New chicken feed

The feed store was out of my usual chicken crumbles. They did not even have pellets.

They had Chicken Scratch. But that stuff is like bird candy with only 8% protein.

They also had Gamebird Feed. But that stuff is like an avian version of jet fuel with 22% protein.

I still had some Black Oil Sunflower Seed. It is pretty good at 18% protein.

So I decided to improvise. I bought the scratch and gamebird feed.

I am trying a 1:1:1 ratio with scratch, gamebird, and BOSS. In naive terms this ought to be (8+22+18) / 3 =  16% protein. Add grit, provide oyster shell, everybody happy. Right?

I put down a cupful of the feed mix. Oh the chickeny joy! They thought it was a treat for nearly thirty seconds. And then they were through with it.

As with the cabbage, they turned their backs and walked away.

Next day they ignored it. And the day after. Even the squirrels will not touch it.

Apparently my kitchen skills apply to chicken food too.


Update: Discovered a local gas station selling M-G 20 Layer Pellets. I have been driving past their sign for 15 years, wondering where the feed store was. *sigh* At least the birds have started eating up the improvised feed, pellets and all.

Update: Lack of calcium embedded in the feed has caused one case of shell-less eggs. One hen hates oyster shell and when she does not eat enough calcium-fortified pellets she has an oopsie.

Did it again, Cannibal Chickens

I swore I was not going to feed chicken to my flock until I knew more about chicken first aid. I kept my promise, sort of.

Yesterday we roasted a Butterball turkey. For the first time in my life I ate so much food for Thanksgiving that I could not eat dessert.

We had so much food that we could not store the leftovers. The turkey drippings from the bag became soup stock. We decided to toss the stripped bones rather than render them for more soup.

Frugal fellow that I am, I just had to give some of it to the chickens. This time, I put out the smaller shreds of meat, the unpopular apple slices, organs, neck, thigh bones, and unidentifiable meatlike substances.

I had to drop the bowl over the fence to avoid death by pecking.

This time everything was very small, very soft, or very big. No choking hazards!

Also, I felt a little better that they were eating a turkey instead of a chicken. I wonder, someday when it is time to feed the flock leftovers from one of their own sisters, will I still feel weird about it or will I be all matter-of-fact?

Things my chickens like to eat

• Grasshoppers!
• Oatmeal with plain yogurt
• Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS)
• Safflower seed
• Bananas
• Zucchini
• Grapes
• Persimmons
• Apples
• Pasta
• Beans and rice
• Scrambled eggs
• Hard boiled eggs (blended, with shell)
• Pureed steak trimmings
• Acorn squash
• Hot dogs
• Purple Romaine Lettuce (warning: causes blue poo)
• Pizza
• Acorns
• M-G 20 Layer Crumbles
• Dumor 16% Layer Pellets

Here is the BackYardChickens.com list of tasty and toxic treats.

Here is the BackYardChickens.com discussion on treats for baby chicks.