Guest guest Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 There is Organic Pride brand put out by Midwest Organic Services Association. It comes in 50# bags. I do not know where you purchase your feed, but at the local feed mill they should be able to order it in for you. I am not sure if a store such as Farm Fleet/Fleet Farm or other national chains can get products such as this. Local farm feed mills can order many other feeds. a chicken questions I have been feeding my chickens regular Purina-type feed. Obviously it's not organic, but it's the only feed I can find. Could someone tell me what to feed my chickens that is organic and easy to find? I also feed them appropriate table scraps, but I don't generate enough to feed four chickens without supplementing. Also, one of my chickens has been VERY broody lately. She sits all day in the nest, coming out for only an hour or so, then she goes right back. She seems to be fine otherwise, except her feathers are no longer a beautiful, deep gold color. She's faded a little. Is there something I should be doing for her? Is she lacking something in her diet to tell her to knock it off? I don't have a rooster so there's no chance she could ever have chicks. TIA Kara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 You'll need to pen up your broody hen away from the nests, and provide food and water for her. In a few days (maybe longer) she should start acting normal. The important thing is to keep her away from the nests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 I don't know where you are, so here is a list of organic livestock fed suppliers- http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/livestockfeed.html and another http://www.ansci.umn.edu/poultry/links/organiclinks.htm My feed supplier will UPS 50# bags of feed, unfortunately, the cost of shipping doubles the cost of feed, but for such a small number of chickens, it might be worth it to you. I did that with my very first batch of chickens. Try your local feed mill, they might surprise you. You can also see if you can find an organic farmer around you to buy from directly. I would sell feed to someone who asked, and only had a few chickens. I buy my kelp from a local farmer who orders it in bulk and gets a good deal-he passes the savings on to me, and probably makes a few $, too, but I know it's at least $10 per bag less than I could get it for, and no shipping costs. And maybe you could find others who are interested and co-op an order. There are a lot of things to do to stop a broody hen, if you don't stop it right away it will take longer for her to start laying again. A broody stopped the first day can still take a week to start producing again, but it goes up each day that she broods. You can remove her from the nest several times a day, move or cover her nest to get her to stop going in, don't let eggs stay under her, or some people use a special cage that is on a slant so that she can't get comfortable. I would suggest a few books on chickens, Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow is an excellent sourcebook for general care and flock management, very basic and easy to read, but there are others. I would get a few from the library and then see what you like before you buy. I would strongly caution against not using a formulated feed for chickens. They need a constant protein source, and need grain to get that. They do eat bugs and grass as supplements and to get the variety of a good diet, but are not ruminants and cannot thrive on a totally wild diet. Dona chicken questions I have been feeding my chickens regular Purina-type feed. Obviously it's not organic, but it's the only feed I can find. Could someone tell me what to feed my chickens that is organic and easy to find? I also feed them appropriate table scraps, but I don't generate enough to feed four chickens without supplementing. Also, one of my chickens has been VERY broody lately. She sits all day in the nest, coming out for only an hour or so, then she goes right back. She seems to be fine otherwise, except her feathers are no longer a beautiful, deep gold color. She's faded a little. Is there something I should be doing for her? Is she lacking something in her diet to tell her to knock it off? I don't have a rooster so there's no chance she could ever have chicks. TIA Kara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.