Mixing feed?

[Beehappy13]

Hello all!
I’m pretty sure this is an odd question but would it be a problem to mix feeds together when feeding my girls? They don’t like pellets for whatever reason so they’ve been on crumbles exclusively. But I recently found a whole grain organic feed (Scratch and Peck Organic Layer feed photo attached) that is not pelletized or processed that I’d like to mix in with their crumbles. Or would it be better to give it to them like as a supplemental wholesome treat daily?

 

[NatJ]

If you mix the feeds, they will probably eat the parts they like best, and throw the rest on the floor while they're trying to find the "good" parts.

Foods that are whole-grain mixes tend to have that problem anyway, but mixing it into the crumbles would not help.

I would leave the crumbles in one feeder with nothing mixed in.

For the grain-mix, you could serve it in a separate dish. I notice the instructions on the tag say it can be fed dry or moistened. I have read elsewhere that if you get it a bit wet the chickens have a harder time picking through and wasting some parts. Of course, if you serve it wet, you need to serve a small enough amount that they eat it up before it can rot or go bad.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I would use your mix as a treat instead. Those chickens are smart! They will pick out all the good treats and not eat their food... it's like dessert first and no room for the meal.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Since I use Scratch & Peck as well as another feed (crumbles at the moment), what I do is ferment the S&P and feed that as "breakfast," and then offer the dry crumble in a feeder for the entire day. Fermenting really helps it clump together so they can't pick out favorite pieces, plus greatly reduces waste and increases nutritional intake by forcing the birds to also eat the powdery fines that contain protein and vitamins.