Recommend supplements or conditioners?

[FlChickie]

I currently give my chickens egg-layer, scratch and free range them on the weekends. Should I be giving them anything else with their food? Any recommended supplements or conditioners? I don't know if they are getting enough greens in the yard, the eggs haven't been getting that nice orange color. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[ralleia]

I would be careful about getting into supplements game--it's easy to go overboard and end up having negative effects on the birds (as well as wasting money). And then if anything goes wrong with one you have more things to try to eliminate as suspects to the problem.

Do you garden? Whether you do or don't you might consider raising a few veggies just for the chickens, who will greatly appreciate it. Swiss chard is a leafy green that produces all spring, summer, and fall--just harvest the outer leaves and throw to the chickens. They also appreciate tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons, kale (and any yummy green cabbage caterpillars on them) and every green that humans eat. Plus they eat weeds like dandelion leaves, dock, purslane, or grasses/clovers from your unsprayed lawn.

 

[FlChickie]

Oh ok, I just want to make sure that I'm giving them enough now, I don't want to give them too much. But I want to make sure they're happy and healthy. We just started a garden so they'll be getting lots of goodys from it.