Goat feed for chickens

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm just a guy who has spent days doing his reasearch. Anyone here can repeat my efforts. Its not difficult, just takes a little investment in time.

Please, question me - I'll link sources and examples for anyone honestly interested, as I have before. Or I'll link my own posts, linking those sources.

 

[Foristers]

Today I had two different people tell me they are switching their chickens over to goat feed with seeds and oats mixed in as their seems to be a problem with chicken feed now and hens have stopped laying. Anyone know anything about this?

I have heard the same things from different people. At the same time I am experiencing a reduction in egg laying - an extreme reduction in egg laying from my hens. This I expect from about October - December, it happens every year. However, every year since I have been raising chickens, egg production has started to increase throughout the month of January, which we are now about to end. In a typical January, at the start the hens are barely laying 2 eggs a day, but by the end they are laying a dozen a day. This year (2023), it is now the end of January and my hens are producing less than 2 per day.
Now - I must admit that this may be caused by something strange that I am doing, but I also ought to investigate the claims being made, such as yours, that something is wrong with the feed.
WHAT I FIND EXCEEDINGLY STRANGE, ARE THE RESPONSES OF ALL OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS THREAD. They are telling you "please do not feed your chickens goat feed, it will kill them". Or, This is all hype and nothing to see here.

It seems that the entire community of BackYard Chickens dot com has made up their mind about the matter, without a single member presenting a scientific report or any evidence further than stating, "don't believe conspiracy theories because I said so, and I have been a contributor on this site for a decade." Okay - whatever.

Why is there not one post that says to the rational thinker. "Goat feed will not kill your hens, and if they are already not laying eggs when they used to lay eggs, why not try it?"

Therefore Kt S C - Let me present you with a completely different response than what you have received before now: Try goat feed and report back what happens. I am going to do exactly that.

I have my chickens seperated in three different groups (and have for months). They are all not laying eggs like they used to. Therefore I am going to try a different feed mix - maybe goat feed on one group, turkey feed on another, and keep the third on standard chicken feed as a baseline. I will report back to this webpage, but I am thinking that my replies will be erased - seeing the response of managers of this website. Time will tell.

 

[alwaystj9]

My chickens have gotten into goat feed many times.
I don't feed it on purpose, they just beat the goats to the feed and hog down.
Or they take advantage of a spill.
I have never noticed any ill effects.

 

[Aunt Angus]

In moderation, I'm sure it's fine. There isn't enough protein or calcium for chickens, though.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I said "dangerous". Like so much else in this world, "the dosage is the poison". How much, and for how long, are both factors in how much damage will be done. This isn't new - it was being considered in the 60s. I also said, "If there were nothing else available, for a few days, and you didn't want to mix a ration from your pantry for a few days, that might be tolerable."

I have goats - see my sig. They get goat feed. My little dinosaurs sometimes get some to, what the goats miss, or what they can muscle in and snatch from the trough. But I don't feed it to them deliberately.

That said, they are your birds, you can do whatever you want with them. I just find it curious (and a bit sad), that on the strength of nothing more than an ill informed opinion you are going to offer your birds one of the worst feeds for them off the shelf from a nutritional standpoint, when so many superior choices are available - and likely at better price point.

 

[Kt S C]

Thanks everyone I wasn’t going to do it with my girls. Just was surprised when I heard it today so figured I would ask if anyone else had. My girls are more than just birds to give me eggs (which they finally started laying again yesterday) my son loves them and they are his pets so I plan to keep them healthy and happy

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

When I had goats, the chickens would get clean up the occasional feed spill (goats are expert feed wasters), especially on pen cleanout days. That's fine, but like others have said, goat feed isn't an appropriate long-term chicken feed, as the mix of nutrients just isn't right.

This makes sense, if all animals had the nutritional needs, there'd just be bags of "feed", not goat, chicken, pig, etc. feed.

Be careful with goats around chicken feed, though. I have seen reports that chicken feed can cause bloat in goats. I have no personally experienced this (but didn't feed chicken feed to my goats), but it appears to be at least a good possibility if they eat it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

^^^ also true.

I feed my birds in one area of the pasture, then hurry to feed my goats in a different area of the pasture in an effort to keep them mostly out of one another's feed. I've not found a better way, as everyone free ranges.

 

[centrarchid]

I comingle sheep, goats and chickens in a free-range setting. The small ruminants and chickens will readily consume each others feed. My work around is to exploit their behavior differences, especially with respect to the chicken's bill. The small ruminants are fed feed in piles that consume very rapidly. The chickens are fed pellets / grains that are broadcast over large area by hand. The ruminants (and dogs) will go for some of the chicken feed although the chickens are far better consuming scattered small particles. All animals are given a restricted ration to ensure relatively rapid cleanup. The approach does not work when done too late in day as the ruminants and dogs can find eats even in the dark and will clean up all but the smallest grains.

Below is where minimal effort is made to disperse chicken. Most of time I spread the grains in particular among under story of woodlot behind me.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1342353773255557