Feeding chickens corn

[saladin]

Fred's Hens :

Saladin, I understand. However, my grandmother kept her continuous flock during the period. The basic DNA of her flock no doubt came from the 1880's through tapping into her mother's flock. For "fresh blood", she would have "Pa" pick up a new rooster every three or four years from another farmer over in the next township. One that caught her eye. As a boy in the 1950's, I remember her birds and can recall helping her with the chores. I even remember most of her instructions on their care and keeping. Those instructions were not given in English in those days.

For me the point is that the "modern chicken" oft times lacks the skills to be as self sufficient as the chickens of the 1920's did. Shoot, I have some modern production type birds that could in no way care for themselves. It is also my thought that most of my modern birds have had an awful lot bred out of them. Size, broodiness, body type, personality, etc. From 1880 to the present is a very long time, over 130 years. My modern birds "require" a more "spoon fed" diet, it seems to me. This is just observation on my part.

Thanks for the clarification. I do wish you had some of your grandmother blood today.

My great-grandfather still had his Games up thru the mid-70s (he died in 1977 at 97). I wish I had some of his flock too. Those were scrappy self-sufficient birds.​

 

[Wisher1000]

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I LOVE this quote, Jennifer! Do I have your permission to use it, maybe in my signature? It makes me smile everytime I read it.

 

[Illia]

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I'm sorry, what?


The healthiest hens and best eggs are from a larger supply of veggies, nuts, seeds, etc - As most feeds are solely common grains that lack the proper vitamins, minerals, and other key ingredients most commercial feed simply leaves out.

Chickens weren't made to eat wheat, soy, corn, and calcium.

 

[saladin]

I agree with Illia about the veggies. I plant huge amounts of squash, pumpkins and gourds just to feed chickens. It not only helps on the feed bill but helps produce healthy birds too.


The healthies birds on the place and scrappiest too are my stags (Asil, Cubalaya, Shamo, Games).

They are set free when around 12 weeks old. They can go anywhere on the ponderosa they want too. I feed them only SHELLED CORN and not much of that just to keep them coming up to the barn. Their diet is weeds, bugs, mice, etc. I will catch them up in October when I decide who is kept. (I get them before they start killing each other). They can fly like birds, roost in trees, and generally don't roam more than 1/4 mile from the barn. They love the woods.

There is nothing in the world like freedom for developing the best overall bird.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
I'm sorry, what?


The healthiest hens and best eggs are from a larger supply of veggies, nuts, seeds, etc - As most feeds are solely common grains that lack the proper vitamins, minerals, and other key ingredients most commercial feed simply leaves out.

Chickens weren't made to eat wheat, soy, corn, and calcium.

I so agree with you! I had a spell without poultry when I went through a divorce and moved to AZ in 2005. Just getting back into it. From 1987-2005, my poultry ( chickens, gunieas, peafowl and sometimes ducks) always free ranged. I always select for breeds and birds that are capable of free ranging. If they can't get out and find some bugs and seeds, I don't want them. My feeding programs, before the hiatus, had always been either scratch or an inexpensive grain ( corn, Milo, barley, wheat) and kitchen scraps. I'd give some cat food to the peacocks for extra protein. All the alfalfa they could ever want from scratching in the hay barn and plenty of mixed grain scraps from eating under the horses and cows.
I always had excellent production with lots of eggs, great hatch rates and healthy chickens. The only processed food I ever bought was for the chicks until they were ready to join their flock.
Now, I come back and join BYC. I find out I was doing it all wrong! Silly me. Almost twenty years of raising poultry and I was probably starving them half to death.
Really, I think unless your birds are production breeds or you keep them penned, they may do quite well on something besides big-name processed feed. Big nutrition grain companies have us brainwashed into thinking that even though we can feed our children and ourselves, we're not smart enough to feed a dog, horse or chicken.

 

[saladin]

Oh, forgot to say, their diet is changed to 16% Hog Grower + Oats (with the addition of animal protein) once they are penned or put on tie-cords.

 

[jennifersouza]

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I LOVE this quote, Jennifer! Do I have your permission to use it, maybe in my signature? It makes me smile everytime I read it.

Of course you can use it! My husband is full of wonderful statements like this, that are so simple but so true.

 

[MiddleChild]

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There are hens that give 2 eggs a day??? What kind?

 

[extraordinaryfowl]

I feed my all my chickens scratch grain every morning, they are out on pens on grass and clover, and I feed them whatever else I can get my hands on. My birds are all healthy, rarely get sick and lay very well.

 

[southerndesert]

Quote:
I'm sorry, what?


The healthiest hens and best eggs are from a larger supply of veggies, nuts, seeds, etc - As most feeds are solely common grains that lack the proper vitamins, minerals, and other key ingredients most commercial feed simply leaves out.

Chickens weren't made to eat wheat, soy, corn, and calcium.

I simply said this is what works best for us and most well made commercial feed does indeed have what your birds need to be healthy and produce good eggs. We have had chickens around for most of my 55 years and when our birds are given too much of what folks call treats the result is less eggs and allot of runny poop.... A balanced diet of mostly their layer feed and a small amount of "treats" just works better for us and they also have 7 acres to free range on.

Most folks just don't have the money, time or knowledge to make sure their chickens especially larger flocks get the proper nutrition mixing their own foods be it veggie or nuts and grains and telling them their chickens will be healthier by doing so is not wise in my opinion especially to those new to keeping chickens.

Those willing to spend the extra time to learn what a chicken need nutritionally and why may indeed be able to come up with something better than commercial feed and if they can afford it great and many do, but for the average Joe this may not be possible especially when it comes to vitamins and minerals.

To say your chickens are healthier is something I do not understand, can you prove that your chickens and eggs are healthier than ours?