looking down the road with different aged chicks and feed

[sayccrn]

True! You will spend more for an organic feed, because it's more expensive to produce!
Mary

Yes, I know this. But how much would 5 birds eat that also forage during the day?

 

[GC-Raptor]

Plus, I am looking for a good, but not expensive organic feed, any recommendations?

If you check TSC "Tractor Supply Co" they have many brands of Organic feed and deliver. Use Chicken feed in the search box. GC

 

[sayccrn]

If you check TSC "Tractor Supply Co" they have many brands of Organic feed and deliver. Use Chicken feed in the search box. GC

Thank you!

 

[Folly's place]

It's best to offer grit too, because you won't know until later how much they will need.
I always offer chick sized grit to the babies when they hit the soil and are eating anything other than their crumble. Necessary!
Oyster shell in a separate feeder when they start laying eggs, and the birds will eat it as needed.
Modern birds need their base balanced diet free choice all year, and depending on what they find outside, will likely eat less of it during the summer. That's nice, but growing large and producing lots of eggs is hard work, needing fuel!
Mary

 

[GC-Raptor]

Ok..another question then about the grit: if they forage during the day in my yard, do they still the grit?

If the non laying chicks start consuming the Shells then your ground doesn't have enough small stones.
A 25 lb bag is $10 and lasts a long time. GC

 

[Crazy wash mom]

The birds I g hv ave will eat anything I don’t think they can differentiate between grit and shells. I put my 10 week old out I. The coop give them layer crumbles nearby mixed with corn. But it is really a free for all in there.

 

[Whigru]

Yes, I know this. But how much would 5 birds eat that also forage during the day?

I’ve had a fluctuation in the number of birds I’ve had, but have always had at least 2, at most, 4. I also feed organic feed and during the warm months when the birds can free range for even a few hours a day, our bag of feed lasts close to 3 months. I have 2 birds now that are 14 weeks and 2 that are 5 weeks, and I would say we just broke into our second bag of chick feed (we bought a new bag in May but just dumped it into the tote that already had feed in it, so I can’t say for sure when we would have run out of the first bag). When I had 2 full grown birds over the fall/winter, the feed went a little faster because they were not ranging as much, but I would guess that if you have 5 birds that free range a bit each day, you could probably go 2 months on one bag of feed, providing they get additional snacks.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I don’t think they can differentiate between grit and shells.

I keep them separated and my hens eat way more Shells than Grit.
I don't feed a layers feed.
When I did feed a Layers feed they ate about equal amounts.

GC

 

[Doc7]

I keep them separated and my hens eat way more Shells than Grit.
I don't feed a layers feed.
When I did feed a Layers feed they ate about equal amounts.View attachment 2199056
GC

Feeding a non layer feed myself, my hens (6 laying at the time) go through 5 Pounds of oyster shell in 6 Months:

Edit : wrong! Just realized looking at the screenshot, this is the one time ever that I bought Layena feed, taking advantage of the Purina “taste test challenge”’coupon!

 

[Crs1]

i Feed game bird grower finisher 22%. I have two pans of oyster shell out and the only time they touch it is when I have egg shells in it. We are in the process of rotating out old and raising up the new so we were going to go to layer feed 16% Because they don’t eat the oyster shell