What can I feed my hens?

[chik fil a]

So, I am new at raising chickens and I have 8 laying hens. Almost everybody has coops here in southern Utah and they are telling me I can feed them table scraps, veggies, or whatever. I am feeding them premium pellets right now, but it is going to get expensive fast. Some people have told me I can just mix % 16 with scratch. Any suggestions?

 

[redsoxs]

Not sure what premium pellets are or what they cost. Layer feed is the proper ration for laying hens. Table scraps are good as is scratch but as treats and supplements - not as a mainstay or a replacement. I think I've read on BYC that scratch shouldn't exceed 10% of their daily intake.

 

[Den in Penn]

For good laying they need around 16% protein. Most scratch grains run around +/-10%. Table scraps can vary widely. So you want to keep that in mind when feeding things other then a layer. There are layer feeds that are higher then 16% using them would allow a higher use of other feeds.

It always comes to how much are you willing to pay for a dozen eggs. But look around for other place to get your feed It never hurts to find out what is available.