What should I feed my rooster?

[Southern28Chick]

I have 23 8 (almost 9) week pullets. They are eating medicated chick starter. I went to my local (old country man owned) feed store when I first got my 1 year old rooster and the guy told me that all he needs is scratch feed. The scratch feed is cracked corn and cracked wheat. That seems more of a treat feed to me. Does he need something else? He's a dominique which I've read they are very good foragers and he eats a lot of bugs and grass and not much of the scratch feed but should I have him on the same chick starter my girls are on?

 

[speckledhen]

Keep him on the same chick starter as they are, then when they switch to adult feed, here is a solution for you. I feed either Flock Raiser by Purina or Rooster Booster pellets by Southern States. Neither has alot of calcium like layer pellets. If you dont' have access to either of those brands, a good all purpose poultry feed is MUCH better than scratch. You can then offer oyster shell and the roosters usually wont eat that or not much of it. This keeps the rooster from getting too much calcium he does not need, but he does need nutrition to produce decent chicks with your hens. It's very hard to feed the rooster something different if he's with the hens. Most people just feed the rooster the layer feed rather than try to separate him out.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
Speckledhen,
I was hoping you would respond too my thread. I get my chick start n' grow from Southern States. So Rooster Booster is what I need then? Ok I'll try that.

Thanks!!

 

[PurpleChicken]

From all that I've read and been told your rooster should be ok on his
natural diet supplemented by scratch.

The starter is too high in protein, resulting in a fat chicken and the
"medication", probably amprolium, is for vulnerable chicks, not a healthy
adult rooster.

All the feed stores up here carry Blue Seal, which I've had good luck
with. We started with organic(non medicated) starter and switched
the birds over to Grower-Cal at 6 to 8 weeks. Grower-Cal would be
good for all you birds now until you switch your pullets over to a high
calcium layer feed(at first egg). At this point you can keep your roo
on a bug/scratch/grower diet.

See:
http://www.blueseal.com/livestock/poultry/feedprg.php

 

[PurpleChicken]

Go with Speckled Hen on this.

I wish we had that variety of foods here. I've stopped by
a dozen feed stores plus Tractor Supply and Agways. None of
them seem to know anything about chicken feed except the
Blue Seal folks. When I ask them for food I've heard about here,
they look at me like I'm a nut.

 

[panner123]

I try to feed all my chickens the same cracked corn and lay pellets plus they are on five acres of free range. This five acres is on the side of a mountain that runs down into a cayon with a creek at the bottom, it is treed with oak, pine, manzanita, blackberry brushes. Along with the insects and bugs they get they seen happy. The main thing to feed your rooster is anything that keeps him strong enough to keep the girls happy.

 

[speckledhen]

There are several Rooster Booster products. The one I feed is 20% protein with no corn, just pellets. I do not feed this exclusively due to the high protein content, but it has animal proteins in it, the lack of which I think has begun causing problems in some chickens today with picking issues, etc. I usually put a pan of it out for them to stop by and eat while they are freeranging. Inside the coop, it is mixed with layer feed for the girls usually. Since they range over a few acres, they get a wide variety of plants and bugs and all are very healthy. That's the important thing. If they are not allowed to range and only eat what you give them, their nutrition is totally up to you and all the more important not to just feed corn. Even roosters need some nutrition, they mainly just don't need calcium due to not producing eggs. A healthy bird is more resistant to disease and pests in general and that's what we all want for our birds. There is not just one way to go about this, many ways work, but the general circumstance in which your birds are kept should determine what course of action you take in their nutrition.