⠀ Is this a good diet for my chicken?

[Tayloreicher]

Generic chicken feed from feed store, black oil sunflower seeds, steel cut oats, and flaxseed. I believe she's a mix Modern Game bantam. She is naturally very little, and she hardly eats! She does eat a mix of everything I put out for her, but she doesn't eat as much as I thought a chicken would. However, if she could, she could eat as many mealworms as she could! I limit her though and give it to her sparingly. She free ranges and eats grass and leaves and bugs and lizards. She is around 10-13 weeks. I plan to feed her this year round (of course i give her blueberries and carrots and leafy greens though) I live in florida and the weather is the same. except summer is drastically hot. Is this okay to feed her? any thoughts? Thank you so much!

Ps I also have a duck. I feed her generic duck feed from the feed store, along with oats and flaxseed. Duck is around the same age as chicken. Is that okay too?

 

[SilkieNation]

Generic chicken feed from feed store, black oil sunflower seeds, steel cut oats, and flaxseed. I believe she's a mix Modern Game bantam. She is naturally very little, and she hardly eats! She does eat a mix of everything I put out for her, but she doesn't eat as much as I thought a chicken would. However, if she could, she could eat as many mealworms as she could! I limit her though and give it to her sparingly. She free ranges and eats grass and leaves and bugs and lizards. She is around 10-13 weeks. I plan to feed her this year round (of course i give her blueberries and carrots and leafy greens though) I live in florida and the weather is the same. except summer is drastically hot. Is this okay to feed her? any thoughts? Thank you so much!

Ps I also have a duck. I feed her generic duck feed from the feed store, along with oats and flaxseed. Duck is around the same age as chicken. Is that okay too?

When she starts to lay you should give her a layer feed or free choice oyster shell (calcium). Treats should be limited to 5-10% of her diet. Of course, this comes from someone who has spoiled her birds FOREVER. Sounds like she's getting some good nutrition free ranging. You need to take care to keep her comfortable in the heat as chickens don't tolerate heat well. Also, I'm wondering if she hangs out with the duck because one chicken is likely a lonely chicken and you might consider getting her a friend (or two...).

 

[Tayloreicher]

Thanks!

 

[DrPatrickBiggs]

Tayloreicher - Your choice of the general chicken feed is a good one. I don't know what the nutrition is of your current feed, but if the diet is complete in the nutrients that your hen needs, then I would suggest to not mix in the sunflower seeds, oats and flax seed. By doing this you are reducing the nutrition in the diet. Something like Purina's Start & Grow, which is an 18% protein product, is designed to provide all of the nutrition that the bird needs to grow into a laying hen. When you start mixing the other ingredients in to the diet, the bird may choose to just eat the sunflower seeds or oats or flax instead of the diet. Now your hen is not getting all of the nutrition that she needs. Think of the added ingredients as treats. You need to limit those to less than 10% of the bird's diet. If you are adding the flax to increase Omega-3 content of the eggs, then I might suggest you look into Purina's Layena Plus Omega3 when your hen starts to lay eggs. This feed incorporates flax seed into the diet much like you are doing now.

Also, the Purina Start & Grow would be able to feed your duck too! Two birds, one feed! That diet is designed to provide the proper nutrition to start and grow both chickens and ducks.