What to feed?

[Kidz-n-Chicks]

We are in the process of adding a young cockerel to our existing flock of hens. Do I need to be concerned about him eating their layer feed? Do I need to offer something else as well or will it matter? We are hoping to allow them to free range soon, but he needs to learn where his home is first, and he's still pretty young. Right now, as he is in a separate pen than them, he is eating grower feed.

 

[chicknmania]

People have all kinds of ideas about this, but I say it's ok. There's really no way you can feed him separately once he's with the hens. We rotate layer with Flock Raiser....so it's sort of balanced. And mix with cracked corn or sometimes a little scratch.

 

[junebuggena]

I would put everyone on a grower or flock raiser type feed and supplement the laying hens with crushed oyster shell separately. There is absolutely no harm in feeding a feed with a higher protein content. I know that a lot of people insist that their roosters do fine eating layer feed, but they aren't. They have no way of expelling all that extra calcium. It builds up in their kidneys and will cause them to eventually shut down. A bird will seem perfectly fine and healthy up until the kidneys start failing. At that point, it's too late to do anything about it.

 

[Kidz-n-Chicks]

That's what I was guessing from my reading, but wanted a second opinion. Thanks!

 

[chicknmania]

Peter Brown the Chicken Doctor has said that feeding roosters layer feed is fine. He is considered an expert and I have followed his advice on many things with satisfactory results. We have always fed ours layer and we have never lost one due to kidney failure or anything related to too much calcium that I know of. But, we do rotate it...so our roosters do not eat layer all the time.

 

[Jesusisnumber1]

Can I feed chickens apples with skin on? If so, does the apple need to be cut up in tiny pieces?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one. While I see the logic behind not feeding lay pellets to roosters I also agree with chicknmania and Peter Brown that I have never seen any damage to a rooster or to his kidneys from eating hen food.

However in the dark, dark spaces of my heart, heart, heart I believe this to be an old wives tail first spread by old wives who are opposed to anyone keeping or raising chickens. So the old wives will do anything to bamboozle, confuse, and discourage those of us who enjoy drumsticks, deviled eggs, and breeding chickens for any and all purposes.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I will add my 20 of years observations, the roosters that are a part of my main flock eat layer daily and forage and live to be about 3-5 years old, the roosters on the outskirts who get chased away from the layer and mostly live on scratch and forage live 6-8 years, I would think it's the layer, that's the only difference, I also feed my bantam chickens grower half the year because of chicks and they seem to live longer than the larger breeds, food or not, I don't know.

 

[chicknmania]

Quote:
yes, you can and no, you don't need to cut them up. I cut a couple of little slits around the sides of the apple, then they can tell there's good stuff inside.

 

[flurry37 2001]

hi all , anytime you feed any typ of pellets or mash thay will do fine. but if you want them to lay and live longer and better thay do not need feed in front of them 24-7 ...........a 7lb or so does not need but 4oz of feed a day...............my feed is gamefowl feed less whole corn in the summer and more in the coolder months. the feed is the key . i had a hen that i lost last winter she was 13 years old now and layed 6 eggs a year , i have a few girls here now that are 7 to 9 years of age . i did at one time took the same feed and ground it in to chick starter . whole corn,wheat,calf manta,rabbit pellets, oil sun flower seed,laying pellets,sweet peas, etc. this is a clean feed no dust in it .( Seems like no one talks about gut fat in there fowl and that is were thay should and it is everyones problem and thats why the egg and health ) . your feed companys mixes for eggs . thank`s mike hope this helps.