Feeding chickens only sprouts

[Hunter81103]

I was wondering some of your thoughts on feeding chickens only sprouts, I’m relatively new to all this, I have been giving layer feed but I wanted to switch to sprouts only and I will be providing vitamins/ minerals and oyster shells, but my question was, will my chickens continue to lay the same as on layer feed ?

 

[DobieLover]

I was wondering some of your thoughts on feeding chickens only sprouts, I’m relatively new to all this, I have been giving layer feed but I wanted to switch to sprouts only and I will be providing vitamins/ minerals and oyster shells, but my question was, will my chickens continue to lay the same as on layer feed ?

That is not a complete diet and will be woefully lacking in protein. Stick to a complete feed for the health and well being of your flock.

 

[NatJ]

Is there any more natural way to go without layer feed that would be more balanced

More balanced than layer feed? No.
More balanced than sprouting a mix of grains and lentils? Maybe, but it won't be easy or cheap.

If you want the cheapest thing that is properly balanced to keep your chickens healthy, then buy layer feed, or chick starter, or grower. Offer a separate dish of oyster shell, and provide water at all times. That's the best for cheap, easy, & healthy.

The layer feed is meant to provide everything a layer needs, but the chick starter or grower will provide everything except calcium, and will have a higher level of protein than layer feed.

chickens in the wild do not eat pre bagged feed they eat what’s in their environment

Chickens in the wild don't lay as many eggs, either.
Since most domesticated chickens have been bred to lay more eggs, they have different nutritional needs than the wild chickens.

Also, wild chickens would be able to forage over a much larger area than people usually provide for their domestic chickens.

If you really want to have healthy chickens without purchasing a bag of "chicken feed," you could try something like:
--buy 1 acre of land per chicken
--have grass & weeds on 1/3 of that land
--have forest on 1/2 of that land
--have a giant compost pile with lots of bugs & worms on the remaining 1/6 of that land
--provide water, oyster shell, and mixed grains
--no winter
--no predators

I haven't actually tried this, so you might need a slightly different amount of land, but I think that's about what it would take. The "no predators" part would probably be difficult to arrange, and winter would probably require supplemental feed in most areas, because there is less for the chickens to forage, even if it's not buried under snow.

 

[MamaBelle5]

I think you maybe need to read a little more before you get all bent about something

Just some friendly advice here: you came to this forum asking advice. You've been given good advice for your birds and it doesn't seem to be what you wanted to hear. I get it.

But you probably shouldn't strike out at those who are willing to help you.

 

[Kiki]

I was wondering some of your thoughts on feeding chickens only sprouts, I’m relatively new to all this, I have been giving layer feed but I wanted to switch to sprouts only and I will be providing vitamins/ minerals and oyster shells, but my question was, will my chickens continue to lay the same as on layer feed ?

No.
Please don't stop feeding them a balanced diet if layer feed.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The science behind what goes into chicken feed is sound.
The necessary components to make a balanced feed just are not readily available to the average small flock keeper. Then there is the mixing in correct proportions and ability to store vast quantities of the mixture. Then there is nutrient degradation that happens and renders that expense and effort pointless at best and potentially deadly to the birds if spoilage occurs.


Just not worth the hassle, cost and risks. Best stick to a formulated commercial feed.

Yeah I said sprouts and I would supplement them, chickens in the wild do not eat pre bagged feed they eat what’s in their environment and if sprouts aren’t enough then I can supplement with other things I can do insects regularly or anything I need to give them enough protein, I think you maybe need to read a little more before you get all bent about something

Chickens in the wild move around A LOT finding the things they need and guaranteed it is a lot more than sprouts.
Chickens in the wild also do not lay regularly like all our domesticated birds are bred to. That breeding means dietary needs have changed.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Sprouts alone would never fulfill their dietary requirements.

They require at least 16% protein as well as calcium, amino acids and more in a correct ratio to maintain their health and laying ability.
The answer is no they would not be able to maintain laying on just sprouts. They would be malnourished instead.

 

[K0k0shka]

I think we should keep in mind that a chicken, in the form we currently raise, is not a "natural" animal, so trying to find a "natural" diet for it is a lost cause. Chickens like the ones you keep in your back yard do not exist wild in nature. There once was a wild chicken, thousands of years ago, that lived in the Indus Valley in a hot climate and a very specific ecosystem, and ate whatever was available in that ecosystem. Those times are long gone. The chickens that remain today are domesticated, and any "wild" chickens you might see running around are simply feral domesticated chickens, and they do not survive in the "wild" year-round, in climates that have cold winters (or in remote areas far from human settlements and the food sources they provide). Present day chickens have been bred so heavily for egg and meat production that they have totally different dietary needs compared to truly wild birds. They depend on people to feed them a proper diet. The most natural place for a chicken at this point in their evolution is under the care of a human. Just like so many animals we have domesticated and made dependent on us - like cows and dogs and so many others.

So, for the sake of your chickens' well-being, please reevaluate the meaning of the term "natural", and don't turn down what is best for your chickens just because of a philosophical preference.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Just some friendly advice here: you came to this forum asking advice. You've been given good advice for your birds and it doesn't seem to be what you wanted to hear. I get it.

But you probably shouldn't strike out at those who are willing to help you.

I agree.

To the OP:

I know that you want to do what is best for your chickens, but my advice to you is to listen to the more experienced people here that are trying to help you right now. If you really love your chickens I trust you will do what is best for them, which is feeding them a complete diet of layer pellets. But you could also give them sprouts as well. As an extra treat a few times a week!

 

[black_cat]

I asked a question of if I could feed them sprouts and supplement anything else they needed if that would work, I’m not interested in a class I just wanna know what else I could supplement with it, I want mine organic and fed a more natural diet it’s a waste to buy organic feed, it was just a simple question

If buying organic feed is a waste, then buying every single thing that you need for your chickens to have a balanced diet is not for you, because it will be at least twice as expensive. In addition to it being very difficult to properly manage that kind of diet, chickens will pick and choose their favorites and not get enough of everything else. That's why everything in processed layer feed is mashed together.