Hello Everyone,
I am new here and I have a few questions about feeding my chickens.
1. Does anyone know whether or not spent grain still retains most of the sugars, vitamins and protein? I don't know much about brewing, but I watched a video and it appears that the grains are boiled only for a short amount of time before being discarded, so it appears to still be quite nutritious for my girls, right? I have an acquaintance that owns a brewery that hooks me up with free spent wheat, barley and rye. I usually mix that into my Layer feed 50% of each. The chickens love it, and even prefer it since its soft! Do you think that's a good idea or its not enough nutrition for them?
2. If your chickens free range in an urban backyard (about 25ft x 50 ft) how much feed would you give them? Like about half the recommended amount? (remember, I mix it with the spent grain)
3. I eat alot of veggies and have my own mini garden. So my chickens get to feast on loads of scraps like carrots, kale, chard and cabbage, apples and figs. However, I was told to limit the amount of fruits and veggies since that would decrease egg production (since it's low on protein). What do you guys think about that? I know eating more produce makes the eggs more nutritious, right?
If my chickens started laying then maybe I would have a clearer idea. But they haven't started to lay yet so I am not sure if it's because of the season or lack of nutrition. They range from 6 month to 8 months old. I set the timer on so that they get the required 14 hr of daylight. I see their waddles are slowing coming in, but definitely not super big or red. Is that normal for a 6-8 month old chicken? They are all different breeds. Leghorn, wynadotte, amerucana, RIRxMaran, and a possible Orpington. They have definitely been getting bigger and fluffier, but no eggs yet! They are very happy and friendly birds and no mites or anything. Could it be the season?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
I am new here and I have a few questions about feeding my chickens.
1. Does anyone know whether or not spent grain still retains most of the sugars, vitamins and protein? I don't know much about brewing, but I watched a video and it appears that the grains are boiled only for a short amount of time before being discarded, so it appears to still be quite nutritious for my girls, right? I have an acquaintance that owns a brewery that hooks me up with free spent wheat, barley and rye. I usually mix that into my Layer feed 50% of each. The chickens love it, and even prefer it since its soft! Do you think that's a good idea or its not enough nutrition for them?
2. If your chickens free range in an urban backyard (about 25ft x 50 ft) how much feed would you give them? Like about half the recommended amount? (remember, I mix it with the spent grain)
3. I eat alot of veggies and have my own mini garden. So my chickens get to feast on loads of scraps like carrots, kale, chard and cabbage, apples and figs. However, I was told to limit the amount of fruits and veggies since that would decrease egg production (since it's low on protein). What do you guys think about that? I know eating more produce makes the eggs more nutritious, right?
If my chickens started laying then maybe I would have a clearer idea. But they haven't started to lay yet so I am not sure if it's because of the season or lack of nutrition. They range from 6 month to 8 months old. I set the timer on so that they get the required 14 hr of daylight. I see their waddles are slowing coming in, but definitely not super big or red. Is that normal for a 6-8 month old chicken? They are all different breeds. Leghorn, wynadotte, amerucana, RIRxMaran, and a possible Orpington. They have definitely been getting bigger and fluffier, but no eggs yet! They are very happy and friendly birds and no mites or anything. Could it be the season?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!