The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ShrekDawg]

When , at what age do you start a chicken on regular chicken food. Right now my 1 month old chicks are on chick starter food.

hens when they start laying ... some put them on grower after the starter bag is gone and before they start laying.. have oyster shell available when they are close to laying
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/feeding-chickens-at-different-ages.html

Molpet pretty much covered it but they also sell a combination starter/grower which is what mine were on. According the bag you are "supposed" to switch them at 8 weeks old, I switched mine just past 7 weeks because we ran out of food. But I also initially had mine on medicated feed, I think medicated you feed until 8 weeks and non medicated you can feed up until lay like molpet said. On the bag ot says 16 weeks but unless you have production hybrids it really should be later. I initially switched mine but then learned it was better to keep them on starter/grower until you see the first egg. That's what I did. Especially since mine are all dual purpose heritage breeds and don't start until later anyways usually, sometimes up to 24 weeks, so that's a long time of unnecessarily having them on layer but it's mostly opinion really. Some of mine started at 21 or 22 weeks and they all are now almost 24 weeks. These days we usually get between 4 and 6 eggs, the past 2 days we've gotten 5. I only have 8 birds so most of mine are laying now. I had them on starter/grower until the first egg and then once I ran out of that bag I put them back on layer. The starter/grower does not hurt them at all and as long as you provide oyster shell free choice it's fine to be on it for a while. I started giving the oyster shell maybe 16 or 18 weeks old. But conversely, do NOT give layer feed to chicks younger than at lwast 16 weeks, preferably 18. All the excess calcium is really harmful to them. But yeah. It's mostly all opinion really but I had mine on medicated chick starter/grower until 7 weeks, unmedicated until 15 weeks, layer until 17 weeks when I learned it wasn't great to do early (actually learned a week or so before that but ordered new food online, a different brand starter/grower), immediately switched over to it when it came and started providing oyster shell, then when that ran out, bought one more bag at Tractor Supply along with a bag of layer feed and switched to layer again when the starter/grower ran out. Sorry, that's probably confusing haha

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I personally don't feed layer. My bantam stay on a non medicated grower, and my large breeds get an all flock pellet. Oyster shells are always available in a separate bowl. If you feed anything besides the bagged ration than often your birds will end up with a protein deficiency. Layer is 16%, formulated to be fed as the only feed. If you feed scratch and scraps than a 18-20% protein content is better.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I personally don't feed layer. My bantam stay on a non medicated grower, and my large breeds get an all flock pellet. Oyster shells are always available in a separate bowl. If you feed anything besides the bagged ration than often your birds will end up with a protein deficiency. Layer is 16%, formulated to be fed as the only feed. If you feed scratch and scraps than a 18-20% protein content is better.

That's definitely scary and I wouldn't want the birds to get a deficiency or anything. Today I gave my birds a lot of greens (kale, collard, dandelion greens, a tiny bit of dill, cucumber tether ball, broccoli). Normally I don't but yeah. They love bread and corn too. So far they all seem happy and healthy and are laying well (though only 6 of the 8 have started, we've been getting between 4-6 eggs a day, today and yesterday was 5), and they are all hard shells and, according to my dad, bright yolks. None of them act sick or anything or any different than usual. But I wouldn't want them to get sick. They do mostly eat their feed though. Would you see signs of a deficiency or not necessarily? Although isn't all feed supposed to be the main ration? Or is it more just the lower protein? Can they get other protein from bugs and stuff? And I also heard starter/grower is basically or actually is the same thing as all flock just marketed differently?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Layer has 16% protein, and if fed as the only feed, meets all requirements for an adult hen to produce eggs and stay healthy without getting fat. Anything added throughout the day will lower the total protein they receive over the day. Free range birds can often compensate for these shortfalls, confined birds are at the mercy of their owners.

Signs of deficiencies can be seen as egg eating, feather picking, cannibalism, and incomplete or slow molts. Other things like poor feather condition and internal fat can't always be noticed. So care should be taken when feeding confined birds. Some of these behaviors can also be signs of crowding and boredom too.

Mine free range. I still was having troubles with slow molts and months for hens to resume laying after it. I switched to an all flock and my birds molted faster and for the first time I had hens resuming lay in December. I won't go back to layer.

You could offer both rations and see which one your birds choose. The layer will contain more calcium and I'm sure they would consume some for that reason and I have contemplated offering both to see. Mine do consume more of their oyster shells now.

This is just what I have discovered and how I decided to feed. You need to find what's best for your birds and the way you keep them.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Layer has 16% protein, and if fed as the only feed, meets all requirements for an adult hen to produce eggs and stay healthy without getting fat. Anything added throughout the day will lower the total protein they receive over the day. Free range birds can often compensate for these shortfalls, confined birds are at the mercy of their owners.

Signs of deficiencies can be seen as egg eating, feather picking, cannibalism, and incomplete or slow molts. Other things like poor feather condition and internal fat can't always be noticed. So care should be taken when feeding confined birds. Some of these behaviors can also be signs of crowding and boredom too.

Mine free range. I still was having troubles with slow molts and months for hens to resume laying after it. I switched to an all flock and my birds molted faster and for the first time I had hens resuming lay in December. I won't go back to layer.

You could offer both rations and see which one your birds choose. The layer will contain more calcium and I'm sure they would consume some for that reason and I have contemplated offering both to see. Mine do consume more of their oyster shells now.

This is just what I have discovered and how I decided to feed. You need to find what's best for your birds and the way you keep them.

Thanks!! I think I will try offering both rations. I hadn't realized it lowered the protein and with it already low at 16 that could be a problem. Mine sometimes free range but after the hawk scare a few days ago they are confined for a while. But we are hopefully building a new coop and run soon that will be bigger and less boredom and also doing deep litter in the run so it'll be similar to free ranging i guess

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would be interested in hearing what others think and how they feed. I used bagged rations for convenience, but not organic, plus some extra grains in our scratch mix. So please share what you feed your birds. I use Sprout made by fleet farm.

What brand you feeding KDOGG331?

 

[slordaz]

I put layer crumbles in the trough have a little set up on the wall that has scratch grain in one slot, oysters shell in another and grit in the other, then they have a couple pans of the lacto fermented 3*1 with garlic that we refill as needed, but they are out free ranging any time they want. That way they always have their choice as to what they are gonna eat.

 

[Jewelwing]

So along the same lines, since we're talking about feed, do crumbles ferment well?

My favorite feed is Scratch and Peck, but I can't afford it with their shipping to Illinois. I've been buying New Country organic feed, which is second best but still pretty good and still not cheap (but cheaper than Scratch and Peck).

I just found an organic feed in my local farm store - it's called Nature Smart. But it's crumbles, not the nice mix of grains that the ones I've fed before. It's much cheaper since I don't have to pay shipping. Will crumbles ferment ok? They certainly don't look as appetizing - anyone know how they compare nutritionally? I don't mean the ingredients per se, I mean the processing that it takes to turn them into crumbles - does that affect the nutrition of the ingredients?

Also, anyone familiar with Nature Smart organic crumbles? Is it any good?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't do fermented feeds, so I'm not any help with that.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I would be interested in hearing what others think and how they feed. I used bagged rations for convenience, but not organic, plus some extra grains in our scratch mix. So please share what you feed your birds. I use Sprout made by fleet farm.

What brand you feeding KDOGG331?

They were on Agway brand as babies but now are on Nutrena. Their Country Feeds variety initially and now Nature Wise. Those are all Nutrena brands, besides Agway obviously, and they seem to be doing well

So along the same lines, since we're talking about feed, do crumbles ferment well?

My favorite feed is Scratch and Peck, but I can't afford it with their shipping to Illinois. I've been buying New Country organic feed, which is second best but still pretty good and still not cheap (but cheaper than Scratch and Peck).

I just found an organic feed in my local farm store - it's called Nature Smart. But it's crumbles, not the nice mix of grains that the ones I've fed before. It's much cheaper since I don't have to pay shipping. Will crumbles ferment ok? They certainly don't look as appetizing - anyone know how they compare nutritionally? I don't mean the ingredients per se, I mean the processing that it takes to turn them into crumbles - does that affect the nutrition of the ingredients?

Also, anyone familiar with Nature Smart organic crumbles? Is it any good?

Well Nature Smart is made by Nutrena which I think is a good company. They make several lines including Country Feeds, Nature Wise, Nature Smart, then stuff like All Flock and Feather Fixer. Nature Smart is like their best line. I have heard of several people feeding it and even switch from other worse brands and their chickens did really well on it. Right now I am feeding Nature Wise which is the lesser of Nature Smart but a little better than Country Feeds. Mine do great on it. I want to go to Nature Smart though when I find it. As for fermenting, I don't personally ferment but I think others have used crumbles with success.