Just checking in

[HommeDeBois]

Hi all! New chicken dad here in NW Florida. I have 2 Auracana mixes and one...something mix hen (still not sure, will post pics later). I just wanted to check in to make sure I'm not going about this all wrong. I provide my hens a mix of oyster shell, cracked corn, steel cut oats, black sunflower seeds (in the shell), and millet; and during the day I let them roam the yard. They thoroughly enjoy roaming the yard, eating whatever they are eating out there (saw one eat a frog yesterday... :/ ). They seem to only be eating the corn and oats from the feeder. Is this a sufficient diet for them? I give them watermelon rinds from time to time, which they love, other stuff they won't even look at. Do I just trust that they will get what they need from the yard?

 

[Judy]

Depending how old they are, all they need is either grower feed or layer feed. Mine don't eat a lot of feed this time of year when they have access to lots of forage -- grass, bugs, weeds, etc. The oyster shell is offered separately by many, to be sure they have enough calcium.

 

[HommeDeBois]

Ok. I'm not sure how old they are, but when I bought them (3 weeks ago) I'm sure the guy said they were between 16-20 weeks old, but they could be older. They don't seem to be eating the oyster because it's spilled all over, and they're usualy pretty tidy about eating EVERYTHING that they can/want. I got them for their eggs, but I've read that summertime can just be too hot for that. I also can't do the commercial food because my wife has celiac disease and the wheat, barley and rye would make her extremely sick if she were exposed to it.