Feed for chickens?

[FarmerDenise]

Oh, I do let my chickens in the house and I have diapers for them too. But that is usually when one is not well and also when they are young. I introduce each one to the house and all the house occupants. That way the dog and cats know that they are family.

I figure, if the chicken is somewhat used to the house, then it is not such a shock, when they are injured or sick and I bring them inside for treatment.
I love all my chickies, but I am still able to butcher them. And I want all of them to eat well and enjoy life.

 

[SKR8PN]

I reckon I should admit to making my girls a hot oatmeal porridge, with a hard boiled egg broken up in it, every morning since it got cold here. You should see them fight over who eats first! Oatmeal flying EVERYWHERE!! My 6 hens are 9 months old, and I am getting 5-6 eggs everyday!

 

[Wifezilla]

My ducks have been getting morning buckets of warm water full of thawed out frozen peas for breakfast. Peas = duck crack!

 

[inchworm]

Miss the North -- all my table scraps get tossed out to the chickens and barn cats (chickens claim most of it). There is a runny poo once in a blue moon, but mostly not. I toss them a scoop of feed at night to bribe them back into the coop.

 

[GardenWeasel]

This year I raised as much as I could for the chickens. I moved to 3 acres in January and until August didn't have a tiller. I scraped out an area for oats (per Carla Emory instructions). I planted sunflowers which wild birds got most of, grew millet from birdseed bag. Planted corn for seed for this year.I also grew buckwheat they enjoyed it at all stages of growth. They also got trimmings and stole a lot of tomatoes. Still have some sunflowers left. They ate real well.

 

[Grandma Goldie]

I have not had any problems with runny poo or bare butts. I have found that chickens are like pigs in that they will eat just about anything without problems. I do take them warm water in the mornings and then a warm treat early afternoon. Today they had cornmeal mush with a couple of dried out blueberry muffins crumbled in it. They were in heaven. I only have 12 so I don't know if I would do the warm afternoon treat if I had a bunch more (probably would, I'm a softie). They are 10 months old and the least amount of eggs I have gotten since it turned cold (today's high is to be 8 and tonight it is to be -10 ) is 5. Today so far I have gotten 9

 

[kcsunshine]

Nine for me today, too. 13 hens - I let them out this PM and they took a couple of steps out in the snow and turned around. I, too, fix them warm oatmeal with scrambled* eggs. They love it.

*Edited because I couldn't figure out how to fix scrampled eggs. I'm sure if there is a way, I'll find out here.

 

[old fashioned]

I have "Back to Basics" book that says Italian Ryegrass is supposed to be a good poultry pasture-whatever that's supposed to mean. I haven't tried it yet, but maybe will in this next season.
When I was getting brainwashed from BYC and afraid I wasn't taking good care of my hens, I had bought some organic wheatberries for cereal at local grocer to feed them. I got wise to that and still have some and I'm going to try to grow them in the garden this year along with planting some birdseed and whatever else I can find grainwise to grow. I'm still on the look out for oats and I'm pretty sure Quaker's won't grow
I checked the wheatberries to see if they'd sprout by putting some in a damp papertowel in a plastic bag in the kitchen window this past month and nearly every one sprouted. They may not actually grow or make real wheat, but I'm trying it anyway.
Since we just got our chickens (3 hens, 1 roo-age 1+yo) in Sept I'm still learning so for now they get storebought crumble layena and scratch grains, plus whatever garden scraps and table scraps and forage the yard. I had left a few cabbages/celery in ground to go to seed next season, but the chickens have been pecking at them. I don't know if they'll survive for seed purposes. We'll see.

 

[tamlynn]

My hens have free access to the lawn and compost pile, so they eat pretty much everything, and keep the compost turned over for me too. They also have free access to mash or crumbles, but it lasts a very long time.

Someone said they feed brown rice. I always thought uncooked rice would be unsafe because it expands when wet?

 

[freemotion]

*Edited because I couldn't figure out how to fix scrampled eggs. I'm sure if there is a way, I'll find out here.

Scrampled eggs are eggs mixed with scrapple. To make your own:

First you need one fresh pig's head......