Question for the pros.....

[Keltara]

Okay. So I've been feeding my girls layer crumble from TCS. They really don't eat much of it, because they free range all day, and only eat the crumble while I'm taking my human girls to school when they are "cooped up in the chicken run" and while I'm picking my "human" girlies up from school. Other than that, they are roaming the yard all day foraging. I recently bought my girls some organic feed. I honestly feel that anything genetically modified has been comprimised and most chicken feed has gmo soy in it. Never the less, my girls have gone from this:

To this:

I noticed that it says to feed to hens 50 to 80 weeks. My girls are only 27 weeks. AND, the little buggers have not laid a single egg!!! Do you think it will be okay for them to eat all the wonderful grains instead of that icky crumble which always left a pile under the feeder?? Keeping in mind that they free range ALL DAY LONG.

 

[maybejoey]

I would never buy layer crumbles agiain, Buy layer pellets they are bigger and dont sink into the earth and get waisted as easily.

 

[midget_farms]

It will be fine to feed them that - the warning is because if you feed chicks (0 to say 3 mos) too much calcium they get joint problems. Your's are plenty old & have a diverse enough diet to now worry about it.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Quote:
Never heard of the joint problems. I know they get kidney problems from too much calcium.

How much extra is the organic feed? It looks really good, (and expensive!)!

and was it from TSC also?

 

[Animalian]

my only concern with the grain is that they can get picky and only eat the grains they want. It's ok if you feed them 'meals' and make sure they finish it, but not in a dispenser. Just my experience with grain layer feed.

I used to feed the grain style but got concerned they weren't getting a 'complete' diet, so I have my hens on organic vegetarian pellets.

 

[Keltara]

Quote:
Thanks Mark. I'm glad to know this. I figured they'd be okay but not only did you reassure me, you also explained the "reason" behind the age requirement. Winter is just around the corner here, and soon they will be eating only the food I put out for them as there is nothing to forage here in Michigan for months on end. I'm glad to have found this nutrient packed (non processed) chicken feed.

Thanks again for your input Mark.

~Kelly~
✿My Country Chronicles Blog✿

 

[Keltara]

Quote:
I'll keep an eye out and make sure they're eating all parts of it. Right now, they are still free ranging but what they do eat out of the feeder seems to be pretty complete. It'll be easier to gauge when they are confined to the run after winter sets in.

 

[Keltara]

Quote:
Never heard of the joint problems. I know they get kidney problems from too much calcium.

How much extra is the organic feed? It looks really good, (and expensive!)!

and was it from TSC also?

It was pricey, but I only have 3 hens and therefore have the ability to indulge them. If I had a large flock, they'd never get food this expensive! It was $26 for 50 lbs. I bought it at a small local feed store. So far, the Henny Penny's seem to like this feed as much as table scraps.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks for posting that label. I'll bet if you contact them, you will find that that 50 to 80 weeks age is a typo. It should start with 20 weeks. If you go to their website, their Grower stops at 20 weeks, which is standard. Not sure why that would have a maximum either. I guess it is intended for battery hens that are processed somewhere around 80 weeks, though that should be good for the rest of our hen's lives. Some of mine go past 80 weeks.

It was interesting to see the note not to provide oyster shell free choice. If they eat all the mix and nothing else, oyster shell should not be required. They should get all the calcium they need from the feed.

With the comment on not feeding extra oyster shell and the comments you have recived from others about them picking out certain parts and leaving other parts behind, I expect this is formulated for hens that are kept under commercial conditions. One trick they use to keep bullies from getting more than their share and the less dominant hens not getting enough to eat is to only feed at certain times instead of leaving the feed out continuously. You've probably seen how chickens flock to the feeder when you refill it and act like they are starving although there was some feed in the feeder. If you feed a little less than they can clean up at a time but feed several time a day, you can pretty much regulate how much each chicken eats individually.

Thanks for the post. Interesting.