keeping to much food

[sundance]

I feed my chickens layer pellets, I keep the feeding trough(sp) full of layer pellets, but they have almost stopped eating them. where i used to go thru a bag every couple weeks now a bag will last almost 2 months(50lbs) bags. I do turn them out about noon or even earlier if i'm going somewhere so they have lots of time to roam. they go up the mountain and scratch under all the leaves, and have plenty of water, but don't won't eat the pellets. any suggustions, they look healthy, feathers shine, . no mites . legs look good. Help somebody PLEASE marrie

 

[Andi]

If I had a choice between processed food with a hard texture and no differential flavors vs meaty bugs and leaves and other things that move, I'd go with the natural stuff (if I were a chicken).

Could it be that when they were eating more feed that they were not free ranging and actively growing? Also, did you have more birds at that time?

Free range eggs taste better. If the birds are healthy and you don't have as high of a feed bill, life is good!

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Marrie, I have noticed that mine go through eating spurts. Molting, egg laying, general activity all play into it. Plus, as they are getting to range around a lot, they are eating what they find. Mine haven't been eating as much through this period that they haven't been laying. They are just now starting to ramp back up. As long as they look healthy and act fine, I would think that they are okay.

On a different note, how are you feeling and how is that rooster?

 

[sundance]

still a bit week i guess having heart surgery isn't as easy as shown on tv, but doing good. and cheeto is still in hog heaven with his ladies. Somehow i got another roo, Part game, and he stays well away from cheeto. Last week don was outside and heard one of the hens scream and he started toward the chicken yard, cheeto beat him there and ran the new roo off his ladies, guess when i put in the bator will have mutt chickens, but as long as they lay, eggs are eggs.and these are EGGS marrie