What do Roosters Eat?

[delude07]

I have 4 hens and 3 chicks about 12 weeks old that were hatched because one of my hens went broody. 2 of them are female but I also got a rooster which I'm going to keep as I'll be moving to the country soon. My question is, what do the males eat, the feed I buy is for laying hens, I haven't seen anything in the store that isn't for either chicks or layers.... What to do?

 

[Sweet T]

They can eat the layer feed. I think my rooster prefers to free range and find bugs and whatnot.

 

[delude07]

Doesn't the calcium hurt them in any way or do they pick around it?

 

[donrae]

folks are divided on that, it seems. You'll see a lot who swear their roosters eat layer feed and do just fine. Others swear the extra calcium impacts their kidneys.

Personally, I don't feed layer feed. I have different ages and genders in my flock. I feed an all-in-one type feed, and offer oyster shell. My layers eat the oyster shell when they need it, the chicks taste it and find it's not to their liking, and the roosters know the hens like it so they consider it a treat

. Everyone can eat the same feed and everyone's happy. I have healthy birds that lay hard shelled eggs like crazy, sounds like a win to me!

 

[delude07]

Thanks so much for the info, I'll make sure they all have a choice so everybody's happy

 

[LukensFarms]

We allow our roosters and hens to free range but feed layer or chick starter. The roosters do range more than the hens. So I think they are one step ahead of us.

 

[delude07]

Thanks

 

[Geraldasap]

The lady across the street has a rooster and it comes over to my yard every morning.
I feed it corn, sunflower seeds dry cat food and the lady across the street feeds it wheat and frozen slices of bread. It also eats bugs and flowers off the plants. He's kool but he crows every morning about 5:30 am for hours. No one has reported him but the lady next door sleeps in the day. The people on the corner had two hens and this rooster (Rooty) The hens are gone and the rooster moved across the street from me.

 

[3riverschick]

folks are divided on that, it seems. You'll see a lot who swear their roosters eat layer feed and do just fine. Others swear the extra calcium impacts their kidneys.

Personally, I don't feed layer feed. I have different ages and genders in my flock. I feed an all-in-one type feed, and offer oyster shell. My layers eat the oyster shell when they need it, the chicks taste it and find it's not to their liking, and the roosters know the hens like it so they consider it a treat

. Everyone can eat the same feed and everyone's happy. I have healthy birds that lay hard shelled eggs like crazy, sounds like a win to me!

This is really great advice to take to heart.
Best,
Karen

 

[chicksurreal]

folks are divided on that, it seems. You'll see a lot who swear their roosters eat layer feed and do just fine. Others swear the extra calcium impacts their kidneys.

Personally, I don't feed layer feed. I have different ages and genders in my flock. I feed an all-in-one type feed, and offer oyster shell. My layers eat the oyster shell when they need it, the chicks taste it and find it's not to their liking, and the roosters know the hens like it so they consider it a treat

. Everyone can eat the same feed and everyone's happy. I have healthy birds that lay hard shelled eggs like crazy, sounds like a win to me!

We also have mixed ages and genders in our flock, so we do the same. It seems to work very well. During the time when I have broody hens with chicks all over the place I feed chick feed to every one and always have oyster shell available for the laying girls, otherwise, it's an all flock type feed. I've never fed layer feed and we have eggs that have actually bounced off the ground without breaking.