What is the best food for my hens..?

[PaddyMahon12]

could anyone tell me the best food for my hens..!

 

[Imp]

If they are laying, then layer feed from the feedstore.

Imp

 

[jjdward]

You will get different views on this, so you will have to got with what you like. I use Purina Layena pellets. Some people like crumbles some like pellets. The pellets don't get wasted as much.

 

[aupoet]

Good quality store bought laying pellets or mash, while an excellent feed for hens, can be expensive and wasteful if not fed in containers. Because they are both made of finely ground feed the hens will scratch them into dust. Even a certain amount of the pellets will crumble into dust and be lost as a feed source unless they are fed in a feeder and kept in the dry.
I only use whole grain corn and small grains such as oats and rye grass seed. They get half and half, corn and small grain, about 5 lbs. of each every day. I have some 40 hens and two cocks in two large yards that I rotate in a feed crop every few months. As long as the hens are not over fed you can throw whole grains out over the ground for them to pick up and scratch for. These are less expensive and less wasteful, but you need to suppliment their diet with greens such as grass clippings, garden wastes, and planted crops. You might also occasionally put some vitamin supplement in their water and be sure to supply them with oyster shells and grit. The ground oyster shells will supply them with calcium for good egg shell development and the grit will help them to be able to digest the whole grain. Only feed the girls what they will clean up in a 20 minute period or you will only be feeding the rats, mice, and wild birds. I also have found that ants will get into and carry off ground feed if it is left out free choice.

 

[Davaroo]

You have 8 posts so I suspect you are asking this as a newbie.

For most people just getting started, regular commercial feed is the best place to begin. Just follow the directions on the bag when you buy it.

Contrary to what some will tell you here, you can trust the manufacturers to put what is needed in the bag. I've used it for many years - so have millions of others.

There are many other things you can feed chickens, but for now keep it simple. Once you get a little bit of time and learning under your belt, you can branch out.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
I think this is excellent advice.

 

[sarafrog]

I'm only 10 weeks into chicken keeping and so far I agree with the 2 prior posts. I feed commercial layer pellets to my layers and a commercial start/grow crumble to the youngsters (10 weeks).

They also get some scratch every day, just a few small handfuls...I just read that a good rule of thumb for scratch is to give what they can eat in 20-30 minutes one time per day. Mine also get fruit and veggie scraps daily and bread crusts on occasion.

Good luck!