Greetings from Southern Ohio

mhn1957

In the Brooder
9 Years
Jul 21, 2010
19
2
24
McDermott, Ohio
I'm new here and new to raising chickens. I live 9 miles north of the Ohio river. I have 6 birds. Not sure what kind. 3 reds, 1 black, 1 white, and 1 yellow. Bought them just after Easter as chicks, and they are supposed to be all pullets, but I suspect one, as it is looking mighty cocky to me. They should be egging in September or October. I have been feeding them a laying mash and they have access to marble grit, driveway stones, oyster shell, blackberries, twinberry honeysuckle, and an amazing amount of bugs. I have also given them a few cobs of fresh corn off and on the cob, as they really love it both ways. I notice that they always eat the corn, but sometimes, they don't seem to care about blackberries. If they are provided with a variety of food, can I trust them to peck out a balanced diet, or am I giving them the chicken equivalent of pizza and mountain dew when I serve corn?
 
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Hello and welcome! I feed my chickens starter/grower food until they're around 18 weeks old, then I go with the layer food. This is because they are growing, and the extra calcium in the layer food and oyster shells can be harmful during these developmental stages. Now, the corn is like candy to a chicken--they just love it, but it doesn't have alot of nutritional value, so as a snack here and there, it's just fine.

Now, bugs, berries, and all the natural stuff they will find on their own during free ranging is all good! Sounds like you're doing a great job-the only thing I'd do differently is I would still be giving them starter/grower, and they wouldn't be getting any oyster shells just yet.

Glad you found the site, and hope to see you around!

Sharon from NE Ohio
 

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