Feed

[EggSighted4Life]

My chickens eat all the feed I give them in 5 minutes? Anyone know the best food for the best eggs?

As far as I know, chickens should have feed available most of the time (excluding sleeping hours), especially if they aren't allowed to free range. Chickens will eat to meet their energy needs, meaning calories. They will stop eating once their caloric, not nutrient, need is met.

Without ENOUGH feed you will end up with health issues and definitely NOT the best eggs.

They won't get spoiled if you give them too much of a balanced diet... they will stop when they should. And come back when they need more. Of course there are always exceptions. But if you are restricting food, I would rethink it.

Best,
~Alyssa

 

[chiplantz747]

Fermented feed.  What ever feed you give them, be sure it's fresh.  I prefer to use a bag up before it's  6 weeks past mill date.

Where do u find mill date

 

[chiplantz747]

Fermented feed.  What ever feed you give them, be sure it's fresh.  I prefer to use a bag up before it's  6 weeks past mill date.

Thanks

 

[Folly's place]

Mill dates are usually on the strip of reinforced paper closing the bottom of the feed bag, although different companies may have different locations. I recently saw a brand that had a code, rather than open dating; definitely not better! If there's no mill date, or it's unreadable, don't buy that feed. Mary

 

[ChickenCanoe]

As Folly said, it will either be on the seal strip on the bottom of the bag or it will be printed on the ingredient/guaranteed analysis tag. If it doesn't have a day, month and year, it may have the Julian date. That's the day of the year. For instance, today is April 4. The Julian date is 94. December 31 would be 365. ADM does that and it can be a little complicated to figure if you're in December or January and the feed has a number in the 200s.
Nutrena has the date clearly printed on the ingredient tag. Purina is usually the white strip that seals the bag. Those are not always easily legible.

 

[lazy gardener]

As Folly said, it will either be on the seal strip on the bottom of the bag or it will be printed on the ingredient/guaranteed analysis tag. If it doesn't have a day, month and year, it may have the Julian date. That's the day of the year. For instance, today is April 4. The Julian date is 94. December 31 would be 365. ADM does that and it can be a little complicated to figure if you're in December or January and the feed has a number in the 200s.
Nutrena has the date clearly printed on the ingredient tag. Purina is usually the white strip that seals the bag. Those are not always easily legible.

To complicate matters even further, the year will also be tagged to the Julian date. So, look for a 17 or simply a 7 to indicate that it was milled in 2017.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

X2
It's sometimes like reading secret code.

 

[chiplantz747]

My 3 hens and a rooster at half a 50 gallon bag in 5 days. Good or bad?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

My 3 hens and a rooster at half a 50 gallon bag in 5 days. Good or bad?

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Did you actually mean 50#?

If so... you have got a heavy set of freeloaders on your hands! Bad.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

My 3 hens and a rooster at half a 50 gallon bag in 5 days. Good or bad?

Terrible if you're talking pounds. I can feed 10 birds on about 20-25 lbs, a week.
They are wasting/billing out a lot or you have lots of rodents and wild birds you're feeding.