How Much layer?? How much Scratch??

[Judy]

Quote:
I didn't mean to imply they can do as well on a lower protein diet, at all. On the contrary, I am sure they need at least what these feeds provide. I was thinking more about where these ideas like mixing scratch with feed come from.

And I did not know layer had been available for that long. I am told by a friend in her 70's who grew up here that it was not. Maybe it was. Her family were not farmers, but did raise chickens and other fowl, and kept a cow for milk. And they knew farmers, from whom they would get things like butter and veggies. Perhaps what saved them was their cow, or the meat in table scraps.

 

[speckledhen]

I was actually surprised when my dad told me that Granddaddy bought laying mash. I recently asked him since I was a kid and couldn't remember what he fed them then. That's the only reason I mentioned it is because so many folks do think that all the old farmers only fed them corn, but that isn't true. Now, he had pigs and mules and cattle as well as horses, so the chickens who ranged did get lots of other stuff as well as laying mash.

 

[LightenUp]

Now after reading this great thread, I have some questions!
I have six hens that are 7 to 8 weeks old. I started them on a 16% pullet developer from my local feed store at about 6 weeks old.
What I'm doing that I'm now questioning is that every day I've been giving them about a half of an ear of corn. They love, love, love it! It's how I get them in their coop for bed time! I also give them some beet greens and kale from my garden. Their run is made from sand.
Should I continue giving them the corn???
I'm assuming the greens are ok.
Thanks for the help!
Robin

 

[speckledhen]

If it's just a bedtime thing, like I use my good scratch for, to call them home, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You just don't want them to have lots of it or add it to their feed. Just go easy on all the extras till they are a bit older. My birds adore kale and spinach leaves.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Even more interesting. My friend certainly grew up with plows being pulled by mules on the farms. (I grew up in a sort of rural Chicago suburb; we did raise chickens and rabbits.) I am not far from Florida. Might be that if we got down to brass tacks, we would find that north Georgia was more "up to date" than down here; would not surprise me.

Maybe these folks here understood that the chickens got a varied diet from all their other food sources, and cracked corn was actually not a bad "chicken feed" at all. From talking to my friend about her own childhood diet, it is evident that these people had some concept of this; they ate local and inexpensive food, but it sounds like it was a pretty well balanced diet.

I remember throwing the chickens scratch as a child, to get them out of my way to collect eggs. I have no idea whether we also bought starter or grower type feed, but assume we did; that was in the 40's.

 

[granola friend]

i love to give the treats almost everyday. It could be left over from kitchen
like

rice, corn, bread, egg shells, grits, oatmeal and cereal and they love that

fruits like watermelon, pears

veggies like spinach, broccoli, lettuce,
just feel free to try and then you can learn to see what they like better.

Also i have 4 hens laying and 2 of them lay double yolk eggs everyday. They are great chickens and so far i get 4 eggs everyday since i got them (2 months ago) and that makes me so happy

But try

good luck

 

[speckledhen]

I think the most important time for diet is when a chick is growing so darn fast. Later on, there are many ways to feed them, though they will be more productive on a good balanced commercial diet, IMO. Nowadays, scratch is just as expensive as layer feed (the scratch I use is actually more expensive), at least here it is. So, saving money isn't going to happen-might as well feed them the good stuff!

 

[morgan7987]

I have 40 chickens and i always keep all they want to eat laying feed out 24/7.

But i give them corn 2 times a day. about half of a 1 gallon ice cream bucket.

at each feeding. oyster shell are kept in a small feeder for them and i have

plenty of grit out for them. they free rang on the weekends. or when my

wife feels like it during the week and she always like keeping a eye on them.

When they are out and about. And they seam happy. is this correct what

I'm feeding them? please help me know if this is right ..

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Hi and welcome to BYC!
As long as they have layer feed available to them all the time, it's fine. Since it is already very hot here I have switched the ground corn (chops) that I give in the wintertime out and now am feeding scratch grains, which has some corn in it, but also other healthy grains.