AnachainAcres
Chirping
So a bit ago before i really got into the chicken thing (had owned a few in the past but never really got into health and wellness as seriously) I helped at a vegan farm animal sanctuary. They had a flock of chickens a duck and several turkeys. All were kept together in a concrete floored run and a shed style coop. None had access to any grassy area except a couple of the turkeys. All animals there were fed a vegan diet. i know chickens are omnivores. They all were fed a chicken layer feed. i remember cleaning the run and coop and recall most poos being just straight liquid. Rarely did i ever see what i know now as normal poo. The few chickens I owned before were free range and healthy good layers. never had any health issues and eggs always seemed strong shelled and dark yolked. The sanctuary only supplemented using Poultry boost and cracked the raw eggs the hens laid into the feed. their thought on this was that the hens needed more protein and that the egg would add protein. but if the hens are deficient wouldnt the eggs be too!? that never made sense to me. They were not offered grit or oyster shell at all. One day one hen got out on to the grass and the farm manager freaked saying that the birds couldnt be on grass even a couple minutes because they would get impacted crops. As i stated prior my birds before were free range all the time and this never was an issue.
I now have three SPCA rescues (1 roo and 2 hens all white leghorns) and i am paranoid of letting them out on grass. I feel that free range is healthiest but now i am worried about impaction. I feed Purina Layena and offer grit along with about a table spoon each of a scratch and mealworm snack every night and a oregano water supplement.
am i being over worried? or was their diet not healthy and they were more susceptible?
I now have three SPCA rescues (1 roo and 2 hens all white leghorns) and i am paranoid of letting them out on grass. I feel that free range is healthiest but now i am worried about impaction. I feed Purina Layena and offer grit along with about a table spoon each of a scratch and mealworm snack every night and a oregano water supplement.
am i being over worried? or was their diet not healthy and they were more susceptible?