Free Ranging and Feed

[chickslovinmama]

We have now 3 Silkies that are about 17-18 wks old (3 of our other ones turned out to be roosters and were sent to join the genetlemen's club at the farm) and we free range them. We make sure they have access to their chick feed and water while free ranging. I've noticed that one of them doesn't really touch the feed anymore and I'm a little concerned. Is this normal?

 

[NatJ]

We make sure they have access to their chick feed and water while free ranging. I've noticed that one of them doesn't really touch the feed anymore and I'm a little concerned. Is this normal?

Yes, that can be normal. It depends on how much of what she is eating while ranging. That will change at different times of the year.

She might also be eating when you are not looking, like first thing in the morning.

 

[chickslovinmama]

Yes, that can be normal. It depends on how much of what she is eating while ranging. That will change at different times of the year.

She might also be eating when you are not looking, like first thing in the morning.

She eats quite a bit in the yard and now that the raspberries are ripening she eats a bit of those as well. I just wasn't sure if it was okay for her to just be eating stuff in the yard and bugs on occasion and not eating the feed really. Yeah she might be eating when I'm not looking, but normally they aren't down near the food yet when I go to let them out of the coop, but doesn't necessarily mean they might not have been. Thanks for the info.

 

[NatJ]

I just wasn't sure if it was okay for her to just be eating stuff in the yard and bugs on occasion and not eating the feed really.

Sometimes a chicken can be healthy that way, and sometimes not. It really depends on what she is eating, and of course you won't know all of that.

But in general, chickens seem to be pretty good at eating chicken food when they need it to stay healthy. They may not balance their diet perfectly, just like people don't always eat a perfectly balanced diet, but most of the time they do well enough.