Local feed store out of starter/grower feed for my dual purpose pullets

[frostbite]

Nearest next alternative is 450 miles away. I have enough to get through a few days, and it's on order at the feed store, but if I run out, what can I substitute? I have oatmeal in the house and oat bran to start with, but what would I need to add to that? The chicks are only 9-10 weeks old, so I don't want to buy the layer ration yet. I also have access to pelleted horse feed, and wild bird seed, and I can get some of whatever Fred Meyers has in their bulk food department. Any suggestions for a simple short term home recipe?

 

[dretd]

What a predicament! Any chance you could let them free range a bit each day so they caould forage for themselves? I have no idea what Alaska is like in the summer. My broody has three chicks that are coming up on 5 weeks and they have been free ranging since about a week old. They eat very little of their crumbles and mainly eat grasses, any seeds they can forage, a little scratch and bugs.

If it were me, and you can't free-range, I would offer a wide variety of feed and put that on the side/in addition to the stuff you have to extend it. I would stick to bird food and not go for the horse pellets unless I really had to. I would use hen scratch if its available cracked corn or soy if not, with the oats added in, get a mixed birdseed, and get some meal worms if they are available, They sell them for hens as well as reptiles.

I also do feed scaps and leftovers of what I eat to my girls. That is one of their jobs at my house. Cooked rice and other starches like cooked noodles and potatoes, scrambled eggs, various veggies and fruits , cooked meat (I avoid chickens cuz it just seems wrong) and dairy like yogurt and cottage cheese. I try to give a mixture and aim for a protein of about 20-25% to keep it balanced. Mix it all up in a pie plate and call them over. They get very excited and snarf it down.

They will survive and be fine, try not to stress about it too much!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Is your local feed store out of ALL poultry feed but for layer? Under the circumstances I'd buy plain old grower if they have it, or broiler (meat bird) feed or gamebird feed. Pretty much any poultry feed will do. Even layer feed will be OK if we're talking no more than a week to ten days.

Failing that I'd try them on rabbit feed. Chances are it will be pelleted, but unless they are really big pellets they'll do OK with them.

Failing even that then most any sort of grain products, the more whole the better. Rolled oats are good. Supplement with some chopped boiled egg once a day or moisten them with milk, yogurt, a little cheese, etc. Once a day, about what they can clean up in ten minutes or so with the grains offered free choice. Offer them green feed as well. Dark green leafies are best. You may want to chop it up for them at first if they are not accustomed to ripping their own. My birds are usually in their grow-out pens by five to six weeks so they're plenty big enough.

 

[frostbite]

Thanks. I've looked at homemade chicken feed recipes, and it seems a little more complicated than it needs to be for carrying them over just a few days. They have a run and they chase bugs, and I can let them loose into the overgrown yard when I'm awake and can watch them.

The feed store has layer and broiler feed, but not the grower feed for young not yet laying hens. But those other suggestions you had are marvelous. Thanks, both of you for the advice.

 

[cmom]

If your store has Game Bird feed (crumbles), I would use that as it is a little higher protein than layer feed more like Starter/Grower. Usually it comes in both crumbles and pellets.If you can't get crumbles then get the pellets and smash them up some. That is what I have done. My store is out of the Starter/Grower too and it won't be in for another week. The store owner didn't put an order in for it for this week. Luckily there are other stores where I can get some but they are in adjacent towns too. I don't I have enough to last either until their shipment comes in.

 

[justafeedboy]

For the short term don't overlook eggs, cottage cheese, scratch, corn, and other grains.