Bee~ Journal of then...

[Beekissed]

THAT'S what I'm planning for also. A time when I can't afford to or it isn't available....I think we've come to believe that chickens can't survive without corn~ like we feel that pigs, cattle, or sheep can't survive without it. In Europe, they used to feed pigs cooked potatoes, called it swill.

I was pretty pleased to read in one of the local papers about a conference that was held by local farmers who were trying to find a solution to the high price of corn. They were saying that they can't compete with the fuel companies when it came to corn prices and now can't afford to buy corn for their cattle. Some grass farmer stood up and told 'em like it is!!! Told them~problem solved! Work on your pastures and avail yourselves of the free green stuff growing there and start thinking about sustainability instead of fast profit! AMEN!

 

[roosmom]

Well Beekissed, I have a question for you. I am putting it here cuz I KNOW you will answer me to the best of your ability.
Just glancing over the last few pages of your thread here....my chickies poops are firm and well formed, I only give them cracked corn once a day to help warm them up. I give them fresh veggies and or fruit daily. Do you think that is good? What more could I do to keep them healthy with out spending tons of money? am I doing good?

 

[Beekissed]

Lots of folks will tell you how to feed your chooks, roo. Especially if you go to BYC! They will tell you that you can't feed laying mash to chicks and roos, as it will stunt them, damage their organs, etc. But I know plenty of us folks who have wonderfully healthy chickens who were raised on laying mash. They will also tell you that cracked corn and veggie scraps will not be enough nutrition to keep your flock going.

But the questions to be answered are these: Is your flock healthy? Are they big enough for their breed? Are their feathers shiney and clean? Are their eyes bright and do they exhibit plenty of energy and pep? Are they maturing sexually at an appropriate age? Are they laying regularly at peak laying times of the year?

If you have answered yes to all these questions, don't let anyone tell you that you aren't feeding proper nutrition! The proof is in the puddin' and every flock is different nutritionally. A person can even breed selectively or cull selectively for a certain trait...like doing well on a certain type of feed.

I found out that shelled corn and veggie scraps, even with the free ranging, were not so good for my gals and guys....oh, they can live on it, but they didn't do as well as they can. It sounds like your chickens are adapted to that diet, so it could be that they will thrive on it as well. If you find yourself answering no to any of the above questions, or even maybe, you may want to explore other options....like I'm doing now.

I added rabbit pellets to their laying mash because its too cold now to get grass sprouts and other cold hardy greens. The rabbit pellets are mostly alfalfa and smell good enough for ME to eat! The chooks love them. As soon as I added the pellets, I went from 13 eggs to 15, 16, and today was 17.

 

[Beekissed]

Oh, and to keep them healthy without spending tons of money? Apple cider vinegar! Just do a google on it and you will find that farmers are using this stuff like crazy for their animal's health....for mastitis, scours, bloat, respiratory illnesses, parasite infestations, failure to thrive...and seeing amazing results. They say that the unpasteurized ACV is even better. I have always used it in my animal's water on a regular basis, especially in the winter, to boost the immune health.

I've never had a sick animal since I've started using it....not one.

ETA: Do not use in galvanized waterers as it will leach the harmful metals into the water and they will eventually kill the critters.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Hey, Bee! We have fed rabbit pellets to ours before, too. Hmmm...maybe I should pick them up a bag...or two...My chickens are just of laying age (ahem well they were laying age 3 months ago) but with the cold snap hitting them I've not got any eggs.

Well not just the cold snap.

We had fed them layer a couple weeks ago. As soon as I introduced layer back into their feed they all quit laying! They absolutely HATE the layer.

Switched back to scratch grains only with grit and oyster shell and I had happy chickens and I was getting 2-4 eggs a day.

I am going to stick with my scratch grains. My chickens seem to do fine on it. Now if we can just get some warmer weather....I don't even mean SPRING...just have the snow all melt off, etc. If the snow is gone and it warms up a bit I can let them all out and they can scrounge more between morning and afternoon feedings.

Mine chickens like going into the goat pasture. They clean up the hay seeds that the goats don't eat. No waste there! Except I caught Pepper picking out of the goat droppings

Even my 2 month old chicks are eating the scratch grains and are doing fine with it.

 

[Beekissed]

Pepper is your friend!!! Encourage this, so you won't re-infest your goats!

See? That's what I was telling Roosmom. Every situation is different when it comes to individual flocks. This cold snap is -20 with the wind chill here and my chickens were out frolicking in the day and gave me the most eggs ever today...with dinosaur eggs thrown in!

I think its what you get them used to and their digestive systems and immune systems adapt accordingly. Its the same with us humans....we don't eat alot of red meat here, so when we do, our digestive tract gets a little sluggish and gassy.

I've heard other people say they don't eat salad because it gives them diarrhea...we eat salad about twice a day~loaded with broccoli, green peppers, romaine lettuce, onions, celery and smothered in red wine vinegar and olive oil. I used to drink lots of milk...and I mean lots! My youngest was allergic, so we stopped doing dairy products. After awhile I became lactose intolerant! My intestines just won't take it now, except for buttermilk.

 

[lorihadams]

It's all what you get used to! It's like when people who eat beans all the time never complain with gas but someone who only eats them sparingly complain about it.

 

[freemotion]

Another thought on feeding the chickies....no processed feeds at all. Kinda like the scratch grains idea. The grains I feed are all whole, even the corn. I have rather biggish chickies, though. Smaller birds can't seem to handle the larger grains. If I had bantams, I might consider popcorn as one of the grains....or not!

My goal is to not make any one item more than 20% of their daily diet when possible. Preferrably more than 5 items, though. My only concession right now is the stinkin' soymeal, which irritates me to no end. But it allows them to balance their protein. That being said, I try to give them other sources so they don't go for the soymeal, and I am mostly successful. They barely touch it, unless I am away for more than a couple days. Then I simplify their feeding for whoever is caring for them, grain mix in one feeder and soymeal in the other.

Read an interesting study on coccidiosis (sp?) and a whole grain diet......much less, if any, incidence. Of course, it does not impact my income if they begin laying 2-3 weeks later, lay 5 eggs per week instead of 7, or slow down in the winter. I just want to have enough eggs for us and a few close friends who are deserving.

I am so angry at the food giants for betraying us that I want to give them as little of my hard-earned money as possible. What is better for us is also better for our animals. Less processing and a lot of variety and fresh foods and fresh air and sunshine and good friends to hang out with!

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, I agree! I like the laying mash at my feed store, you can see the whole grains in the mix, as they mix it themselves. I don't like feeding the pelleted feed and my chickens don't like them at all. I'm going to search for some straight alfalfa hay this year and keep it for the chickens and sheep so I won't have to use rabbit pellets for good greens in a cold snap.

Someone on BYC said that the food manufacturers put a lot of research into their feeds so they will be nutritionally balanced and the research backs them up. I say...the manufacturer is doing the research? Isn't that like letting the fox in the henhouse? Of course they will present research that shows their feeds are superior to other's!

That's like when the toothpaste commercials say that research shows that their brand prevents tooth decay more than brushing alone......brushing alone? Duh!!! Of course you will have better results than brushing with just water and air!!!

 

[keljonma]

Our oldest hens are 2 1/2 years old. I know that they do better when the weather is cold if they have a higher protein content in their feed.

So we do provide clover, alfalfa and timothy hay. But they get oats, BOSS and Purina Flock Raiser (20% protein) crumbles in the feeders beginning in autumn when they go into molt. Our ladies are healthy, get through molting pretty quickly and lay eggs through the winter.

Once they have access to pasture, they eat very little feed. The exception being we always provide oats and BOSS in the feeders and oyster shell and grit.