Posted by Roxanne F on February 17, 2009 at 6:43pm
If you can't afford organic feed what is the next best thing?What should I look for to avoid in common feed store food?I just have four chicks right now and have been feeding them organic but may have to change to more affordable feed.When they are old enough we are going to put them in a portable cage and let them "graze" in different areas in the yard and give them scraps to supplement their diet
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I can't say what's best for chicks,
but we have been feeding our hens organic layer feed too. Couple of handfuls of scratch every other day or so. Any "greens" from the kitchen, and greens from the garden that have gotten too large and woody for us humans to enjoy. Recently took out a spent broccoli plant and they had fun with that for a day or two. Egg shells that are "theirs" washed off and let dry out, crush them up and they love to eat that as well. Talk about full circle!
We also have chard growing for future chicken food. I pull weeds from the garden and toss them in the coop, wild mustard and mallows, a bit of rye grass too. We let them out every night about 1/2 hour before sunset and they eat our cover crop that we have growing in our back yard orchard (bell beans, oat grass, vetch, and some sort of pea)
The gal we originally adopted them from gave us the rest of her feed, which was not organic but made in Arizona. Right now they have been on the new layer feed that is organic for about a week and at first did not eat it like they were the other type but have now begun to eat it readily. Don't know if it was because of the "new food" or the fact that they have been getting all sorts of goodies from the yard and kitchen. I know organic costs more, but if you are eating the eggs, aren't YOU worth it?
Hopefully some more experienced chicken people on this site can add more to this discussion
E
Replies
but we have been feeding our hens organic layer feed too. Couple of handfuls of scratch every other day or so. Any "greens" from the kitchen, and greens from the garden that have gotten too large and woody for us humans to enjoy. Recently took out a spent broccoli plant and they had fun with that for a day or two. Egg shells that are "theirs" washed off and let dry out, crush them up and they love to eat that as well. Talk about full circle!
We also have chard growing for future chicken food. I pull weeds from the garden and toss them in the coop, wild mustard and mallows, a bit of rye grass too. We let them out every night about 1/2 hour before sunset and they eat our cover crop that we have growing in our back yard orchard (bell beans, oat grass, vetch, and some sort of pea)
The gal we originally adopted them from gave us the rest of her feed, which was not organic but made in Arizona. Right now they have been on the new layer feed that is organic for about a week and at first did not eat it like they were the other type but have now begun to eat it readily. Don't know if it was because of the "new food" or the fact that they have been getting all sorts of goodies from the yard and kitchen. I know organic costs more, but if you are eating the eggs, aren't YOU worth it?
Hopefully some more experienced chicken people on this site can add more to this discussion
E