Topic of the Week - Feeding Chickens - What to feed and when?

[paintedChix]

I am new to owning chickens only a year now and thanks for sharing. I have no idea what Kiss means please explain.

When my husband & I were active duty (early80s-late90s), acronym used one of 2 ways.

Keep It Stupid Simple or
Keep it Simple Stupid

I still snicker &/or smile when I see that acronym.

Now?

Keep It Super Simple - cleaner & nicer.

I used KISS, A LOT, when I gave riding lessons to both children & adults (the 3rd version) after I ETSd (End Time of Duty) from Army.

As I'm getting older, any KISS method works for me now with chickens, too.

 

[paintedChix]

- Medicated or non-medicated feed?

Usually use non-medicated. When i couldnt get it, I'd use medicated. I have also used All Flock when neither closer TSC or my regular feed store had chick feed (various times/years during Covid lockdowns). I LOVED Southern States feeds until they were purchased by Nutrena. Completely changed to Purina Starter/Grower & then to All Flock. (Same issues w/ changing cat food when Nutrena bought out SS, the formulas changed. Hair coats changed almost overnight & lots of vomitting).

- When do you switch from chick crumbs to grower and layer feed?

Never switched to a grower feed. As early as 12 weeks if a growout was joining a flock or if starting a new flock, after 1st egg laid. A couple of times, when couldn't get a chick feed, put & stayed on an all flock.

- Is it o.k. to feed older birds chick food, cockbirds layer feed, etc?

I try to avoid feeding chick feed to adults due to expense. I've found that my birds did better on All Flock feed, then on layer feed, so i never went back to Layer feeds.

- Thoughts on organic feed?

Expensive. If I remember right, I really didn't like the nutrient comparisons either (as stated by a few others), but I no longer have my spreadsheets or pics of that for my proof...

- When do you start feeding treats and how much and often do you give these?

Depends on definitions of treats.

I've given yard grass plugs, meal worms, BSL, berries, yogurt, cottage cheese & scrambled eggs as early as 2 days after hatch. If hatched by a broody, they ate what she did, where she did under her instruction.

i often throw kitchen scraps, to include stale processed foods & out of date canned goods, into the coop run (s). I do not stop to calculate percentages or amounts or even in most cases if its something that may be toxic. I don't separate onions, avocados, fruit pits, citrus peels, paper towels/napkins/kleenex, "finished" tomato vines or coffee/filters in the coops/runs, but do keep a separate bowl if giving scraps to tractored chickens (much smaller area).




- Do you make/mix your own homemade feed? If so, what do you consider the best recipe(s)?

I've looked into it a couple of times. No matter what recipe, to gather all ingredients is expensive. When working full time, it's just easier to be able to pick up premixed/made feeds. I was lucky during the various covid lockdowns to never be completely unable to get feed, but it was an eye opener.

I'm not generally a "prepper", but ... Maybe not so much gathering pre-bagged natural feeds together (difficult to source/ship adding to expense), but increasing garden sizes of fruit, veggies, edible flowers, herbs & even grains & legumes (going slow - ideas & plans no where close to full fruition yet, ). Have done seeding the ground w/ chicken loved greens every time a tractor is moved forward.

- Who uses fermented feed and what are your thoughts on that?

I haven't tried the "official version" of FF. Just hadn't been feasible @ either house. But I have fed wet feed, wetting cold during summer (like earlier today @ 11am it was 115° F w/ heat index) and boiling water during the winter. Birds love it!!

I have not tried fodder yet, though I have wanted to... Figure that grazing boxes, planting in/right outside runs, moving tractors through increasingly improved forage & next to garden beds as close as I'm getting to that for now...

Edited to fix spelling & add 2 pics

 

[MadameMarsh]

Medicated or non-medicated feed? I have never used medicated feed. Have never had issue with coccidiosis. Use natural prevention: expose chicks to native soils within the first 2 weeks of hatch. Use fermented feed to give them a boost in probiotics.

- When do you switch from chick crumbs to grower and layer feed? I never use grower. Chicks go from starter to multi-flock around 8 weeks or when ever I am starting a new bag of feed. My preference is to keep the whole flock on multi-flock until the pullets are close to POL. However, I've put them on layer as early as 13 weeks and do not consider that to be bad practice. Fully aware of the "they said" mentality about not starting layer till POL due to concern about excess calcium causing kidney damage. Free range flocks consume more calcium in their daily ration of greens than can be found in any layer feed. Free range flocks (on good range) IMO have diet that is far superior to prepared feed. Really, IMO the only reason to ever use layer feed is b/c it is less expensive than multi-flock or starter. Both of the latter products are superior feeds.

- Is it o.k. to feed older birds chick food, cockbirds layer feed, etc? Yes, and yes. I would not give layer feed to chicks. But, chick feed (non medicated) is superior to layer feed. Ask any hen, and she will tell you that she prefers chick feed or multi flock over layer feed. Extra calcium can always be supplied by offering oyster shell on the side. Egg shells never get thrown out in my kitchen. They go back into the run most often, otherwise, they go into compost, into garden, or even in worm bin. I find the whole "never give layer feed to adult birds that are not laying b/c the extra calcium will damage their kidneys" argument to be a bit laughable. Roosters never lay eggs, and yet most back yard roos spend their entire adult lives on layer. Ever notice how the roos almost always look like the healthiest birds in the flock???

- Thoughts on organic feed? Total waste of money. Unless you are talking about giving home grown grains as a supplement.

- When do you start feeding treats and how much and often do you give these? I find the term "treats" to be a bit confusing. If I have left overs that aren't dog worthy, they go to the chickens. But, I rarely consider them to be treats. It's simply an other way to process scraps. If I have a soft apple, or other fridge scraps, they are simply tossed out the door or into the run. New chicks get a plug of sod, or simply get some supervised time to scratch around in the garden for bugs, worms, and greens. But, I don't consider those things to be treats. They are an important part of the diet.

- Do you make/mix your own home-made feed? If so, what do you consider the best recipe(s)? I do not make any home made feed. But, I do ferment my birds feed. Have been doing so since I started my first batch of chicks. I also sprout grains/seeds in the winter.

- Who uses fermented feed and what are your thoughts on that? I've been fermenting feed since my first chick hatch. Consistently, my birds reach POL faster, lay more often, and have better feather quality than the birds belonging to 3 of my friends (birds of the same age, from the same source, receiving prepared feed from the same feed store)

What is your feeding set up with fermented food? Our flock includes one laying hen and 6 pullets that are still 1-2 months away from laying and we feed grower feed to all, ferment it a few times/week but in a big glass pie plate cuz it was too messy in the feeder...but of course they step in and make a mess of the pie plate, lol! Just trying to figure out the easiest/least messy (as much as is possible) way to feed fermented food to our flock. Thank you from this chicken newbie!