and 10 s.f. in run per bird.

Enjoy your birds!