How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] chicken nutrition

Monday, August 2, 2010

Re: [CHICKENS-101] chicken nutrition

As you know chicks are different than kittens. I try to stick close to natural also. There are several organic feeds available. I add veggies and fruits and nuts to my feed to increase nutrition. I don't think chicks need as much calcium as adult layers, but I might be crazy. If they are getting a balanced diet for the first few months they should grow strong and healthy. I also grind up eggs shells real fine and feed them back in the feed. Making sure they have lots of clean water is important. About 2 times a week I add a little ACV to the water for nutrition. Do your chickens free range? If they do they will not need extra grit. I am not an expert by any means, but this is the way I have raised healthy chicks. Susan in Conyers

From: starshadow <junutas@att.net>
To: chiCKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, August 2, 2010 10:50:37 AM
Subject: [CHICKENS-101] chicken nutrition

I just have a million questions, but I'll limit myself here.

Understand my benchmark is cats, because I'm most experienced with them.

Last year, my cat had kittens. I decided to keep the litter for a few
reasons, the biggest is that my mousers had all passed on. They were
old enough to vote, it was time, but I had vacancies. I fed the
kittens what I fed their mom, not kitten food. The result I saw was
steady growth, no spurts, and now the "kittens" are bigger than their
mom. I feed as close to a natural diet as I can, and these were the
results.

My question to you is can you do this with chickens? My personal
theory (you can tell me I'm fulla beans) is that we all, human and
animal, should eat a diet closest to what we had in the wild. So
chicks would get what the adults ate, but, being younger, they'd
likely be eating more of it.

Can someone speak to this?

Debbie

Here's my grandfather around 1920 with some chick. I don't have any yet.