I'm Going Broke on Chicken Feed!

[jrudolph305]

Cetawin maybe you could just post a recipe if it is not to long. Sure many folks would be interested!! Always looking for a treat for the girls.

 

[SallyF]

Just do a search here for "flock block". Several people have posted their recipes, and they use a variety of ingredients, so you're sure to find one that fits what you have available!

 

[jrudolph305]

Thanks. I'm new to the forum and should have looked a little more. Thanks a lot!!

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I too was going through a lot of food when i was using crumbles. I switched to the pellets, the chickens lay just as well with it and 2 50 lb bag lasts almost 2 1/2 weeks and I have 35 chickens and a peacock.

 

[chickbird]

Quote:
what are the ingredients in the vermx?

 

[rapunzil]

Hey everyone-

I'm going to transitiion them to pellets - no harm in that since Layena comes in both forms. And I wormed them 10 days ago with Wazine, but will see about getting the Verm-X or DE because with the Wazine I can't use the eggs for 2 weeks after they are wormed. Although I can't seem to find either in my area.

The breeds I have are Silver Laced Wyandottes (semi-heavy) and Araucanas. So after reading all these responses it is making sense on how much they are eating. I just heard from other folks in my area that it seemed like they were eating too much, but now I realize the birds they have are strictly layers, not dual-purpose like my SLW.

Also, since I posted this the weather has improved here in NJ, and I've been scattering feed outside. Now the girls are much more anxious to get out of the coop now. They free range every day and are definitely much happier!

I just love it when I come home from work, they see my car pulling in the driveway and come running to greet me. Its like a bunch of little puppies! They are so wonderful and really give me a good laugh after a long day at the office.

 

[Cockadoodledon't]

Any chance you have rats coming in and eating the chicken feed?????

 

[ChickenMama18]

Quote:
That's adoreable seeing them run to you as you pull in the driveway!

One thing to keep in mind. We tried switching our birds to pellets and production dropped way off....and they were reufusing to eat it. I guess they did eat some...but they hardly produced. We were determined to "make" them adjust but they never did. We went back to crumbles recently and they are back to their usually laying!! Sometimes birds won't switch...but others seem to do fine. Just something to think about.

 

[Cara]

Quote:
Providing grit is absolutely not necessary if they are free ranging; they can find their own grit!

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

I would time feed them they get 1 hour 3 times a day while in the coop(Adjust to fit your time frame) after this hour go and remove the food they are simply eating way to much.