How do you feed your flock?

[Iluveggers]

I was going to do a poll, but there are so many options…please leave a comment answering the following:

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?

2. What feed do they get?

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?

4. What feed container(s) do you use?

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?

7. Anything else you’d like to add.

 

[indianaducks]

Flock: ducks, chickens and geese. Ducks and chickens of various ages (a few days up to 2 years old)

Feed: flock raiser, all flock, duck pellets, layer pellets, etc. depends what I can get and how many babies I'm feeding

Adults typically get containers filled in the morning. Babies have access to food 24/7

I just use poultry feeders

Snacks: frozen peas, frozen shredded zucchini, etc

Winter feeding: more food when the ground is frozen and they can't forage. Also sometimes add cracked corn. I typically decrease the frozen greens in the winter

 

[Iluveggers]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?

I have 10 pullets ages 11-14 weeks.

2. What feed do they get?

Organic local grower crumble.

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?

I add 1-2 scoops to the feeder daily, and give a scoop of feed then wet with water every morning. They never have finished more than that, but finish the wet mash every day. I leave the dry feed outside all day. It is in the run so no feed at night.

4. What feed container(s) do you use?

A basic chicken circular feeder with 12 openings around the bottom, with a dish rack bottom under it to catch spills, and an old flat Tupperware food container for the wet mash.

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).

They eat lots of grass & bugs when they are out, and I pick the dandelions around the outside of my garden along with holey cabbage, chard, and kale leaves that don’t look edible. Ends of cucumbers and zucchini. They do NOT like tomatoes. Lol. Oh, I also provide grit on the side, and refill as needed. Will do the same with oyster shell once they get to laying age.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?

Haven’t gone through winter yet, but since I will have no grass when it snows, I am hoping to provide the stalks to my kale and chard, plus other greens/veggie scraps we buy at the store. I may grow some extra sprouts and grass in the window for them as well.

7. Anything else you’d like to add.

Looking forward to hearing everyone’s methods!

 

[WIchickMama]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of? I have 7 1.5 year old hens and 5 3.5 week old chicks--all one flock

2. What feed do they get? Puring Flock Raiser

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)? I have a hanging feeder that I only fill about 1/3 of the way so that I am not having to deal with stuck food, debris or other messes. I also have a feeder that sits on a paver that gets filled daily (small chick feeder) as my second station until the chicks are bigger then there will be another hanging feeder added.

4. What feed container(s) do you use? Just basic plastic feeders- one hangs and is blue and one is white and red and a chick feeder

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible). They get a handful of scratch in the morning when I go to feed the coop and then they get wet feed mash (nothing added) around early afternoon. They also get some weeds/cut grass a few times a week as needed-torn up now due to the chicks.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how? They only thing that changes is that their wet mash is warmed in the winter and then they will occasionally get some lettuce or fresh fruit a couple times a week.

7. Anything else you’d like to add.

 

[Tmartin7711]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?
- anywhere from 2 years old too 2 weeks old. All chickens I currently have 23. 17 adults, 1 pullet, 5 babies

2. What feed do they get?
- nutrena nature wise chicken feed. 20% pellets, scratch, oyster shells, and grit.

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?
- once a month sometimes twice

4. What feed container(s) do you use?
- little giant 5 gallon chicken feeder

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).
- scraps( very wide variety usually leftovers), meal worms for calcium in the morning

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?
- usually just have to feed them more since they can't dig as much(they free range)

7. Anything else you’d like to add.
- nutrena is the best feed hands down. I once thought my hen was egg bound luckily she wasn't but I did alot of research and realized it's because of their feed. Number one ingredient is nutrena is corn. Almost all others are grain by products. There is relatively no cost difference plus if you have chickens you are using them for food of some sorts. Personally I like that my food is fed well because they feed me well.

 

[AGeese]

This is the only survey I will respond to (All others to my phone and email get deleted)



1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?

Chickens are around 1 year.
Goslings are 3 months.



2. What feed do they get?

This changes, but currently Nutrena All Flock/Flock Shield 20% protein for the chickens.
Kalmbach Duck & Goose pellet 17% protien, 40mg/lb Niacin for the Goslings.
Otherwise they free range on green pasture daily.



3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?

I have been filling them up at night in their coops because I don't always let them out at the crack of dawn, but I'm going to start putting the feed up at night and only filling the feeders full when some things else is going to take up my time.

They tend to get addicted to crumbles and since it's messy I switched to pellet, and if I leave the food out all day they'll eat it all day regardless of pasture. So I have to be strategic and I'm working at this.

I'm also trying to determine if my goslings are getting too much protein or carbs right now, based on some puffed feathering all of a sudden.



4. What feed container(s) do you use?

FREE RANGE feeders and drinkers, 2 1.5 gallons drinkers for the chickens, and a feeder rated for 7 lbs.

The goslings have a 3.5 gallon FREE RANGE drinker.

Their galvanized feeder is pretty much crap. The plastic ones are the best and the drinkers can be a little tricky at first getting the basins to fit back in place.



5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).

Sometimes lettuce, water melon, and any veggie scraps that aren't spoiled, but not often, and after a quick Google/BYC search.



6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?

Yes without pasture I end up buying lots of feed, I hadn't found a close enough place to continue fodder/sprouting seeds, but tried it. I'll report back on this.

I didn't keep track of how often I went through bags, but now that the birds are near grown I'll keep better track for financials.

 

[NanaK]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?

I have all chickens of various ages, 7 hens 7-9 yrs, 3 hens 4yrs,
7 hens 2yrs, 4 pullets 20wks, 1 cockerel 21wks.

2. What feed do they get?

Nutrena All Flock Pellet or Purina Flock Raiser Crumble, depending on what I can get and if I have chicks.

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?

I try to keep enough in feeders for at least 3 days but I check them daily.

4. What feed container(s) do you use?

A 5 gallon bucket feeder, 2 smaller hanging feeders.

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).

Varies, mostly stuff from the veggie garden but sometimes scraps or scratch in small amounts.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?

Other than their feed they get greens from the garden because that's mostly what we can grow here in winter. Sometimes a bit of scratch.

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?
- My flock consists of chickens, half bantams and half standards. They range from 3 years old down to 20 weeks old.

2. What feed do they get?
- They get grubby farms layer crumbles.

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?
- I refill their containers daily.

4. What feed container(s) do you use?
- I use deep ceramic bowls. I am a ceramic artist so I have a lot of cast off bowls lying around lol. Planning to make a vintage style ceramic chicken feeder though! Super excited about it.

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).
- Scraps (at least the small amount that they actually like), greens and weeds from the garden, grubbly bsfl, soon to get live mealworms from my mealworm farm, any bugs they find or I find in my garden, sometimes scratch and boss, etc.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?
- I just give them some scratch before bed on nights where it’ll get below freezing, and more bsfl when they’re molting for more protein. They also get different greens in the winter months than the summer months.

7. Anything else you’d like to add.
Grubbly farms feed is definitely on the very high end of the spectrum concerning price but I really do like it. My chickens have such soft and gorgeous feathers! They also go through less of the feed than other brands that I have tried. I live in the rural mountains and any major city is 40 minutes away so I like the shipping and the fact that it’s free (technically included in the price) since gas is still around $5 a gallon here in Southern California

 

[Happy hen lover]

I was going to do a poll, but there are so many options…please leave a comment answering the following

How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?
Flock : 2 year old
2 ea Isa,
1ea RIR
1ea BA
Next this year 3 ea smokey Pearl, 2 leghorn, 2 Calif whites, 3 EE and one surprise( in same bin) Wellsummer roo !?
2. What feed do they get?
Mix of all flock and chick starter 24/7 and wet feed every day.
3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?
Fill pvc tube feeder every week hand feed wet every day.
4. What feed container(s) do you use?
Oh my just about anything that's flat and small. Hanging waterers x 2, a terra Cotta plant coaster, a small hospital pink pan, corners of cement block that holds up waterer, top of foot stool, and black rubber feed pan, very small ceramic dish, and used fajita silver pan! The feed pans are last to be emptied!

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).
Once daily they get small amounts of floating fish food, boss, scratch, and kitchen scraps tossed in run.

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?
Water to make wet feed will be warmed up, and more grain in winter months maybe some warm oatmeal.
7. Anything else you’d like to add .
I had NO idea they would be so Wild about wet mash! I've fermented in past but it was never cleaned up like their wet feed and it's complete feed! They act like it's a treat!

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

1. How old are the members of your flock(s) & what does it (do they) consist of?

Almost 19 and 21wks all 19 are either POL pullets or are laying

2. What feed do they get?

All Flock mixed with Layer

3. How often do you fill/refill the container(s)?

Once every wk give or take (not often enough to notice so this is a close guess I imagine)

4. What feed container(s) do you use?

5 gallon buckets (no waste feeders)

5. What do they get besides regular feed? (Scraps, treats, feel free to be as specific as possible).

They get some weeds and grass, a bit of scratch, some frozen fruits, oyster shells and egg shells and any bugs my husband or I catch or that they catch on their own

6. Does your method of feeding change in the winter months, if so, how?

I do not know, as I haven't had a winter yet.

7. Anything else you’d like to add.