Has anyone tried this?

[Crazy chicken lady 77]

My mom found this and wants me to try it, but my gut tells me chicken food is created for a reason. What are your thoughts?

 

[Themellowyellows]

Honestly, I dont think there is anything wrong with making that. It is going to be more expensive for something you can just go to Tractor supply and get. Personally, I wouldn't do it, its a waste of time.

 

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

My mom found this and wants me to try it, but my gut tells me chicken food is created for a reason. What are

I tried it for my ducks, but they didn’t like it so I switched them back to the other one. My ducks are more pickier than the chickens.

 

[NatJ]

My mom found this and wants me to try it, but my gut tells me chicken food is created for a reason. What are your thoughts?

You are right, chicken food is created for a reason. It is easier and cheaper to buy one bag of feed (layer feed or chick starter or all flock) than to buy a bunch of different things like that recipe says. Compared with that recipe, a bag of chicken feed will typically do a better job of meeting the needs of the chickens.

Layer feed has more calcium than other chicken feeds. If hens are laying eggs this is good, because they need that extra calcium to make eggshells. If they are not laying eggs, this is bad because the extra calcium is not needed and past a certain point it can even be harmful.

If you provide a lower calcium feed, you should also provide a dish of oyster shell so any hens that are laying can get the extra calcium they need. Hens are generally quite good at eating the right amount of oyster shell. "Lower calcium feed" would include chick starter, or all-flock feed, or the combination in that picture. You can check by reading the label on the feed bag: calcium around 1% is suitable for chickens that are not laying eggs. Calcium around 3% or higher is for hens that are laying eggs regularly.

 

[CherishedFowlGuardian]

I think @U_Stormcrow knows a lot about chicken feed.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

The fact it says “can add extras for nutrients and minerals” at the bottom in tiny letters is a red flag to me. If you want some good science @Perris and @U_Stormcrow have lots of feed knowledge, including making your own homemade feed.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I've never tried this, but I usually get nervous whenever someone suggests giving chickens food that wasn't specifically created for them, especially cat food. Each animal, especially when comparing different animal families\species, digests foods differently and nutritionists has designed these foods to meet the animals' needs that it is intended for. That being said, it might be fine to feed them this in the short term (which even then, I'm wary), but for the long term, it may cause issues for their digestive systems and could very well effect other things unsuspected, like behaviors. (No, I'm not talking your chickens might start meowing from eating cat food, I'm talking more like feather plucking, bullying, egg eating, and other unwanted behaviors due to either not feeling well and\or not having the proper nutrients.)

 

[Cebarmlds]

Always have a separate dish of calcium for the hens, oyster shell or crushed egg shell.

 

[nuthatched]

Horrible idea, bad formula by someone who knows nothing about the needs and biology of chickens. Report those when you see them.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Horrible idea, bad formula by someone who knows nothing about the needs and biology of chickens. Report those when you see them.

Reminds me of back when the government was tampering with chicken feed so all our chickens would quit laying eggs.
Everyone was saying feed your chickens sweet feed, goat feed or dog food.