new research debunks trad views on nutrition

[Shadrach]

From what I’ve been seen with my chickens great dude give them broad range of sources to choose from, they do appear to balance the consumption for overall healthy diet.

That is the answer I think. Give them enough choice and they'll do fine.

 

[laboroflove]

In theory yes I agree with this thought. Curious any wethers in herd? I have two. Would worry about them with grain.

Wethers need grain for nutrients just like any other animal. What gets them is the calcium phosphorus ratio not being balanced. Most people don’t feed grain and only grass hay and that’s nothing but phosphorus. They need grain PLUS alfalfa to balance the ratio to where it needs to be. Grass hay = phosphorus, alfalfa = calcium. Grains should already be balanced. When we add the hay it messes that balance up.

Edit to add: you can get ammonium chloride to add to the grain to help prevent unitary calculi

 

[Shadrach]

Absolutely. Sheep are worse though. We can't even let them graze in the spring because they will actually eat too much grass when it's green and actually tasty.

Really? We had sheep and goats and didn't have such problems.
The West Country hillsides will be full of sheep soon grazing on spring grass with a sheep dog or two being their only company. They'll stay there throughout the summer.

 

[Perris]

@Perris what do you feed your chickens, if you don't mind my asking?

I give them a breakfast and tea of whole grains (mostly wheat), mixed peas and BOSS fermented lightly, plus live mealworms, an occasional can of sardines, occasional assorted veg, occasional plain natural yogurt, curds or whey, and assorted other things, such as dried seaweed collected from the beach or porridge oats, rarely. In between breakfast and bed they are out foraging, dawn till dusk, wherever they want in mixed shrubby borders, on the lawn, and in light woodland, where I have seen them eat all sorts, e.g. grass, weeds, seeds, flowers, insects, mushrooms, and less appealing things like toads, snakes, baby birds that fell out nests, plus the dog's, each others', and other animals' poo

 

[Bhubbard]

Wethers need grain for nutrients just like any other animal. What gets them is the calcium phosphorus ratio not being balanced. Most people don’t feed grain and only grass hay and that’s nothing but phosphorus. They need grain PLUS alfalfa to balance the ratio to where it needs to be. Grass hay = phosphorus, alfalfa = calcium. Grains should already be balanced. When we add the hay it messes that balance up.

Edit to add: you can get ammonium chloride to add to the grain to help prevent unitary calculi

I feed just hay. Grass, clover, alfalfa second cut. Open woody pasture with plenty of trees to eat and munch on. Feed free choice minerals.

 

[Bhubbard]

I give them a breakfast and tea of whole grains (mostly wheat), mixed peas and BOSS fermented lightly, plus live mealworms, an occasional can of sardines, occasional assorted veg, occasional plain natural yogurt, curds or whey, and assorted other things, such as dried seaweed collected from the beach or porridge oats, rarely. In between breakfast and bed they are out foraging, dawn till dusk, wherever they want in mixed shrubby borders, on the lawn, and in light woodland, where I have seen them eat all sorts, e.g. grass, weeds, seeds, flowers, insects, mushrooms, and less appealing things like toads, snakes, baby birds that fell out nests, plus the dog's, each others', and other animals' poo

Is this why I find dead field mice with my chickens? They hunt better than my Tom cat in the barn

 

[Perris]

I don't have time to read 7 pages at the mo. Can somebody just tell me if it's still considered okay to eat fruits, grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes?

yes. The basic message is, the closer to the whole food as it grew (e.g. skin on) the better. And a diverse range of foods; instead of 5 veg/fruit a day, aim to eat 30 different plants a week - and that's not as difficult as it sounds, because herbs and spices count, so you can easily get a dozen in a single spicy dish.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

yes. The basic message is, the closer to the whole food as it grew (e.g. skin on) the better. And a diverse range of foods; instead of 5 veg/fruit a day, aim to eat 30 different plants a week - and that's not as difficult as it sounds, because herbs and spices count, so you can easily get a dozen in a single spicy dish.

Thank you.

 

[centrarchid]

The conversation went kind of crazy since last time I posted so not certain I can add in a constructive way. That said, for the next few months my free-range birds will be fed only shelled corn and BOSS as a supplement to natural forages. Egg production will be very good through late summer when molt puts the breaks on egg production. For that to work, my chickens must be able to go where they want to find eats.

 

[Perris]

I'm interested in this grass business.
There is a problem in all these discussions about feed and that they are concentrated on the chemicals we know are needed to keep a hen alive and laying eggs.

Chickens are not grazing creatures but they eat grass. They don't just eat grass because there isn't anything else. I've been watching the allotment lot (chickens) and while I'm there there is plenty of commercial feed, very good forage in the way of bugs and vegitation, not to mention the supplements I take them.
When I feel their crops about half an hour before roost time they are pretty close to maximum capacity. I feel a lot of crops. But, given the opportunity they will make sure they eat grass before going to roost. All of them do it.

I suggest that there are chemicals other than those we've established that support life that the chickens feel they need.

I'm sure you're right. Anyone curious about grass and forage may find this interesting
https://orgprints.org/id/eprint/28090/