Winter feed for laying hens

[hagoesch]

I feed a Non-Medicated Starter-Grower 18% or a All-Flock crumble 20% year round with a separate container of Oyster Shells.View attachment 2411605
I give them a daily treat of Scratch Grains scattered in their pen, 1 Tbsp daily per Hen, 2 Tbsp daily during fall/winter season, half mid-morning, half early afternoon.View attachment 2411611
GC

Thank you for the amounts of scratch you provide at various points of the year -- super helpful! Cheers

 

[hagoesch]

Treats should be no more than 10% of their intake. How to figure that? I'm not sure my method is very scientific, but it works for me. I have four birds, and for BOSS, I sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of BOSS on the ground. For squash, I cut one small squash in half and put both halves in the run. I basically figure no more than 2-3 tablespoons of treat per bird per day. I don't give them any corn; if I get some, I'll knock that down to 1 TBS, since it is really just candy for them.

I've just started with fodder. I don't have any special sprouting trays. I used small margarine containers and about 1/2 teaspoon of alfalfa seed. When the sprouts were about two inches tall, I gave them both containers. Since they love to scratch up grass and weeds, I thought that would be a good amount. I didn't find any left when I looked an hour later.

My next fodder project is chia. I got a 5 lb bag of chia seeds at Costco. Should last a looooong time. We'll see how they like it. I put about a tablespoon of dirt in the bottom of the containers so the chia can grow a little taller.

Yes! I've that 10% rule written in my guidelines as well. Most reputable resources I read suggest 3-5 oz feed per day per chicken, depending on breed/size, so roughly 1 Tbsp of "treats" is what I try to work off of... just didn't know how that would change during times of very cold weather/molting. The routine you work with for your flock is really helpful! Thanks, and good luck with the chia fodder -- your chickens will no doubt enjoy their chia "pet" immensely Cheers!

 

[592784]

I want to make sure I understand these posts correctly, it is ok to feed alfalfa to chickens? With grass being almost non existent because of winter and besides layer feed I want them to be able to eat and forage for other food items. Currently I don’t have time to grow “greens” from seeds. If I were to get an alfalfa’s bale, is that ok to spread out for them to eat ?

 

[5000_dollarfoundingfather]

I feed my hens Purina Layers Pellets year-round

 

[hagoesch]

I want to make sure I understand these posts correctly, it is ok to feed alfalfa to chickens? With grass being almost non existent because of winter and besides layer feed I want them to be able to eat and forage for other food items. Currently I don’t have time to grow “greens” from seeds. If I were to get an alfalfa’s bale, is that ok to spread out for them to eat ?

I can't speak from experience re alfalfa bales for chickens, but here's some information I found from SB Hay and Feed that might help:

"Alfalfa hay provides a better alternative -- Some chickens don’t really enjoy pecking away at hay or straw. Alfalfa is an alternative they may just enjoy. This type of hay is filled with dry green leaves that they love to eat off the bale. Chickens that typically enjoy straw or hay will probably lose interest in it every once in awhile. However, alfalfa usually attracts these birds all of the time. If you choose to purchase alfalfa for your chickens, understand that it should not be left out in the rain. It needs to be kept high off the ground when the ground is wet. Simply hang the alfalfa above ground and there should not be a problem."

 

[hagoesch]

I feed my hens Purina Layers Pellets year-round

Thanks! Did you at any point transition your birds from crumble to pellet feed? Any issues? Ours are on crumbles and the new feed I'm looking at is pellets. They're 10 months old today.

 

[5000_dollarfoundingfather]

Thanks! Did you at any point transition your birds from crumble to pellet feed? Any issues? Ours are on crumbles and the new feed I'm looking at is pellets. They're 10 months old today.

Yea. What I did was start them out on baby crumble when I first got them. After about 17 weeks I started adding the layer pellets to their crumbles. I didn't have any problems with any of my chickens. 10 months old is definitely old enough to switch them over. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions

 

[hagoesch]

Yea. What I did was start them out on baby crumble when I first got them. After about 17 weeks I started adding the layer pellets to their crumbles. I didn't have any problems with any of my chickens. 10 months old is definitely old enough to switch them over. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions

Perfect -- thanks so much! CHEERS

 

[5000_dollarfoundingfather]

Perfect -- thanks so much! CHEERS

No problem!

 

[592784]

I can't speak from experience re alfalfa bales for chickens, but here's some information I found from SB Hay and Feed that might help:

"Alfalfa hay provides a better alternative -- Some chickens don’t really enjoy pecking away at hay or straw. Alfalfa is an alternative they may just enjoy. This type of hay is filled with dry green leaves that they love to eat off the bale. Chickens that typically enjoy straw or hay will probably lose interest in it every once in awhile. However, alfalfa usually attracts these birds all of the time. If you choose to purchase alfalfa for your chickens, understand that it should not be left out in the rain. It needs to be kept high off the ground when the ground is wet. Simply hang the alfalfa above ground and there should not be a problem."

Thank you so much!