Other feed options

[coloradochick]

I switched my big wasters to pellets and we've cut down on waste in the coops and on the feed bill tremendously.

 

[kodiakchicken]

Quote:
Why do you think that is? Because the pellets don't get lost and pulverized as easily? Because they have to eat them slower? I do have the option of pellets, have just always fed crumbles though because I figured it was easier for them to eat. They do waste a ton of it though.

 

[digitS']

I simply weigh the commercial feed and keep the birds at 1/4 pound each/day. It isn't a rigid sort of thing - they can eat whatever they want of their feed but how much in the way of treats they get depends on how much feed they have eaten thru the day.

My hens are dual purpose breeds so they require more than 1/4 pound each day. During cold weather, they will eat a lot more than 1/4 pound each. But, if I give them enuf "treats" that will hold the feed consumption down.

Of course, I could give them so many treats they would eat ZERO pounds of commercial feed but I don't think that would be wise. The treats aren't "junk food" - I try to have healthy food by my standards. And, they can range around the backyard and eat what they can find there (there's still snow

). I figure that a hen gets nearly what she needs eating 1/4 pound of a 20% protein feed except for needing a few more calories.

Would that help, Kodiakchicken? If they ate .25 pound each would that cut the feed bill to where it would be more manageable?

Right now, they are eating 50 pounds / 7 days / 20 birds = .36 pounds/day/bird. That is not counting anything else they are eating.

Steve

 

[nightshade]

I feed free choice. I know alot of fokes say not to because it can cause them to be too fat but it works for me. This is what I do.

I feed a mix of 50lb of layer pellets, 50lb of cracked corn, and a 10lb bag of black oil sun flower seeds. This last me around two weeks and costs just under $40 dollars. So I allot myself $100 a month for chicken feed including treats, fresh produce and the occasional price changes. I normally end up spending $80 or a little less of this actually. I also feed suet cakes free choice. I have to hangers in the run and they pick at them as they want them. I get the at the local feed store when he has them on sale for buy one get one or buy the 12 cake case for $10 a case last me roughly three months.

Here is the important thing to realize, I have roughly 40 chickens, 6 ducks and a gobbler in the pen. (gobbler just showed up this week so I don't really know what impact on feed he is going to have yet.)

I have found that the first few weeks I fed free choice ( had food available at all times) the were huge pigs and ate 100lbs a feed in less then week. But after the first month they cut back and now eat that same 100lbs in two weeks and are all nice looking, fat and happy. There has been times when they seem to eat more then others. But most days I go out and go to refill my 5 gal bucket feeder and it still has feed in it. So I just top it off with a few pound of feed, toss some on the ground for scratch and fill the large tray feeder I have. The tray feeder takes about 8 gts of feed to fill but it will take all day for them to empty it.

They do not act starved and attack you when you go to feed them, like they use to do when I was feeding weighed amounts twice a day. They seem happier so I am happier.

In the summer they seem to eat even less cause I get alot of pick out produce for them and that cuts the feed bill down too. Winters defiantly take more boughten feed then any other time of year.

 

[ibpboo]

I feed my chickens all my scraps. Meat, veggies, fruits, breads, pasta, plus they free range a lot. They eat snails, worms, pincher bugs or earwigs, they'll even eat lizards and baby gophers or mice. I also keep food, scratch, crumbles and oyster shell in their pen at all times.

 

[cmom]

I switched my feed from crumbles to pellets and they waste far less. I give mine almost everything.
Here is the link to BYC Chicken Treat Chart. It's very good.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart