grandma's way vs. the experts way

[enola]

I'm wondering where you are finding chicken experts?  I've never met one of those yet. 

My granny fed corn meal to her chicks.  I feed chick starter with layer ration but occasionally I've just fed layer ration.  Both granny's and my chickens have thrived and went on to live long and productive lives, so I say mix and match, find your own way and realize that there are no "experts" out there....especially not on BYC.  I'd sooner say our grandma's were experts before I'd say anyone here is. 

Bee, everybody knows BYC is chockful of chicken experts!

But seriously if I could free range my hens, I would follow the ways my grandmother fed her hens. I know it would be much cheaper and healthier....

 

[ten chicks]

This is all about what is cheaper,not which is better,understand. Cost savings is not an issue for me and that is why i purchase feed for my birds.

 

[Beekissed]

Sometimes cheaper and better can come in the same package. One cannot buy health for their chickens by throwing money at them and buying the most expensive feeds. My grandmother fed field corn and free ranged. That's it. She had lovely, healthy and productive chickens year after year. No excessive money required.

If money bought health for chickens we wouldn't have a forum on illness here because I've found that people will spend thousands on a single bird. I've regularly bought the cheapest feed available for all my flocks and even my dogs for for many a long year and never had a sick animal. Those anecdotal stories of what is healthy works both ways, so one cannot say their way is the only way to produce healthy chickens.

To the OP...all you can do is try it and see what happens in your flock and that will be the only and true gauge of the "proper" nutrition in your flock.

 

[NCChickchick]

I have a small backyard flock. I have layer feed available to them but honestly, I think I'm mostly feeding the squirrels with it. My birds free range from morning to night. When they eat chicken food They mostly want scratch feed that I started them on as a treat but now they are spoiled and just want that. They also get kitchen scraps and egg shells (which they love). Twice a day when they get up and when I come home from work we have a "scratch" session.
They are laying well and seem healthy and happy. So I am too!

 

[midwest]

For me this would be more of a good, better, best then a which is right question. Either way can be right. The expert way is good, grandmas way is better and doing both is the best.
Free ranging is hands down the best for them and the most enjoyable life. If you cant free range I wouldnt try to raise them on anything other then the experts formulated feed. I wouldnt raise chickens on scratch or corn or anything alone like that but whether free ranging or going the experts route I throw in scratch because they do seem to love it.
I like to free range, feed the experts suggested feed twice a day and scratch or cracked corn once a day. I dont think you can beat that. The chickens are happy, healthy, lay very well and the eggs are delicious.

Anyone think the breed of chickens would matter? My grandma raised "heritage" breeds. We raise heritage breeds and some fancier breeds. Some do better free ranging then others.

 

[Beekissed]

For me this would be more of a good, better, best then a which is right question. Either way can be right. The expert way is good, grandmas way is better and doing both is the best.
Free ranging is hands down the best for them and the most enjoyable life. If you cant free range I wouldnt try to raise them on anything other then the experts formulated feed. I wouldnt raise chickens on scratch or corn or anything alone like that but whether free ranging or going the experts route I throw in scratch because they do seem to love it.
I like to free range, feed the experts suggested feed twice a day and scratch or cracked corn once a day. I dont think you can beat that. The chickens are happy, healthy, lay very well and the eggs are delicious.

Anyone think the breed of chickens would matter? My grandma raised "heritage" breeds. We raise heritage breeds and some fancier breeds. Some do better free ranging then others.

Sure does! The breed always matters when it comes to hardiness, feed conversion, mobility, wariness/flightiness and foraging abilities. All of these things can affect nutritional status when free ranging and using those foraged feeds as the primary nutritional source.

You can beat what the "experts" say easily. You can ferment your feeds to provide better nutrition than even the most expensive bagged feeds can give. If just feeding the expensive formulated feeds, most of the nutrition..and the money...is winding up on the floor of the coop, there to lie stinking of undigested feed and attracting flies, while growing bacteria.

 

[grampsjim]

Bee, how do you ferment the feed? I use 16% layer feed for my big girls. Thx.

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, how do you ferment the feed? I use 16% layer feed for my big girls. Thx.

It's very simple...just add water to feed in a large bucket, stir, and wait for it to collect wild yeasts and start to ferment...much like making sourdough bread mix. Here's a couple of threads about it:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds

 

[grampsjim]

Thanks! I'll check them out!

 

[winteree]

That's why you buy a big bag. Lol.

i meant for a new type of feed...