I'm currently trying to boost my flock's health after a bout of problems.
They currently get All Flock pellets with oyster shell on the side. I rarely give treats (maybe, like, 2x or 3x in the summer to combat heat - that's it). Fresh water daily. Spot clean coop daily, full clean weekly.
So I've been reading a lot about diet. I'm seeing some conflicting info. Of course balanced commercial feed is good, but what about free ranging/foraging? Is that overall detrimental to their health since it isn't balanced commercial feed?
I was thinking about starting a fodder system, but don't want to detract from a balanced diet. I also allow my birds to forage in the pasture daily, and I'm wondering if that's diluting their nutrient intake.
It seems counterintuitive to think that free ranging could be bad for them, but I've read several blogs/articles and a lot of BYC posts suggesting that anything other than pellets (i.e. letting them free range/forage) is bad for them. It's been suggested to me that I should stop letting them consume anything other than pellets, and I'm wondering if that might be better given that these birds are essentially laying machines...
Thoughts?
They currently get All Flock pellets with oyster shell on the side. I rarely give treats (maybe, like, 2x or 3x in the summer to combat heat - that's it). Fresh water daily. Spot clean coop daily, full clean weekly.
So I've been reading a lot about diet. I'm seeing some conflicting info. Of course balanced commercial feed is good, but what about free ranging/foraging? Is that overall detrimental to their health since it isn't balanced commercial feed?
I was thinking about starting a fodder system, but don't want to detract from a balanced diet. I also allow my birds to forage in the pasture daily, and I'm wondering if that's diluting their nutrient intake.
It seems counterintuitive to think that free ranging could be bad for them, but I've read several blogs/articles and a lot of BYC posts suggesting that anything other than pellets (i.e. letting them free range/forage) is bad for them. It's been suggested to me that I should stop letting them consume anything other than pellets, and I'm wondering if that might be better given that these birds are essentially laying machines...
Thoughts?