Need help sorting out all the advice of what to feed Chickens!

[SunnyAlberta]

My husband and I don't eat much in the way of fruit and vegetables, so anything fresh will have to be store bought.

Keeping chickens is your opportunity to eat fresh eggs and to add fruit and veggies to your whole family's diet. You're getting healthy!

 

[Minchi]

Sadly my husband and I are not likely to change too much. He is an under taster and even though I have tried he can not stand the texture of any fruits or vegetables. My hardest part in this is that he also does not like eggs. It is hard to convince someone to have chickens when the main reason is something he can't stand. I plan to work on that one. I am a not a good eater myself, I amazingly am a super taster so it makes things complex. I have tested both of us and the titles are true but that is no reason for my babies to suffer. I found a 5 LB bucket of sprout seeds for $50, I am thinking that will feed them fairly well for at least 6 months (3 chickens) when they are old enough. I want them to have a balanced diet so that is why I am looking in to other things to supplement the greens. I can't let them free range in my area.

 

[HappyRoo]

This probably has been mentioned before but I will throw this your way. I read that you should not feed chickens or any live stock grass that has been cut because it can get caught in there throats or craw/crop, When they nibble on grasses they take just what they need and aren't at risk of choking? I'm sure I read this somewhere.

OleLady Said:

"Fresh grass when we mow and weeds out of the flowerbeds, flowers too. And any other thing that comes our way. Like the wild strawberries and termite swarms"

I think you need to make sure to chop or grind up weeds and grasses

 

[Minchi]

Thank you, Amazingly that is advice I have not read yet.

 

[Izzymoon]

I get my organic feed from a feed store I decided if I was going to raise chickens, I should take it all the way and feed them organic. It's a little more expensive (26.00/50lb bag) but I think in the end it'll pay off. As they get older I'll look into making my own, and added good veggie diets etc. You are what you eat

I also have been giving them Gro-gel everytime I move or stress them out badly. The gobble it up like candy. I bought it for when they first came home, and the little bag serves over 1,000 chicks, so i never finished it. So I was just going to use it up, and they reacted so positive to it, I bought another bag, and will give it to them once a week, just to keep their little bodies in check, as I reduce the temps.

this is where I go
http://www.themaneplace.com/poultry.htm