I am soooooooo Confused?????????? advice please

[70monte]

I feed my chickens laying crumbles as their main feed and feed scratch as a treat but not much of it. I have a seperate feeder for oyster shells and one for grit. If your chickens are almost laying age, you want to feed them some type of laying feed. They will eat it if they get hungry enough but don't feed them very much table scraps so that they will eat their feed first.

I see that you live in Branson which is only about 35 miles south east of me.

Wayne

 

[kimisfishing]

yep I am close, I was just in Springfield yesterday
Thanks, for the help I will get this right LOL someday LOL

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Until they start laying, you might want to take their oyster shell up. Especially since they were eating it instead of the pellets they didn't want at one point. Once they get used to eating a feed regularly and they're laying, you can put it back in.

 

[JodyJo]

I didn't read all this, sorry if this is a repeat answer...
Scratch is a treat...throw it on the ground, maybe in a pile of old leaves, hay etc...gives them something to do.

Continue the table scraps...BUT, if your girls aren't eating their feed, crumbles or pellets (whichever you go with) limit the treats...so they are hungry to eat. You can mix a tad bit of water with the feed, it will form a mush...my chickens LOVE this and gobble it up faster than I can set it down!

chicks, need starter/grower till they reach Point of Lay...till they start laying eggs....
then move to either Flock Raiser (many use this if they have roos and hens) with oyster shell or crushed old egg shells ON THE SIDE in a different feeder.

IF you don't have roos, use Layer feed, ( I actually use Layer feed with my roos) and I offer oyster shell and egg shells on the side, to ensure strong shells.

I also toss BOSS sunflowers on the ground as well.

You don't need to worry about picking up the oyster shell, they won't eat it for fun...only when they need it, which will be when they start laying.

 

[mommyofthreewithchicks]

I am most likely repeating what others have stated but here goes...

I feed starter crumbles to chicks. I switch to 18-20 % protien for my older flock as they are in with ducks and now turkeys. They get free choice on calcium and grit. I have scratch that they get a small amount of (usually daily but I don't worry over it if they don't get this as it is a treat), if my children sneak into the coop they get more scratch for the day as they know where it is and LOVE feeding the birds. My birds do also get table scraps.



Feed first, scraps and scratch last as they are "treats".

I loved feeding BOSS but it is now too $ in my area so my birds have not had it since summer.

 

[lcammack]

So if they won't eat the layer or grower ration because they are waiting for the "good stuff" I would stop any treats or leftovers until they reliable eat their ration of whichever you choose. They are chickens and if they get hungry they will eat what is available! Just wait and you will see, even the most picky animal will eat what is available eventually, just think of it as tough love. (same principle will probably work with the cat too) Best of luck

 

[chicmom]

Chickens will always prefer the scratch to the layer pellets. I think the scratch just tastes better to them. If all they have to eat is the pellets, they will eat them, believe me. So if you want to use those pellets up, just feed solely the pellets. And next time, you can switch to the layer crumbles.

This was confusing to me too, so I'll break it down for ya:

Layer mash is mainly like a ground up powder. (I don't like that form at all)
Layer crumbles is just as it sounds, crumbles...Sort of has the consistency of Grape Nuts cereal, or wheat germ, if you can piture that.
And then you've seen the layer pellets......

 

[Cindy in PA]

Lay mash is not always "ground up" powder. I Have had some powder stuff when I bought Nature's Best grower. Locally milled mash here is cracked grains + powdered vitamins & fish meal.

 

[LittleChefMarcy]

If your chickens dont like the shape of the pellets try adding water to make a mash. My chickens prefer their food in mash form, but they eat both. I free feed the crumble and I give them a big bowl of mash every morning. Plus fruits, veggies, bugs, etc. I'm also a city girl with pet chickens! Woohoo! Urban chicken power!

 

[kimisfishing]

They are eating the crumbles fine, I will start this weekend doing the pellets with water and the scratch is out of the pen. I have to put it into something tomorrow I am lucky no other birds have found it.....they keep looking out of the pen at the big orange bucket that they know is their food LOL

I love watching them play.......
THANK YOU......THANK YOU.....THANK YOU......ALLL ALLLLL
i KNOW UNDERSTAND AND THE WILL BE GETTING THE RIGHT FOOD

table scraps again tomorrow and I will try to learn to spell next year