Ration food versus free feed?

[Kittymomma]

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I bet that is what you're thinking of. Many people ration the meaties just so they can make it to butcher day without leg problems or heart faliure. Layers seem to know when to stop, mine always have feed available but they range all over the yard and don't just sit there stuffing their beaks like meat chickens will.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree that penned birds need free choice. Free rangers don't necessarily need this. I only feed my free ranged flock in the evenings and they usually have a little left over in the trough for breakfast. I don't like leaving feed free choice if I can help it...it makes the rats take up residence and I lose a lot of feed to rodents.

I also feed only in the evenings due to encouraging them to forage more. If any one bird didn't get a good foraged intake, she has the option of feeding up on laying mash each evening and not going to bed hungry.

In the winter, if the snow is on the ground pretty deep, I vary this. I feed in the morning so they can free feed all day but I don't leave food in the coop overnight.

The only chickens I've seen in my flocks that were overly fat were the Buff Orps. They ate constantly and didn't lay consistently....I think there was a direct corrolation. Overly fat birds can have abnormal ovulation cycles and difficulty with becoming egg bound.

 

[woodmort]

In my experience, be it chickens or cats or dogs, if they have a balance, healthy diet in front of them 24/7 they will not overeat. Overeating and overweight happens because they think they have to eat everything at these periodic feedings since they can't reason and don't know where their next meal is coming from. My birds always have food and water where they can get at it.

 

[Beekissed]

That's funny, because everyone I know who free choice feeds their dogs have what I call "sausage casings" for pets. You know the kind...they look as if their skin will split wide open if you touch them. Ditto on the cats...hugely fat cats whose bellies actually drag the floors.

My older dog would do very well feeding free choice and would pick around at food throughout the day. I used to just leave a bag of dog food open on the back porch and she never would touch it. She just ate small meals all day and we let her have what she wanted. She was a self regulating dog.

Then came Jake.

My younger dog would eat until he perforated his stomach. Seriously. He has been that way since a pup and he will eat until he cannot breath if given free choice. We had to stop leaving the dog food bag open. We had to put the dog food into a locked bin. He chewed that open and we finally had to put the dog food in a locked bin inside a locked shed.

I believe that house pets that have little stimulation tend to dip into the free choice more frequently than they would if they had other things to do. Each and every house dog I've seen has been overweight...without exceptions.

 

[kla37]

I free feed too. Not too many carb or fat heavy treats. They will even turn up their beaks at watermelon if they aren't hungry, and never appear frantic for food.

 

[Pine Grove]

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Exact same thing with chickens, except they store fat internally..I've never seen a free choice fed bird, unless they free range 24/7 barring parasites that wasn't internally fat, even being fed straight layer they'll have a buildup of fat around the gizzard sometimes two inches thick, not counting all the fat in the pelvic area and other organs..

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

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We have had free choice for all of our pets for the last 45 years and in that time not one of our pets have been overweight, that includes dogs, cats, rabbits, 2 birds and now our chickens. Our 13 year old dog goes all the way to the laundry to get a mouthful of food, comes back to the office and eats it one piece at a time...she repeats this several times a day...she does not stand and chow down until it is empty. I think it depends on the animal much like people.

 

[hallerlake]

Then, mine are the exception. Miguel's weight has been stable since he reached full size. His vets have always said his weight was good. My other basset was 14 when he died, and Miguel is 13. That's old for a basset. They wouldn't have lived so long if they were overweight. Granted, I have only free fed kibble. Anything tastier than that, and he would weight 500 lbs.

We've gotten a bit off topic.

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[Tropical Chook]

I gave up long ago trying to get the chickens to do things my way, and at that point, I started free ranging them. I now leave my coop open 24/7 and of course there is feed and fresh water in there, but apart from one or two of my birds, the rest of the flock only go into the coop at night, at which point they may have a quick snack. Just yesterday I had to empty their feeder out and put in some fresh pellets simply because since they started free ranging, they just tend to prefer the food nature is providing for them. At the moment, even with free choice available, I spend about $1.70 per week on my 14 birds and 2 ducks, and that includes a little bit of corn which they all love. I put 2kg's of pellets in their feeder yesterday, and that will last them for exactly one week. Once we hit the dry season, they'll more than likely eat more pellets, and once all the eggs hatch, feed bill will go up as well, but not by very much. BTW, only six are hens, while the rest are all roos destined for the pot, except the head roo.

What my birds find to eat in the garden I don't know, but apart from an afternoon nap and dust bath, they are eating non stop. Well, I suppose it takes a while to fill your tummy if you're only eating the tinies of insects. Not complaing though, because it at least keeps them busy in their own little chicken world.

Now, if it were me, I'd head for the feeder, fill myself up, have a drink, and then I'd relax some place in the shade

 

[hallerlake]

When my girls free ranged all day, they ate a lot less feed, too. Unfortunately, I didn't feel comfortable letting them free range unsupervised after I rescued Roz from the bald eagle. I can't be chasing eagles around the yard every day.

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