How to feed my chickens on a budget? Issues with roosters?

[Drkstr]

I now have 23 chickens..13 being chicks(10 weeks old)...5 being roosters...the rest are hens...Up until now I've been getting cracked corn feed/laying mash for the adult chickens..chick starter for the babies...however recently I was told that since the roosters eat with the hens(I keep their food in a no-waste feeder..even though they still scratch it out onto the ground)...that the roosters would eventually have health issues because they would be eating the laying mash as well. I tend to mix my laying mash and corn equally...So i thought about just taking layer out all together but was then told that the corn feed wasn't good for them. So I'm not sure what to do now..i started off spending 20 dollars per month on food for 3-10 chickens...now I'm going at about 60 dollars a month for the food...300 lbs of food a month...with the new food that I've been told i should buy them its going to be double the price..I just can't really afford 120 dollars per month for 300 lbs of food for the chickens...I give them things like grass..watermelon etc Any help?

I have never heard anything about layer hurting roosters.. why would that be an issue? I have raised chickens for years, never a problem. My roo eats the same diet as my girls, every one if them have, currently I have 2 that look like twins and since they don't fight I have kept them. I feed layer at will, (after they are full size.. grower before. Mix if there are mixed sizes) scratch grains every morning, and garden veggies that we grow for them, squash, maters, chard, and anything else that grows in over abundance, they also range daily. I have 18 ladies and 2 roos and we go through about a bag and a half of pellets a month that's while they are not ranging. During ranging season they eat less then half that. Can some one tell me why the layer pellet would harm my boys? I've just never had an issue with any of my roos they are healthy, happy and helping making babies and protecting my ladies.

 

[Drkstr]

I also use a large lidded garbage can with holes at the bottom sides set in a water heater pan that i picked up cheap at home depot as a feeder. (Homemade auto feeder) it's under cover so never gets wet inside the pan.. no waste. It can hold 3 bags of pellets I only ever buy 2 at a time but it works great

 

[bigz1983]

I have never heard anything about layer hurting roosters.. why would that be an issue? I have raised chickens for years, never a problem. My roo eats the same diet as my girls, every one if them have, currently I have 2 that look like twins and since they don't fight I have kept them. I feed layer at will, (after they are full size.. grower before. Mix if there are mixed sizes) scratch grains every morning, and garden veggies that we grow for them, squash, maters, chard, and anything else that grows in over abundance, they also range daily. I have 18 ladies and 2 roos and we go through about a bag and a half of pellets a month that's while they are not ranging. During ranging season they eat less then half that. Can some one tell me why the layer pellet would harm my boys? I've just never had an issue with any of my roos they are healthy, happy and helping making babies and protecting my ladies.

It is believed that the extra calcuim in egg layer feed will cause Avian gout or kidney failure in roosters.
I have know people that have given their roosters egg layer feed with their hens for years and never had any issues. Beware though once you bring up the subject on this site you will get a flood of people bashing you for it. Lol

 

[kubotafoot]

I see there are many answers, but I'll throw in my 2 cents as well.
I have 45 hens and roosters, total (2 roos).... I feed them layer pellets OR crumbles. They are way too wasteful for mash. With your younger ones, as I have 3 month old hens.....who when younger ate mash....it was necessary to put some of the pellets into my chopper to introduce them to pellets. Mash straight to pellets is not an easy transition, so I chopped the pellets up for a bit to get them the idea of pellets. They are mostly all on the pellets right now. I make a "mush" for them with vegetable garden and table scraps blended together with water or extra goat milk. Everyone loves it, but the roos get very little as they are both very polite and let the ladies eat first and they get what might be left. Meat, bread, milk, fruit peelings (apple and pear), squash, tomatoes, pumpkins, rice, oatmeal, left over/stale crackers, cereal.....the list goes on. They love it all, tho I admit I do cook the pumpkin and skins and do not feed it raw....nor would I advice raw potatoes or skins (something about tannens). Corn cobs are a special treat for them to pick clean and grass clippings (no fertilizer or weed kill) is like candy to them. Speaking of candy....folks have mentioned cracked corn to be treated like candy. I, personally, feed it mostly in Winter, as I was told it helped make their body temperature warmer and here in CT, we can use it! Scraps from your meals.....day old produce, pasta......it is all fine in moderation (no more than 15% is my curve) to augment their meals. And on the last note....Do not leave food out for them to freely eat whenever. I used to feel sorry for them and fed more at night and left it overnight so it would be there for early risers. Nope....The little mice and chipmunks had parties all night, so cut back on the amount of your feed from a bag. They will be healthier and appreciate the food more. Bored chickens just eat.....come to think about, so do humans~~

 

[333113]

I don't buy anything separate for my roos, even when they are in separate cages from the girls. They seem to be just as healthy and happy as the girls, all the way through old age. I've been seriously raising chickens since 1997.

I have never heard anything about layer hurting roosters.. why would that be an issue? I have raised chickens for years, never a problem. My roo eats the same diet as my girls, every one if them have, currently I have 2 that look like twins and since they don't fight I have kept them. I feed layer at will, (after they are full size.. grower before. Mix if there are mixed sizes) scratch grains every morning, and garden veggies that we grow for them, squash, maters, chard, and anything else that grows in over abundance, they also range daily. I have 18 ladies and 2 roos and we go through about a bag and a half of pellets a month that's while they are not ranging. During ranging season they eat less then half that. Can some one tell me why the layer pellet would harm my boys? I've just never had an issue with any of my roos they are healthy, happy and helping making babies and protecting my ladies.

 

[bigz1983]

I don't buy anything separate for my roos, even when they are in separate cages from the girls. They seem to be just as healthy and happy as the girls, all the way through old age. I've been seriously raising chickens since 1997.

I agree if giving roosters egg layer feed will kill them then there would be alot of dead roosters out there!

 

[Cryss]

I thought about this post on and off for the past couple of days. I agree with it, in principle.

However, I and many other people who have chickens also have full-time jobs. In the short days of winter, it would take a very generous (and rare) boss to allow a worker daylight at one end or the other of the work day to get the chickens fed before dark so that the feed can be removed and secured. Not to mention the occasional call for impromptu overtime, sudden student commitments, friends or family in the hospital, etc., and, of course, night shift.

Working hours should not be an obstacle to raising chickens, as long as they can be fed and given fresh water daily.

So, I think of this post as a goal, to be attained when possible. On the days when I know it will be dark when I get home, I do leave the food out. Compensation for the dark creepy-critter hours can include more secure cages or fences, or lighting that stays on while the chickens are eating and drinking. I rely on the cages, myself.

I get up at daybreak or before at certain times of the year, get coffee perking, put feeders in the run, let my chickens out, scoop the poop, walk the dogs, and then settle with a cup of coffee before work. In winter it gets dark early, just about the time I'm getting home. I grab a lantern, walk the dogs, give chickens fresh water, close them up for the night, take feeders inside, and make dinner. Water stays in the run overnight but not food. Food is in from morning to night. Dark isn't a problem. I do what I need to do do for my chickens and I work. I'm 68.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Such good advice! I am sorry it's costing so much to feed your birds. I have 8, and I buy pricey organic grower feed and offer oyster on the side, and I think I spend about $9 per bird each month. This includes worms and poultry conditioner that I add for feather quality. Even with all that, it would be about $200/month for a flock your size. I agree with others: go with all flock. It will be cheaper, and it will make your life easier! Good luck!

 

[HopeSprings]

I made this no waste feeder from 2 plastic oil pans from the dollar store.
We have 19 chickens and don't use 300 pounds of feed a month.
If your using 300 pounds of feed a month for 23 chickens something is definitely wrong.
There's some waste going on or something..
View attachment 1902242

I used squatty clay pots to set my quart jar feeders on when the flock was younger, very much like this as the feeder bases set just down in, keeping spillage from falling to the ground.
Now they eat from the big-girl feeder, hung from the ceiling of the run. I guess it's high enough that they don't spill the pellets out.
I fill the feeder in the evening so that they have plenty to eat first thing; my run is tight, no unwanted visitors are getting in at night!

 

[Frostette]

I now have 23 chickens..13 being chicks(10 weeks old)...5 being roosters...the rest are hens...Up until now I've been getting cracked corn feed/laying mash for the adult chickens..chick starter for the babies...however recently I was told that since the roosters eat with the hens(I keep their food in a no-waste feeder..even though they still scratch it out onto the ground)...that the roosters would eventually have health issues because they would be eating the laying mash as well. I tend to mix my laying mash and corn equally...So i thought about just taking layer out all together but was then told that the corn feed wasn't good for them. So I'm not sure what to do now..i started off spending 20 dollars per month on food for 3-10 chickens...now I'm going at about 60 dollars a month for the food...300 lbs of food a month...with the new food that I've been told i should buy them its going to be double the price..I just can't really afford 120 dollars per month for 300 lbs of food for the chickens...I give them things like grass..watermelon etc Any help?

I can’t imagine that you are buying and they are eating 300 pounds of food?!? Something is not right. And certainly don’t change the feed just because of 4 roosters. In fact, unless they are “pets” you should get rid of them