My girls are nearly 12 weeks old. I feed them Starter/Grower. In about 4 to 6 weeks I plan on switching them over to a layer ration. I have been treating my girls with oats I get from one of my local feed stores. They love the oats. I also threw in a piece of alfalfa bale which they pick at and have scattered over a portion of their run. Also I grow lettuce. Every once in awhile I throw a head in and they devour it. I feed them vegetable scraps except raw potato peels. They all seem fine. I recently purchased some scratch. I have been reading in some different forums about chick scratch which appears to be just regular scratch that is more finely ground. Do they need grit and are they old enough for grit? I have a 500ft net that I use to net off an area they can range in that connects to their run. I have a gate that I can close in the run. This is all movable including the coop which I do about every three weeks. The Soil here is fine grain sand.
This message was edited Dec 31, 2007 9:17 PM
Start Scratch and Grit feeding
You really should not switch to layer til you see an egg. I know someone who switched and her birds were on their 2nd year with no eggs. She had to put them back on Grower and they started laying a week later. I know it sounds weird, but its true. I dont know if its a freak thing....but if you dont get eggs when you should, that might be why.
Hi there
I have been feeding my girls high lay pellets mixed with water since I got them at 10 weeks along with any kitchen waste they even eat the cat’s food lol anyways I’ve not had any problems with my girls laying for me…
I wanted to know about grit also… I understand that grit is crashed oyster shells can I use other shells that I might find at the beach…?
This message was edited Jan 1, 2008 2:58 AM
You didn't mention the ages of your birds. Chickens do not have teeth. Their food goes, as is, into the crop, where it is slowly funneled into a very small "stomach" for some digestive additives--then to the Gizzard, WHERE IS IT "CHEWED", that is, ground into material that can be digested as it moves into the intestines and so on.... The Gizzard is best able to break down whole grains and other chunky bits that they eat when full of GRIT. Longest lasting grit is Granite, that lasts well. All other rock and stone is so much softer, that it wears down fast and that is why granite grit is best choice--works really well for best utilization of feeds. That's about it--it is your choice, as you are in control of what they are fed and what they can glean. My baby chicks are given--free choice and they choose it with pleasure--baby grit, fine Granite, as soon as they are given anything besides Starter Crumbles. Their tiny gizzards are at optimum function at an early age.
The shells can act as grit to an extent, but young birds who are not laying should not have oyster shell. Grit that is usually granite grit, does the job much better than oyster shell, which really isn't that hard. Grit grinds the Oyster Shell!!! While the gizzard is an amazingly strong organ, the Grit is a part of its function. Shells you find on the beach cannot be substituted for oyster shells.
I have RIR's. I have learned this about grit etc. from visiting several different forums
This message was edited Jan 1, 2008 1:42 PM
If you're feeding them a good starter/grower/layer feed, you don't need to add grit or oyster shell. Also, if they have access to the ground, they'll get their own grit in the form of tiny stones from the soil.
Don't give your chickens layer feed until they start to lay.
Scratch is just cracked corn and some grains. It's not nearly as healthy for them as a good mash or pellets which are mixed to give them everything they need.
we keep scratch as a treat. When I really want the girls to come running, I rattle around the scratch bag and they come from all over the yard. If your gals have access to dirt and sand, I would trust them to know what they need and to get ti from the ground.
I feed my chickens crushed up egg shells for added calcium, whenever I have a lot of eggs. I actually boil the eggs and mash them up. They love it and since it is boiled and mashed, the consistancy and shape are very different from a regular egg and I don't worry about them becoming egg peckers.