When the chickens are babies, we started them on chick starter/grower feed that includes probiotics and yeast culture to keep the babies growing well and healthy! Now, with ALL of my animals, I try very hard to provide them with all natural, or organic (if I can afford it) foods. I know that what goes in must come out and the better that goes in, the better that comes out. After researching, I also found that many homesteaders feed their farm animals leftovers! This got me very excited. There are some foods that are not good for chickens (raw beans, chocolate for example), so I make sure to throw all of that out. But, since I also have two small children in the home - for any parents out there who may be reading, you'll understand this! - so a lot of their uneaten food gets tossed over the fence to the chickens. They LOVE it! The best part is when they come running when they hear the sliding glass door open. And, I'm not throwing out nearly as much food as I used to. I also try to feed my human kids as organic as I can afford, so the leftovers are also mostly organic! I also make sure they have access to pebbles and small stones to help with digestion. I used to buy it (don't remember the brand) but now that they can free range, they have more natural access.
Now that they are all over the age of 9 months, they are all on layer feed which helps with egg production. On top of leftovers and their regular food, I also like to get them chicken scratch as a treat. This encourages their natural scratching behavior and is a nice supplement to their normal feed. I have gotten one of these scratch blocks but didn't love them. It's a big block that stays in one place, and with almost 30 chickens, they weren't able to get to it easily. I think this summer I'll place a few in the fenced area in different spots for easy access.
And the reason for why we try to give them the best diet:
Aren't these gorgeous? We sell them for $3/dozen.
No comments:
Post a Comment