Treats for chicks and other food questions.

[KimbosKluckers]

Yes, the calcium is there all the time. Keep it from getting wet, and it'll be fine. It wouldn't grow mold unless it got wet and dirty.

Keep anything that isn't their feed (or the calcium) to a minimum, as yes, it would be a treat.

I make my chickens "work" for their treats. When I give them a bucket of weeds from the garden, I dump them in a pile and they have to scratch through them. Even when I give them their mash snack, I dump out spoonfuls around the run. (This also keeps the birds higher in the pecking order from gaurding/hogging all the mash.)

I seldom give them BOSS (black oil sunflower seed) or mealworms. Once or twice a month. I toss out about 1/4 cup, scattered around the run, for 10 chickens.

Got it. That’s exactly how I feed my pig too, make him work for it (he’s such a hog ) I truly appreciate your feedback!

 

[NatJ]

Look at the protein levels in a layer feed, any brand. The information is printed on the bag, or an attached tag. It's probably 16%. It also has 3-4% (+/-) calcium.

Look at a flock raiser/all flock feed. The protein level is probably 20%, but the calcium level is around 1-1.5%.

Chick starter will usually be about the same as Flock Raiser or All Flock feed.

Chick starter can be fed to chickens of all ages, exactly the same as All Flock (provide a separate dish of oyster shell so the laying hens can get their calcium.)

If you are looking for a certain kind of feed and cannot find it, start checking the nutrition labels on the bag. If you can match the protein and calcium, and it says it is a complete feed for chickens, then it is probably a good substitute for whatever you actually wanted. (Complete feed for chickens: don't try to use dog food or pig food or grain meant for dairy goats or something like that, even if the protein and calcium do match. They are likely to be wrong in some other respects. A few bites of those other foods will not hurt chickens, but feeding them an entire bag would cause trouble.)

 

[KimbosKluckers]

Chick starter will usually be about the same as Flock Raiser or All Flock feed.

Chick starter can be fed to chickens of all ages, exactly the same as All Flock (provide a separate dish of oyster shell so the laying hens can get their calcium.)

If you are looking for a certain kind of feed and cannot find it, start checking the nutrition labels on the bag. If you can match the protein and calcium, and it says it is a complete feed for chickens, then it is probably a good substitute for whatever you actually wanted. (Complete feed for chickens: don't try to use dog food or pig food or grain meant for dairy goats or something like that, even if the protein and calcium do match. They are likely to be wrong in some other respects. A few bites of those other foods will not hurt chickens, but feeding them an entire bag would cause trouble.)

Got it. Thanks so much for the help!

 

[WhoDatChick]

I have RIR and barred rocks. I hear they’re high production so I planned on 16 weeks or so for layer feed. When and why would someone feed all flock instead? I’m sorry if these are dumb questions but I’m a chicken newbie.

I feed mine All Flock as it has more protein… I also like it cuz the babies can start eating it at seven weeks old and that is when I introduce the babies to the big gals…. so then everyone eats the same thing. Makes it easy!

 

[KimbosKluckers]

I feed mine All Flock as it has more protein… I also like it cuz the babies can start eating it at seven weeks old and that is when I introduce the babies to the big gals…. so then everyone eats the same thing. Makes it easy!

Makes sense! Thank you!

 

[Sally PB]

Complete feed for chickens: don't try to use dog food or pig food or grain meant for dairy goats or something like that, even if the protein and calcium do match. They are likely to be wrong in some other respects. A few bites of those other foods will not hurt chickens, but feeding them an entire bag would cause trouble.

Very good point, @NatJ! Birds' and mammals' needs can be very different in some respects.

 

[KimbosKluckers]

Very good point, @NatJ! Birds' and mammals' needs can be very different in some respects.

Very true. I’m new to chickens but not most other animals and I’m still surprised at how people think giving cat food to a dog is ok or dog food to a pig etc…so yeah, same for birds.

 

[Sally PB]

@KimbosKluckers, can we see pictures of your flock? Chick/chicken pictures are always appreciated here on BYC!

 

[NatJ]

Very true. I’m new to chickens but not most other animals and I’m still surprised at how people think giving cat food to a dog is ok or dog food to a pig etc…so yeah, same for birds.

There are some times when it works, and some times when it does not. But the amount of research and learning you need, before you can accurately predict what will happen, is more than what many people want to do.

But chicken foods pretty much can be sorted out by looking at protein and calcium. There is nothing in chick starter that would harm adult chickens, and it does not have too much of anything. This is different than mammals, where the food for the young ones often is different in a way that makes it bad for the adults (milk isn't the right food for most adult mammals, or a dry food for young/growing mammals may have too many calories for the adults of the same kind, or something like that.)

 

[KimbosKluckers]

@KimbosKluckers, can we see pictures of your flock? Chick/chicken pictures are always appreciated here on BYC!

Yes I’m sorry. I’ve posted them on other threads but not here. The first 3 pics are from today and the last one is last week when I enlarged their brooder. Can’t believe how fast they grow!!