Information on different types of feed for chickens.

Here at Palmer Farms: For our baby chicks we use medicated feed after they are one week old to avoid coccidiosis. We keep them on this feed until about 5 months or when they lay their first egg. After the first egg, we then put them on layer rations that include a good amount of calcium to help them with producing a nice outershell for their eggs. We sometimes add in greens that come from our farm, such as basil, lettuce. We also give them over-ripe tomatoes which we grow in abundance here. We occasionally add in oyster shell. I should mention that we do have one bantam hen, she is quite large, and we make sure that she gets layer crumbles or layer pellets- sometimes our local service is out of one of the other, so we use what is available. I try to stick to organic for all our feeds. We prefer pellets because they can be eaten by all the chickens and therefore there is not as much waste. If we do just the crumbles, they are tossed all over the ground and cannot be eaten as sufficiently. Smaller bantams need layer crumbles though.... they can't eat the bigger pellets. If you feed your chickens properly, they wont get splayed legs and will remain disease free. It is always so sad when a chicken that has been hand raised gets ill. I have solutions for illness, post a forum topic and I can help you out!