What's the best inexpensive chicken feed?

[rosemarythyme]

A little scratch teaches your birds you're the good guy and they should come when you call. Otherwise, IMO, they don't need it.

x2. For 15 birds you'd use maybe 1/4 cup a day. They don't need it, but if you're wanting them to come when called, that'd be enough.

 

[McChooky]

Did you vaccinate your chicks for anything?

 

[chooki]

I have a cockerel flock that I keep as pets, I have raised them from day old. I too, try to keep the food bill down, because they do eat lot, lol.
It depends on where you are. Here, we can get on-expiry bread for free when we spend enough in a local store, we can also got okara for free from a local bean curd/soy milk shop. We just boil the okara for 5-10 minutes and give it to our cockerels, together with chick starter, chicken scratch, about to expire rice that we purchase from a discount store that sells about to expire food.
If you have a large compost pile, your chicken maybe able to supplement their diet with worms & crickets etc in the compost pile. If you chickens free range, they will also eat a lot of grass willingly.
On our hobby farm, we grow sweet potatoes, sorgham, corn, and sunflowers, so our chooks also get those crops. But like I said, our cockerels do eat a lot, and as a hobby farm, those crops are hardly enough for them.

 

[McChooky]

I found it watching itself earlier in a mirror in the run.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

This is the nutrition label on their pellets. And how big the cup is for scratch. I take the scratch and pour handfuls thought the yard so there's a pile for each chicken and a little more.

The label is pretty typical of a layer formulation. 16% crude protein. 0.6% lys, can't read the Met, Calcium 4%, phos 0.45%. In short, its overpriced for what it provides. I buy a similar product for $14/50# bag

 

[ShrekDawg]

I agree that that is wayyyyy too much scratch. Treats should consist of no more than 10% of the diet. Treats are anything other than their balanced food including veggies and stuff. If they fill up on other stuff then they won’t eat their nutritious food. Just like kids.

 

[Cindy in PA]

That cup is at least 2 cups, LOL & you gave them 2 of those? That is a lot, but years ago I probably gave that much & I never had deaths from it or any deaths for that matter. I actually go the limit daily of 1 cup for 16 birds (actually 19 now) which is 16 TBSP. They get some greens when I have them, I am not a stickler for the amount of treats they get. Birds die from any number of reasons.

 

[Blondiegoldiechicks]

Did you vaccinate your chicks for anything?

No

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I found it watching itself earlier in a mirror in the run.

Ducks and geese, like chickens, are flock animals. Your bird needs a companion. If you can't get the other bird, you can give yours a small stuffed animal as a companion along with the mirror. That will help some... It probably misses its friend.

 

[McChooky]

Ducks and geese, like chickens, are flock animals. Your bird needs a companion. If you can't get the other bird, you can give yours a small stuffed animal as a companion along with the mirror. That will help some... It probably misses its friend.

I'm happy to say she decided to give me the 2nd goose after all ! She dropped it off last night before dark! They are back together in their new home! Thank you!