Okay need help with types of food to get for all my chickens!

[ambermarie]

Okay, I have too go by the feed store Friday, and don't know the different types of food, or what to ask for...I have 6 chicks that are about 9wks old, then I just recently bought a barred rock hen & a cochin/silkie mix rooster...I need something that I can give to all of them! I have no idea how old the rooster & hen are...don't know if the hen has 'retired' from laying, as she hasn't laid any since I got her...what age do they stop laying? Or maybe its because she needs egg layer?

I actually prefer buying 2 or 3 types of food & mixing them up, so the chickens get all the vitamins & stuff they need, thats maybe not in 1 of them...anyway, their all eating chick grower right now, with some cracked corn mixed in...I also give them chicken grit, the little rocks for their digestion...anyway PLEASE HELP!

Thanks!

 

[ambermarie]

Forgot also, can someone please give me a list of things that chickens love & can have & that are good for them?

They like lettuce from salad, older hen likes carrots, they don't seem to like yogurt that much though...the female hen eats a little but slings her head.

 

[Brassmaster]

How long have you had the hen? I've read that stress can cause them to not lay so if it has only been a couple of days then the move to new housing might be a cause. Is she molting or starting to molt? That could be another factor.

 

[Brassmaster]

Quote:
Mine eat just about anything I put in their pen. Mine LOVE watermelon and will demolish a half a melon in no time. Lettuce, cabbage leaves, weeds from the garden, Japanese beetles, cherry tomatoes, the list goes on.
I wouldn't feed them anything like onions or garlic since it is said that can make the eggs taste funny. Never tried that.

 

[ambermarie]

Hi, I bought her just a few days ago...it was on Saturday I think. What is moulting? Oh know, I don't know anything! I know that crayfish moult, they shed their skin...is that what chickens do?

 

[ambermarie]

My chicks wouldn't eat the cherry tomatoes, but they disappeared after I got the hen & rooster, so I guess they ate them!

 

[valentinebaby]

Be sure you check out the BYC treat page: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

I've decided to keep my girls who are 18 and 17 weeks old and have started laying, on their original starter feed. It's an "Allway" (starter, grower, layer feed by Big V feeds out of Oklahoma) product that has 20% protein. My understanding is that the main reason to switch them to layer feed, which is 16% protein, is because it has added calcium and is cheaper (but not by much). Since the 3 girls who are laying started earlier and have very strong egg shells and are healthy, I must be doing something right! They do have free choice access to crushed oyster shell all day long (calcium).

 

[ambermarie]

What is that food called, that you feed them? I'll ask the feed store if they have that brand/kind? Thanks

 

[valentinebaby]

Meant to add that my understanding is that chickens will eat the oyster shell only if they need it (which they do when they start laying). Chickens stop laying at different ages - highest production years are the first 2 1/2. Many on this site say they lay long beyond that (at least 6 yrs.), but their production will be much less). You can tell the age of a chicken and how long she has been laying by checking the "bleaching" of her feet and remaining extremities (search for this - I'm sure there's a bleaching sequence chart on this site). If you can't find it, highly recommend you go to your library and look for Gail Damerow's "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens". The chart is in her book and it has loads of info.

 

[valentinebaby]

Here's Big V's website:

http://bigvfeeds.com/index.cfm?show=10&mid=8

Also, chickens are somewhat like people in that they all seem to have different taste buds. Many on this site claim their chickens LOVE watermelon - mine HATE it. My girls favorite food is mashed up bananas - I go to Kroger's in the early morning and often they will have the large bags of ugly bananas for about 99 cents. I also try to give them plain yogurt at least 3 times a week - fantastic probiotic. Today they had organic vanilla yogurt that my mom gave to me last night cuz my dad doesn't like it. They're funny to watch when I give them something new - they're hesitant to be the 1st to try it and then when Billie (my bravest chicken) shows them she likes it, it turns into a mad flurry for the other 10 to follow her lead!