pigeon mix feed?

[MarxNuggets]

HI! I got a bag of mixed feed that is for Pigeons for my chickens. it has whole dried corn kernels and whole green peas and other grains. is this ok for my chickens?? Is the whole dried corn kernels can they eat them? I read I"m suppose to supply grit along with this? the bag of grit but worry that the grits are really big! how big should grit be?

 

[NatJ]

You can feed a bit of that mix to your chickens as treats.
It is NOT a complete diet for chickens (not enough of some nutrients).
So it should not be their main food.

Yes, they should have grit available. Grit means rocks that will sit in the gizzard and grind up their food. The grit itself gets ground up over time, so starting out big is a good thing. Grit should be any size the chicken chooses to swallow (which sometimes looks really big or really small to a person!)

Whole corn and whole peas are a fine size for chickens to eat-- I have even seen bantams (small chickens) eat whole corn, apparently with no trouble.

 

[rosemarythyme]

As far as grit size, it depends on ages/sizes of your chickens. For birds over 8 weeks old I'd offer a mix of grower (or pullet) size + layer (hen) size, since I have different sized birds in my flock so they can choose what they want.