Two Questions Which Need to be Answered

[JennsPeeps]

I've stopped asking the food store for advice, as I do my research on BYC before buying. I will be an informed consumer before I fork over any money for things I don't need but the store wants to sell me, such as:

1. horticultural grade DE
2. antibiotics for the water (only will use if they hva a bacterial infection)
3. grit for free-ranging birds

 

[crtrlovr]

I'm very blessed to have a friend who is a wildlife rehabber and LOVES (and used to raise a boatload of) chickens. She also worked at TSC for several years and was the ONLY one there who (concerning anything livestockish) knew their hiney from a hole in the ground... I do NOT ask anyone at TSC advice on anything -- My two best info sources are BYC and A. C.!! Thanks you guys! I heard a guy at TSC give some TERRIBLE and ERRONEOUS information to somebody one time -- I waited for her until she got outside and then told her to ignore everything that guy had just said. She said, "Thanks! I thought when he was telling me that that it sounded off or not right..." Who knows how many poor folks have given their chickens the wrong med, wrong dosage, DE that was actually poisonous to them, etc. etc. ...

 

[ChickaD]

Whew! I suppose stores wouldn't care to have bright little posters that say: For REAL poultry advice, log onto Backyard Chickens!

 

[bubbazmommy]

I was told the same thing about grit and oyster shells. So do I need to add grit for my chickens? They have a run which is dirt now and they are let out to free range in the evenings. Should I have something else in the run?

 

[JennsPeeps]

Bubba - they'll find enough larger pebbles to suffice but you can throw some extra in there if you want. That's what I do, though it's likely unnecessary.

Oyser shells are just for calcium. They'll break down in the chicken's digestional tract and supply the nutrients the birds need to create the shells.

 

[Just-Like-Hatching]

If you ask me... My chickens always have access to layer crumbles and twice a day they get some scratch. I also buy extra Milo and whole corn to add to the scratch. I have very big and healthy chickens. My chickens also get to free range a bit every day. I have always found that if I leave feed in front of my chickens all the time they just eat what they need. But if I try to limit what they eat they will always eat what ever I put in front of them whether they are hungry or not. When I was a lot younger we raised our chickens on scratch and whole grains alone. We never fed any kind of mash or pellets and they we never had a problem and always had healthy chickens. I was raised in Texas in the heat and cold and never a problem. Just my opinion though.

 

[menageriemama]

I offer oyster shell in a little hopper, free choice for all of my birds. Hope they are smart enough to eat it if they need it

I toss out a few handfulls of scratch each day when I go out to take care of them- sort of a reward for coming to me.

eta: forgot to add that I also offer grit in a hopper free choice, but as my chickens free range spring/summer/fall, they dont really use it except in winter while they are shut in the coop.

 

[ChickaD]

I think it's pretty neat hearing what practical, down-to-earth folks used to do raising chickens. I'm going to have to start another thread (rather than hijack this one), asking about what to feed the whole flock now that we just added a rooster for the first time.

Thanks again for everybody's advice - I learn so much here!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
With apologies to the OP for hijacking, you feed them just the same. The rooster can eat the layer feed.

 

[ChickaD]

Thanks so much! I guess this thread has gradually become Three or Four Questions Which Need to be Answered