Three feeding questions

[MrsClucky]

Hi chicken friends--

I have five three-month-old chicks and one hen of unknown age (she's a rescue chicken who came all the way to Oregon from East L.A.!). They are "free range" in that they live in a 30x60' grassy area and are only locked in their coop at night. Now that they're outside and can eat what they want, they are naturally turning up their little beaks at the chicken feed.

The chicks will still peck at their grower mash, but the hen will have nothing to do with her layer pellets (although she'll sometimes have a little of the chicks' food). They prefer to eat the grass, weeds, bugs and of course all the treats they get. They also like scratch. So is this diet okay? I'm less concerned about getting lots of eggs and more concerned that they're healthy and strong. They seem to be thriving but I'm new at this.

Also - are cherries okay if they eat the pits? Will they just poop out the pits?

Thanks for any advice you can give!
Bea

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

My older chickens tend to like to eat grass, bugs, and greens more than their feed. i don't see any damage from it. My younger 3-month-old chicks eat a lot of their feed, along with all the extras. My meager experience is that chickens won't starve themselves, and tend to eat what they need. So, if it were me, i wouldn't worry.

On the cherries, i would personally remove the pits. i wouldn't want to take the chance that they may impact the crop. Just my opinion, though.