What, exactly, do you feed your chickens?

[Heritage Hens]

Here in Vermont we have a local grain company called Poulin Feeds. it is a high quality feed and they produce various levels of chicken feed.

We also can get grit in 50 lb bags. When there is too much snow so they cannot forage, I made sure they have a steady supply. Even in summer I have some available.

I free feed my flock the layer pellets, supplement with whole oats. And offer scratch once per day, more in winter than summer. Also free feed the oyster shells.

For occasional treats I give them wild bird seed and table scraps.
Several times per week I give them half of a head of lettuce. I stuff it into a small wire bird feeder that is meant to hold blocks of food, its attached to the wall. they can peck away without it getting dusty. Also helps with boredom.
I add apple cider to their water.
I pretty much follow Gail Damarow's feeding advice.

 

[SunAngel]

I was feeding Purina Flock Raiser Pellets and the other Purina foods, but the only place that carries them here has weird hours, so back to TSC I went.

Now I take a 50lb bag of Dumor Layer Crumbles 16% and a 50lb bag of Grower/Finisher 20% and mix the two together then add a few scoops of Scratch Grains to the mix. This goes into both of their PVC feeders I made (thanks to the great idea of another BYC'r) and they have 24/7 access. If I can afford to get a bag of Game Bird feed, then I will mix that in instead of the Scratch Grains. They usually get a scoop of Scratch Grains tossed in their runs each morning.

I have some younger girls in both coops that don't need straight layer ration, so thats why I choose to do the mix. They have a dish with Oyster Shell available at all time also.

They also get discounted whole grain breads from Walmart, leftovers, yogurt and oatmeal, sometimes even things they shouldn't thanks to my kids who visit while eating a poptart or ice cream lol

The juvies (6wks-4mos) get plain Grower/Finisher 20% but they also get the treats. Chicks get Chick Starter 24%, grit and maybe some small treats.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

We feed Purina Layena pellets free choice 24 hours a day. We don't go organic, but do prefer the Layena because it doesn't have animal by-products in it. We've used Dumor, but it does have animal by-products and I could swear that I can taste a difference in the eggs. The Dumor eggs taste a little rancid. I adore the taste of the Layena.

They also get a couple cups of mixed scratch grains when I don't bring them treats/scraps from the house, and free-choice oyster shell. They get outside, so no grit.

As for treats, my chickens absolutely adore pumpkins and will eat them down to a super-thin orange skin. Nothing else left. They do the same with watermelons and cantaloupe. Of course, this time of year they have to make due with carrot peels, broccoli leaves, apple cores and the occasional head of cabbage. Their favorite treat of all time is mealworms.