Regular feed to organic change ?

[U_Stormcrow]

U_Stormcrow, Thank you kindly for the time you spent explaining. I appreciate your expertise. I do not plan on adding to my flock and was curious if you agree keeping them on chick starter for their entire life span is acceptable. I am choosing to do this in order to keep them on the 20% protein with a side of oyster shells. And while we are on the topic of feed, what is your opinion on the fact that i give the 6 pullets ONE hard boiled egg every other day of the week, including the shell. I do this in the evening after our final freerange. My thinking: It helps get them in the run, and fills them up before roosty time. I do not know if this is a positive or negative thing. They love hard boiled egg more than anything I have ever offered them. Thank you again!!

Would you believe I did the math??? and some great posters involved in that thread, JacinLarkwell, NatJ, 3KillerBs, Aart - all peopele I've learned from, each with our own areas of relative expertise.

Short answer, treat eggs (hard boiled or otherwise) as treats, and you will be just fine. In the quantity and frequency suggested, you have considerable margin for additional treats, given your flock size.

I prefer not to feed Starter/Grower because locally its only available in small bags 7#, 10# etc and it costs more/lb than a similar nutrition 50# bag of All Flock. In Purina's case (NOT typical of all Mfgs), their All Flock is actually a better feed than their starter grower (because the S/G isadequate, but sub-optimal) from an overall nutrition standpoint. However, for your flock size, the smaller bags ensure the feed is fresher when you get to the bottom, and may simply be more practical for you - that's nothing to do with nutrition, of course (except that stale food loses some tiny but measurable amount, and more time is more opportunity for mold, mildew, or bugs to infest the feed).

 

[NatJ]

keeping them on chick starter for their entire life span is acceptable.

Yes, that should be fine.

I prefer not to feed Starter/Grower because locally its only available in small bags 7#, 10# etc and it costs more/lb than a similar nutrition 50# bag of All Flock.

I've always been able to find chick starter in 50 pound bags, so it must be something that varies from one place to another

However, for your flock size, the smaller bags ensure the feed is fresher when you get to the bottom, and may simply be more practical for you - that's nothing to do with nutrition, of course (except that stale food loses some tiny but measurable amount, and more time is more opportunity for mold, mildew, or bugs to infest the feed).

I wouldn't bother buying smaller bags for 6 hens. A common estimate is that each hen eats 1/4 to 1/3 pound of food each day. For 6 hens, that works out to 50 pounds every 25 to 33 days, which seems like a reasonable length of time to me: about one bag a month, give or take a bit.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I switched them to Natures Best organic 20% chick starter yesterday. I will include the oyster shells on the side when they begin to lay (if they ever do!). In you opinion, and anyone else that wants to chime in; do you think this is ok.

Yes, sounds good to me.
I would offer Oyster Shells now though. GC

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Yes, sounds good to me.
I would offer Oyster Shells now though. GC

Thank you

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Would you believe I did the math??? and some great posters involved in that thread, JacinLarkwell, NatJ, 3KillerBs, Aart - all peopele I've learned from, each with our own areas of relative expertise.

Short answer, treat eggs (hard boiled or otherwise) as treats, and you will be just fine. In the quantity and frequency suggested, you have considerable margin for additional treats, given your flock size.

I prefer not to feed Starter/Grower because locally its only available in small bags 7#, 10# etc and it costs more/lb than a similar nutrition 50# bag of All Flock. In Purina's case (NOT typical of all Mfgs), their All Flock is actually a better feed than their starter grower (because the S/G isadequate, but sub-optimal) from an overall nutrition standpoint. However, for your flock size, the smaller bags ensure the feed is fresher when you get to the bottom, and may simply be more practical for you - that's nothing to do with nutrition, of course (except that stale food loses some tiny but measurable amount, and more time is more opportunity for mold, mildew, or bugs to infest the feed).

Good point, well put, and Roger that.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Yes, that should be fine.


I've always been able to find chick starter in 50 pound bags, so it must be something that varies from one place to another



I wouldn't bother buying smaller bags for 6 hens. A common estimate is that each hen eats 1/4 to 1/3 pound of food each day. For 6 hens, that works out to 50 pounds every 25 to 33 days, which seems like a reasonable length of time to me: about one bag a month, give or take a bit.

Thanks NatJ, I feel comfortable with the amount of time the 40lb bag lasts since I started this journey 5 months ago. Also, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you to all of you knowledgeable souls. I wish we could all get together and talk chickens for an undetermined amount of time. Or at least until i have to get home to let the girls free range. Speaking of which……12 little fluff butts are currently anticipating their evening free range! May all your flocks thrive!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Thanks NatJ, I feel comfortable with the amount of time the 40lb bag lasts since I started this journey 5 months ago. Also, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you to all of you knowledgeable souls. I wish we could all get together and talk chickens for an undetermined amount of time. Or at least until i have to get home to let the girls free range. Speaking of which……12 little fluff butts are currently anticipating their evening free range! May all your flocks thrive!

EDIT: I said 12, when in fact its only 6! my subconscious........

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Yes, sounds good to me.
I would offer Oyster Shells now though. GC

GC, I put the Oyster shells out today in a separate dish. My girls are 20 weeks and have yet to lay! One of the girls does the squat down motion if I put my hand over her, and I have learned thats an indication she may be ready to lay. She was the first one to nibble the oyster shells.

 

[GC-Raptor]

My girls are 20 weeks and have yet to lay! One of the girls does the squat down motion if I put my hand over her, and I have learned thats an indication she may be ready to lay. She was the first one to nibble the oyster shells.

Yay.
With my previous Pullets it averages a couple of weeks after squatting, before laying.
A couple of my Pullets have been squatting about 10 days. They will be 19 weeks tomorrow.
Still waiting for the first egg !!
GC

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Yay.
With my previous Pullets it averages a couple of weeks after squatting, before laying.
A couple of my Pullets have been squatting about 10 days. They will be 19 weeks tomorrow.
Still waiting for the first egg !!
GC

Do yours squat for no reason? my dont. My one girl only does it sometimes if I put my hand over her. She like, freezes and squats. Have yours become more chatty at all?