Gorgeous silkie crosses BTW. Re: feed: I think and this is only my opinion that the current whoop re: corn and soy and GMO is a fad. I'm not saying that I'm not at all concerned, because I am, so much so that I'm choosing OP garden seeds and saving my own seeds where practical, and choosing to garden, and choosing to raise chickens for eggs, and choosing to butcher my own culls, and soon planning to grow chickens for my own kitchen use. IMO, the average American food diet is so far removed from the ideal, that GMO is just one more layer in the trend to produce food that fills the belly but does not provide healthy nutrition. To the OP: re: feed which contains soy and corn. You have to choose your own path. If you are going to get into making your own feed to satisfy the whims of one customer, you must do it for your own benefit, because you are convinced that it is a superior way to feed your flock. And if you are going to make your own feed, you probably should have a proven formulation in mind. Those recipes are out there. For my own needs, it would be prohibitive to make my own feed, as I would have to buy the grains in 50# bags, then crack them, and I only have 5 chickens. I'm far from convinced that feed store chicken feed formulations provide adequate nutrition for my flock, so, given the options available to me, I'm supplementing with BOSS seeds and sprouts, wheat and barley sprouts, allowing free range when there's vegetation to work with, plan to sprout dandelion roots as the winter drudgery continues, providing table scraps and occasional scrambled eggs. I'm sure my chickens eat better than the average American!On the other side of the discussion is the realization that past generations very successfully raised their back yard flocks without the advantage of prepared feeds.
I'm always amazed by how flock orientated the guineas are. Especially with the Chanteclers they were brood mates with. They follow the rooster everywhere. We call him king of the guineas. Unfortunately I got them for tick control and now they won't leave the run. They are perfectly capable:/ of flying out but they panic when they can't find one of the chickens. Should have heard the racket for days after we lost the three birds.:/
