[Jimibell]

Does anyone know anymore?

I've had this conversation with 2 mean health-food store ladies (in 2 different stores, but, surprise, they're both vegan!! mean and nasty).
They both insisted to me that chickens don't eat grass, they eat grains.

Honestly, the only chickens I've seen were at my dd's school and they ate all of the leftovers from the kitchen (there is an elderly home there where they supply most of their food from their farm, it's pretty cool). But they were allowed to run around and they were fed scraps. And MY health-food store lady (who by the way is not vegan and eats TF-style and she is a bundle of joy and energy, go figure) says the eggs and chicken we get are fed hay in the winter and eat grass and insects when the weather is OK for them to be outside. So, does anyone know what they're supposed to be eating??

 

[tinyblackdot]

I always heard they should eat bugs and grass.....but i think most do eat grains.

 

[mellifluousmama]

We have 5 urban chickens that we let free range in our back yard when we are home.
The predominantly grains. We don't feed soy as most layer feed has but mix our own of wheat, barley, corn, millet, flax, kelp meal, amaranth and quinoa. They also get either some crushed oyster shells or ground up egg shells to make sure they are getting enough calcium (though they aren't seeming to need them at the moment as they decimate our snail population). They LOVE their greens and eat about 30% grass and greens. They also most of our kitchen scraps (except for chicken cause that's just wrong). Their favorites are spaghetti leftovers and Kefir. They also eat any bugs and worms they can find.

Chickens are born omnivorous. Not vegetarian.

 

[spughy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellifluousmama We have 5 urban chickens that we let free range in our back yard when we are home. The predominantly grains. We don't feed soy as most layer feed has but mix our own of wheat, barley, corn, millet, flax, kelp meal, amaranth and quinoa. They also get either some crushed oyster shells or ground up egg shells to make sure they are getting enough calcium (though they aren't seeming to need them at the moment as they decimate our snail population). They LOVE their greens and eat about 30% grass and greens. They also most of our kitchen scraps (except for chicken cause that's just wrong). Their favorites are spaghetti leftovers and Kefir. They also eat any bugs and worms they can find. Chickens are born omnivorous. Not vegetarian.

: Right down to the 5 urban chickens bit. Except I think ours don't eat a whole lot of their feed, more of the kitchen scraps, because they get scraps from 3 households, all of whom eat really well (ie, no kraft dinner or ramen). When I do garden work I pick out any slugs or grubs I find and feed them to the chickens and then they looooooove me for a bit. (By love, I mean get all excited when I go near them.)

Ours (actually our neighbours') don't get any calcium supplement, I don't think - their shells are still strong and the chickens are 4 years old and still laying pretty well.

 

[mariekitt24]

interesting thread! I'll be moving soon and will have a large fenced in yard and I really want to get some chickens! I still have to find out if it's legal in my town..not sure how to do that!

 

[Jimibell]

another question relating to this:
Does a really yellow yolk mean high omega 3 or is that a myth?
the mean health food store lady told me that the farmers must be feeding them marigolds.......(the only reason why I was there was because I was so interested in the very deep color of yellow of their eggs)

 

[mellifluousmama]

Not sure about it reflecting omega 3 levels. what they are eating can influence the food colour like marigolds, also a lot of carrots or food colouring. With the diet our girls are on they are a wonderful orangey colour, kind of like concentrated orange juice. They do get flax seeds to up their omega 3's though.

 

[mellifluousmama]

You might find this article interesting.

 

[mamadelbosque]

Chickens are supposed to eat bugs and grass and whatever else they feel like

MOST chickens eat at least some grains. They are definetly NOT vegetarians though, and really should be getting outside so that they can eat some bugs and worms and whatever else they can catch (they'll even eat mice, voles, moles, frogs, toads, snakes, etc assuming they can catch them

.

 

[purplemoon]

Chickens eat almost anything. Food scraps, grass, grains, bugs, baby mice. The more variety the better the yolk quality IMO.

 

[UUMom]

I do give my girls commercial organic feed. But they love everything else as well. I go out often and turn the dirt in their runs with a pitch fork, and wow, when they see the worms, it's party central. I also give any grubs I find when gardeing to them and they go crazy.

They also love cooked oatmeal, raw greens, yogurt, curdled raw milk, leftover whole grain pasta, cooked brown rice, dandelion greens, raw butternut squash, kale, chard, alfafla & mung bean sprouts, whatever tender morsels are coming up in the garden etc. They pretty much love everything, ime.

 

[spughy]

Yeah chickens are the kind of eaters you wish your kids were.

I have found, though, one of the small local farms I used to buy from (via a store) had dark yolks because of a feed additive. Since then I haven't trusted yolks from chickens I can't *see* eating grass & bugs.

 

[TzippityDoulah]

chickens are supposed ot eat grass and bugs... unless it's freezing outside and the grass is covered in whcih case hay would be a good alternative. corn/grain is NEVR a good thing for chickens. but so many people use it b/c it's easy, cheap and simple.

I think a few scraps wouldn't likley hurt them... depending on what the scraps are I guess.

 

[Leilalu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HennyPenny chickens are supposed ot eat grass and bugs... unless it's freezing outside and the grass is covered in whcih case hay would be a good alternative. corn/grain is NEVR a good thing for chickens. but so many people use it b/c it's easy, cheap and simple. I think a few scraps wouldn't likley hurt them... depending on what the scraps are I guess.

ok, so tell me- if you were me, and getting some chicken this week, what would you feed them? Besides them being in a run, and moved around the yard. And what would you feed the chicks?

 

[oiseau]

The really orange yolks are colored that way due to carotenoids, which are a type of antioxidant (also a precursor to Vit. A). The adult bird eats carotenoids in their diet and can store them in their feathers (birds who eat more carotenoids are more brightly colored) as red, yellow and orange pigments. Female birds also deposit them in the yolks of their eggs to help protect the developing chick...or the human who eats the egg. A healthier bird will have more carotenoids available in her body, so she can give put more in the yolks of her eggs and thus, her eggs will have darker orange yolks. That's an oversimplification of how carotenoids work in birds...there's a lot more information out there. It's really cool though.

The 2 laying flocks at my CSA get some organic grain (not sure of the exact components) and they free range to varying extents. One flock in is a mobile house and gets moved around to different areas and they stay pretty much within a portable electric fence and they eat a ton of grass and bugs...whatever they find. The second flock is more stationary, but also more likely to escape their large pen, so they wander all over the place. I've seen them catch a sparrow and devour it. They all get a mix of leftover crops and kitchen scraps....and shockingly enough, one of the foods they go craziest over is their own eggs. Totally omnivores.

 

[UUMom]

Yeah, chickens love even their own raw eggs...it's important to get the eggs out of the nestboxes. If one breaks and they get a taste of it, it can be a problem.

Mine also love scarmbled eggs. Scrambled eggs don't look or taste like raw ones, so that's not a problem. Also, I often pulverize cooked egg shells in my vita mix and pour it over their feed. Lots of good protein & calcium etc

 

[Leilalu]

so what can you give baby chicks instead of a medicated feed? Is there something more natural that would keep them alive? I really do not want to have to go the medicated route.

sorry if I'm hijacking

 

[momtoalexsarah]

Our Hens get both grain and free range whatever they can find. We make a mix of grains for them to eat - peas, barley, oats, wheat, corn flax, buckwheat and on occation some soy to raise to protein in the feed so that they will lay a little better. (all of this is organic and non GMO of course).
In the winter we add alarge amount of dry hay to their food so that there is forage in it when they can't get it outside.

To the previose poster - you can buy unmedicated chick starter, or buy an organic poultry starter it will not contain medication. I would start them at about 18% protion no highter then drop it back every 3 weeks till you are at about 14-15%

 

[TzippityDoulah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leilalu ok, so tell me- if you were me, and getting some chicken this week, what would you feed them? Besides them being in a run, and moved around the yard. And what would you feed the chicks?

I don't have good advise b/c our chickens/roosters when I was growing up were totally free range. we never fed them unless it was freezing. of course we didn't eat them either - they were pets... hmmm it's been a billion years! I can't honestly remember what we fed them as new little chicks! (we weren't organic in any way shape or form so I am sure it was something gross!

)

 

[Metasequoia]

I have 21 little peepers peeping next to me as I type. I bought the feed the guy at the store handed me & couldn't find anything on it that said "medicated." Of course, after I fed them, I read more thoroughly & saw the word medicated in small letters.

: This means antibiotics, correct? Blech. I think I'll ditch the whole bag (which is practically full) & go back to pick up unmedicated, organic. My peeps just turned a week old on Easter & they LOVE worms. The kids are constantly outside digging up worms & dropping them in the cage. It's quite entertaining.

When are they old enough to start eating kitchen scraps?