Feeding twice a day - when do you give treats?

[MysteryChicken]

Here's what I do for feeding, & treating.

I allow birds to free eat, I have 3 separate coops, of different breeds.

Standard Coop: 35lb hanging feeder.

Bantam Coop: 15lb? Feeder.

Mixed Flock Coop: 60lb Feeder.

Oyster Shell is served on the side.

For occasional treats, they get Watermelon, Tomatoes, Hot Peppers, Flock Blocks, Scratch Grains, Lawn Clippings, Grass Sods, pumpkins.

They get the Tomatoes, & Peppers once, or twice a year.

Watermelon once, or twice whenever we buy them one.

Flock Blocks, last a while, so they only have the one for as long as it lasts, but they won't get another one until close to Fall.

Scratch Grains I usually give as a winter snack, about 1-2 times every 2 weeks.

Grass Sods, I give quite often, because the greens are good for them, & Lawn Clippings are given whenever the grass needs mowed. Whatever isn't eaten, adds to the run litter.

Pumpkins are a Once a Year thing.

 

[RubyLady]

I started keeping chickens around 50 years ago. Things were much different then. The birds did get feed which was always available to them but did free range as well. They did get some grains and seeds but back then feed wasn't as available as it is now. There were very few backyard flocks back then compared to now. We didn't have the predator issues back then either. I'm sure there were plenty but maybe there was enough natural prey, I really don't know. The birds were in a coop at night. Now I do raise my birds for showing/exhibition at poultry shows so I want them to look and be their best. I do feed them poultry feed as their main diet that is always available to them. When I do give the birds seeds and grains they also get granite grit since they don't have teeth to chew, it gets chewed/ground up in their gizzards. I add the grit to their feeders and it filters into the pan and they take what they want. Certain times of the year such as breeding season the birds get a higher protein feed as I think it helps the chicks I hatch out and the chicks get a higher protein feed while they are growing out. Also during the molting season the birds get the higher protein feed to help with the feather growth. Their feathers are made of primarily protein. Everyone is different as well as their situations so I do what works best for me and my flocks. Good luck and have fun...

How exciting! Raising chickens to show! That's amazing. You must have the patience of a saint. Thanks for that explanation of what you do. It's very helpful.

 

[RubyLady]

Here's what I do for feeding, & treating.

I allow birds to free eat, I have 3 separate coops, of different breeds.

Standard Coop: 35lb hanging feeder.

Bantam Coop: 15lb? Feeder.

Mixed Flock Coop: 60lb Feeder.

Oyster Shell is served on the side.

For occasional treats, they get Watermelon, Tomatoes, Hot Peppers, Flock Blocks, Scratch Grains, Lawn Clippings, Grass Sods, pumpkins.

They get the Tomatoes, & Peppers once, or twice a year.

Watermelon once, or twice whenever we buy them one.

Flock Blocks, last a while, so they only have the one for as long as it lasts, but they won't get another one until close to Fall.

Scratch Grains I usually give as a winter snack, about 1-2 times every 2 weeks.

Grass Sods, I give quite often, because the greens are good for them, & Lawn Clippings are given whenever the grass needs mowed. Whatever isn't eaten, adds to the run litter.

Pumpkins are a Once a Year thing.

Amazing! Thank you! See, I would have thought they just get all this garden goodness all the time. I mean, I guess if they are compost-and-foraging chickens, I guess they would, but I was really wondering about all that veg at the same time they are still getting feed and grain. So this really helps. Thanks so much.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Amazing! Thank you! See, I would have thought they just get all this garden goodness all the time. I mean, I guess if they are compost-and-foraging chickens, I guess they would, but I was really wondering about all that veg at the same time they are still getting feed and grain. So this really helps. Thanks so much.

You're welcome.
Everyone treats their birds with different stuff, & at their own schedules. Someone may feed something alittle more often then the other person, but still restricts treats for a certain amount of time.

 

[M Brennen]

My chickens are kept in a coop and run day and night for their safety. I leave hanging feeders full of grain for free access all day long. They are scattered all around so they all have access to feed. I top them off once a day. When I had a mice problem, I would remove them at night. I give two scoops of scratch mixed with meal worms, oyster shells, and grit in the morning and throw it out all over in their run. About twice a week I hard boil eggs and feed those. Occasionally they may get other feed scraps or grass. I have 40 birds. So far, this seems to be working.

 

[Vicker]

I have a gravity feeder attached to the inside wall of the coop. Holds about 25 pounds of layer pellets. Stays dry in all weather conditions. I scatter scratch on the ground only in the winter when vegetation and insects are less plentiful. I give garden and table scraps whenever I have them. They thrive eating what they want when they want.

 

[Sea Wolf]

You should be allowing them to free feed all day. Do not limit their food intake. Look up and buy a Grandpa's Feeder. Stop feeding scratch. If you feel you must give it to them, give it to them at the end of the day after they have filled up on their proper feed. Scratch is junk food and if they fill up on that, they are not getting the proper nutrition from their feed. Eliminate treats or give them only a few times a week. Allowing the birds to eat other things other than their feed is going to make them sick and cause other issues.

 

[RubyLady]

My chickens are kept in a coop and run day and night for their safety. I leave hanging feeders full of grain for free access all day long. They are scattered all around so they all have access to feed. I top them off once a day. When I had a mice problem, I would remove them at night. I give two scoops of scratch mixed with meal worms, oyster shells, and grit in the morning and throw it out all over in their run. About twice a week I hard boil eggs and feed those. Occasionally they may get other feed scraps or grass. I have 40 birds. So far, this seems to be working.

Thank you so much for sharing how you feed them. I'm learning so much here.

 

[RubyLady]

You should be allowing them to free feed all day. Do not limit their food intake. Look up and buy a Grandpa's Feeder. Stop feeding scratch. If you feel you must give it to them, give it to them at the end of the day after they have filled up on their proper feed. Scratch is junk food and if they fill up on that, they are not getting the proper nutrition from their feed. Eliminate treats or give them only a few times a week. Allowing the birds to eat other things other than their feed is going to make them sick and cause other issues.

Thanks. Unfortunately a feeder like that is way beyond our means. I'm running out of scratch and have been feeding them primarily layer pellets which they sometimes eat and sometimes don't depending on how much they can get out in the tractor and forage for clover, dandelion, worms and bugs and such, and what garden veg we have available to throw them. We're pretty convinced on a new system entirely. We're building an extension to the pen they have so we can build a compost area for part of their feed (for when we don't take them out daily). We have nothing but trees and the enormous leaf piles from raking are filled with juicy worms all the time, so we're going to have a pile for that stuff. I'll be fermenting wheat seed, growing fodder when there's nothing green for them to forage, adding all kinds of meat scraps, yogurt, fruit, veg, eggshell, and such, all in sufficient quantities but not too much. This means the only thing we'll be buying is feed and that's not expensive. I used to be a nutritionist and am looking at their nutrient needs and making sure what we feed them is actual food. I'm unconvinced that processed food is good for any species as the sole or main source of the diet. Sure, it works to some extent, but I think we'll be breeding unhealthy chickens in the not too distant future, just as we're breeding humans with high propensities and genes for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. because of the high consumption of processed meal rather than actual food which has all the living consituents necessary to digest the food and enable it to actually nourish cells. I don't consider food a treat. But I agree, the chickens need a balanced diet, absolutely! So I've figured out how to do that. And without breaking the bank, as we are rather low-income in our old age.

 

[Sea Wolf]

Thanks. Unfortunately a feeder like that is way beyond our means. I'm running out of scratch and have been feeding them primarily layer pellets which they sometimes eat and sometimes don't depending on how much they can get out in the tractor and forage for clover, dandelion, worms and bugs and such, and what garden veg we have available to throw them. We're pretty convinced on a new system entirely. We're building an extension to the pen they have so we can build a compost area for part of their feed (for when we don't take them out daily). We have nothing but trees and the enormous leaf piles from raking are filled with juicy worms all the time, so we're going to have a pile for that stuff. I'll be fermenting wheat seed, growing fodder when there's nothing green for them to forage, adding all kinds of meat scraps, yogurt, fruit, veg, eggshell, and such, all in sufficient quantities but not too much. This means the only thing we'll be buying is feed and that's not expensive. I used to be a nutritionist and am looking at their nutrient needs and making sure what we feed them is actual food. I'm unconvinced that processed food is good for any species as the sole or main source of the diet. Sure, it works to some extent, but I think we'll be breeding unhealthy chickens in the not too distant future, just as we're breeding humans with high propensities and genes for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. because of the high consumption of processed meal rather than actual food which has all the living consituents necessary to digest the food and enable it to actually nourish cells. I don't consider food a treat. But I agree, the chickens need a balanced diet, absolutely! So I've figured out how to do that. And without breaking the bank, as we are rather low-income in our old age.

Actually, the manufactured diets made for poultry have been researched and tested to death over many years. Farmers can not afford to be feeding food to their birds that isn't good for them and doesn't produce healthy stock. A farmer that doesn't produce good stock will fail in the business. Actually "juicy worms" can introduce some nasty parasites into your birds. Mine will not even eat earthworms. If you want to give them a treat, take their layer pellets and wet them down with warm water to make a mush. Stir in a couple of teaspoons of cayenne pepper if you want. My birds will tear into that and lick the bowl clean before they go back to the dry pellets. Seems like some sort of yummy candy to them even though it is the same food. They love it warm and squishy.