Wild bird food for hens

[goatchickky]

Hello, I read this comment and was searching for some more detailed instructions on how to raise layers by this method. From what I have read so far I am really excicted about learning more and testing out these practices. I was already on the whole grain wagon, but this takes it a step further. Please tell me where you learned this method of chicken husbandtry and how I can get to the same info.

Thanks and I look forward to your reply.

 

[krona1987]

My chickens are free range, but I feed them a wild bird food that is mostly millet, barley, oats and black oil sunflower seeds. They wont touch corn in any form! They really are much much healthier than when I got them! The feed they came with was essentially ground corn and a slurry of chemicals. I think even if I pulled them into pens and runs, I'd stick will the grain mix and just make sure to add alfalfa hay and mealworms/crickets. They just look so good, why change?

 

[RAnst4038]

20 lb Wild Bird Food $6.99 at Ollie's. That's the same price as the chicken food at Tractor Supply. It's 100% natural and it's what my chickens want.
Chickens know what is best for them. I put wild food, Dunmore layer pellets & starter/grower in the same trough. The layers eat the layer pellets & wild food. The pullets eat the starter/grower, layer & wild. The chicks eat starter/grower & wild, the wild has chunks of corn big enough to choke a chick but they don't try to eat it. The chicks also eat sand & the bigger ones eat the crushed granite.

 

[Den in Penn]

20 lb Wild Bird Food $6.99 at Ollie's. That's the same price as the chicken food at Tractor Supply. It's 100% natural and it's what my chickens want.
Chickens know what is best for them. I put wild food, Dunmore layer pellets & starter/grower in the same trough. The layers eat the layer pellets & wild food. The pullets eat the starter/grower, layer & wild. The chicks eat starter/grower & wild, the wild has chunks of corn big enough to choke a chick but they don't try to eat it. The chicks also eat sand & the bigger ones eat the crushed granite.

Of course they like the whole grains in the bird seed. It is more like what they would find in nature. However with growing chicks you want them to eat food with at 18%+ protein in it. By adding the bird seed 10% and layer, that is probably 16%you are lowering that level. While the chicks aren't eating the pellets yet, they are most likely eating the fine broken bits from the layer raising the ,calcium level, which can hurt the kidneys. The pullets who most likely are eating the pellets, also don't need the calcium till they are laying. Save the bird seed for a treat and just feed the starter/grower with a calcium supplement on the side till they are all laying.

 

[Oxfordranch]

Question, I have recently aquired an older hen, she was almost bald when I got her and her friends, since she has a lovely new set of feathers, since she does not move as good as the general population who have run of the horse pasture and barn she stays in the pen with the "teenagers" and momma and babies.
The babies are about 2 months and teenagers about 4 months. I feed scratch as a treat in mornings, and they have a mixture of baby food and adult food, I am worried about the "old lady" I try and make sure she is first in line for the dried or alive mealworms figure they have extra protein for her, she did have a nasty butt, after trimming away those feathers her skin is pink and healthy.
She isn't much into fruit and vegies.
Is there something else I could give her???

Also, our winters here south coast of oregon the winters get chilly, she has a nice house, lots of shavings for bedding and a nesting box on the wood floor that is about 6" off the ground , as she can not get up onto anything. Think she is warm enuff???
Thank you in advance

 

[shortgrass]

You can definitely use bird seed, as an addition to their diet...

I actually use millet in significant amounts, but I get it by the bushel (@60 lbs) for about $8/ bushel... Compared to paying $12 for 10 lbs... Grain mill can be your best friend, and your checkbooks

I also use corn, alfalfa pellets, BOSS(sunflower seeds) wheat, molasses, and sometimes can find flaxseed and other goodies when seed prices wane.

Millet is 10% protien, but great calcium. It's a great source of omega 3s and they love it.

If you buy fresh seed from a mill, you can save over 50% of feed costs, AND get actual fresh grain, not stale pellets that have been sitting in a granary for a year first


BTW, I DONT buy commercial feed, pellet or otherwise... They ALL get fresh grains, always have, always will; they're birds lol, its what they're supposed to eat

 

[shortgrass]

Hello, I read this comment and was searching for some more detailed instructions on how to raise layers by this method.  From what I have read so far I am really excicted about learning more and testing out these practices.  I was already on the whole grain wagon, but this takes it a step further.  Please tell me where you learned this method of chicken husbandtry and how I can get to the same info.

Thanks and I look forward to your reply.

This may help @goatchickky... You need to make sure protein, digestible fiber, and fat ratios are all correct...around 16% protein for an all flock, and up to 20% for meat birds... Check the nutrients in each one,make sure they have supplements like molasses for missing nutrients, and add in oyster shell for layers... A couple of comprehensive sites to start out with nutrient contents of grains and forages
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...=AFQjCNFl-amYr9ErJK4DIZs7WhPvpHAnOgWhPvpHAnOg

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...bTKBNc&usg=AFQjCNEEGaLaEEEyrYjoPhmSldIYkFUSBQ

They're PDF files, so be prepared to read

Here's a website for browsing more
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/fs1064/tips-for-feeding.asp

 

[j2xtrm]

Hello all this is my first post to BYC, I have read many threads here that have helped me out tremendously as I am new to raising chickens ( 2 months ) I have done extensive research on how to feed my babies as healthy and natural as possible. So when I started reading this post I had to chime in and let everyone know the few ways I do it ... I use a few methods depending on what I feel they need to mix things up... I'll make a high protein mix with ground up peanuts oatmeal some type of meat .. Chicken tuna beef bacon pork Ect Ect with roman lettuce green leaf lettuce jalapeño pepper carrots bell pepper kale spinach celery tomatoes cabbage red and green cilantro cucumber yogurt olive oil apple cider vinegar cyanne pepper and a few other veggies throw it into food processor and that would be main meal .... Sometimes I'll mix it up by adding or removing items .... For a midday snack I'll put fresh melons or other fruit out ... I'll mix in grinder to make a paste with mullet barly sunflower seeds berry oats sesame seeds steel oats lentils split peas millet groats cracked wheat red rolled oats and I'll also use this as a scratch too ... Since I live in desert there isn't much green here so I let them on front lawn to forage throughout day ... I also built a pond in chick area and they love the bugs it attracts and eat the alge that grows ... I do have layer feed but that's only consumed between meals ... Also at night I collect the desert water bugs their like giant roaches that have wings and save in jar till next morning and the babies love them I just empty jar in middle and it's a free for all ,,, not one bug goes free and gets away Hee!!! Hee!!! I'll make scrabbled eggs crushed egg shells along with a feeder with just crushed oyster shells ... My chickens have a huge coop with dirt floor and are never locked up to they are free to roam first thing in morning and their breakfast is waiting since I put it out after they go to bed so along with healthy eating , more then enough room to sleep I have a jungle gym, swings, roosts all over the place, my rooster has a love shack he just loves and tries to intice the ladies to come in ,, I have 20 nests all over the pen some are high low open and tucked away to give variety depending on personality... All this for only 21 chickens cause happy chicks are healthy chicks and helps promote non-pecking or fighting within the flock so all get along and all have healthy clean coats ... I'm sure there are some things I left out but I think you get the idea that along with a good diet good conditions are needed too ... Sorry so long but Thank You!!! All for all the threads that helped me get started on my learning the chick passion and I know I have a lot more to learn so I hope this will help someone else out the Thank You!!!

 

[mosse71]

i always feed a good chick starter untill 7 weeks then i use a good maintainer mixed with whatevers on sale wild bird feed with mixed types of seeds. they also get my fruit tree and garden prunings as well as dropped fruits. i also pull dandelions, plantain and lambs quarters from my lawn edge for the greens. i keep all my eggshells. i cook them for 1 min. in microwave then crush them fine. if you do this you will save a lot in cost of feed and your birds will do well. variety is key here.

 

[Bobby Basham]

Hello all this is my first post to BYC, I have read many threads here that have helped me out tremendously as I am new to raising chickens ( 2 months ) I have done extensive research on how to feed my babies as healthy and natural as possible. So when I started reading this post I had to chime in and let everyone know the few ways I do it ... I use a few methods depending on what I feel they need to mix things up... I'll make a high protein mix with ground up peanuts oatmeal some type of meat .. Chicken tuna beef bacon pork Ect Ect with roman lettuce green leaf lettuce jalapeño pepper carrots bell pepper kale spinach celery tomatoes cabbage red and green cilantro cucumber yogurt olive oil apple cider vinegar cyanne pepper and a few other veggies throw it into food processor and that would be main meal .... Sometimes I'll mix it up by adding or removing items .... For a midday snack I'll put fresh melons or other fruit out ... I'll mix in grinder to make a paste with mullet barly sunflower seeds berry oats sesame seeds steel oats lentils split peas millet groats cracked wheat red rolled oats and I'll also use this as a scratch too ... Since I live in desert there isn't much green here so I let them on front lawn to forage throughout day ... I also built a pond in chick area and they love the bugs it attracts and eat the alge that grows ... I do have layer feed but that's only consumed between meals ... Also at night I collect the desert water bugs their like giant roaches that have wings and save in jar till next morning and the babies love them I just empty jar in middle and it's a free for all ,,, not one bug goes free and gets away Hee!!! Hee!!! I'll make scrabbled eggs crushed egg shells along with a feeder with just crushed oyster shells ... My chickens have a huge coop with dirt floor and are never locked up to they are free to roam first thing in morning and their breakfast is waiting since I put it out after they go to bed so along with healthy eating , more then enough room to sleep I have a jungle gym, swings, roosts all over the place, my rooster has a love shack he just loves and tries to intice the ladies to come in ,, I have 20 nests all over the pen some are high low open and tucked away to give variety depending on personality... All this for only 21 chickens cause happy chicks are healthy chicks and helps promote non-pecking or fighting within the flock so all get along and all have healthy clean coats ... I'm sure there are some things I left out but I think you get the idea that along with a good diet good conditions are needed too ... Sorry so long but Thank You!!! All for all the threads that helped me get started on my learning the chick passion and I know I have a lot more to learn so I hope this will help someone else out the Thank You!!!

Sounds like quite the setup, but I wouldn't want to go around checking 20 nest boxes every day. You're encouraging them to lay all over the place, and not a central location to collect your eggs. I would get rid of all those and maybe keep a few to provide setups for broody hens that should be separated from the general population.