protein feed

[Bonnie sue]

The best feed is flock raiser at 20% protein, with free choice oyster shell on the side. It’s the calcium they are lacking, not protein. Take them off the bird seed - it’s not nutritious and way too high in carbs. Your chickens will eat pellets if that’s all you offer them. If they’re being picky, offer them nothing but the pellets and stop all treats, esp the bird seed. They will eat the pellets before starving to death.

thanks everyone, what brand of food you feed your girls? i will take them off the bird feed, the feed mill man said that the high protein would be good for them he said nothing about calcium but thanks for the help

 

[rosemarythyme]

Really almost any brand is fine, as long as it's recently milled (not sitting in the backroom of a store for over a year). To make things as easy as possible, get a pellet or crumble feed with a minimum of 16% protein and around 4% calcium (generally labeled as "layer").

I would cut out ALL scratch and treats until they learn to eat their feed.

 

[David61]

only 10% of their food should be scratch, bird seed , food ,treats... 90% should be a 16-20% protein chicken feed. layer has the calcium if they get 90% of their intake in feed.
i do the flock raiser as its 20%. so if they eat less feed that day, the feed they ate was 20% not 16%.
They eat the oyster shell just fine.
have you looked at their poop? runny poop can be a sign that it not the feed but parasitic

 

[aart]

i do feed them veggies and stuff when i have it and scratch. what brand do you use and think is good?

I feed 20% Purina Flock Raiser.
Because of the high protein I am able to give some scratch daily,
mostly to get them out of the coop so I can clean.

I would cut out ALL scratch and treats until they learn to eat their feed.

Ditto Dat!!!