roosters eating hen food?

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I have roosters with my hens. Is there anything wrong with them eating the same food?

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), October 29, 2001

Answers

Nope. It won't hurt them a bit! It will just cost more than the maintenance food they could survive on. We run our together as well, and they munch the layer pellets right along with the hens. Of course, they are let out to range the pastures everyday as well, so that helps to keep the feed bill down.

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), October 29, 2001.

We feed our chickens first thing in the morning and then let them out to range all day, as they so choose. Toward evening, they are fed again as they are shut into their pens. I suppose they won't want out after the first big snow storm, but right now they are enjoying the neighbour's soybean field, picking up the "waste" left over from harvest. (Our neighbour has no problem with this.) Also, I have been considering getting a grain mix rather than pellets. Next year I plan to grow as much of our own feed as I can.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), October 29, 2001.

We just put the feed in the trough in the mornings, we use laying mash and cracked corn. I know just about how much they eat a day, and that is all I put out in the morning, because I don't want to attract and feed mice or other rodents at night. I read that a lot of feed is wasted in this way. Ours also go out all day and actually don't eat much feed. Even when it is snowing they will still go out and eat grass, but if it is bitterly cold, or deep snow we leave them in.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), October 29, 2001.

Around here laying crumbles are very expensive and I have been looking for ways to cut back. Several of the old timers told me to switch to cracked corn, and hog mash. My dad also threw in something else I can't think of right now. Anyway, all three are cheaper then the one. They love it!!Egg production is up and my girls seem happier if that is possible.

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), October 29, 2001.

Meliisa: What is you production of eggs each week to the amount of feed you feed your hens?? And what size eggs do you get...? Thanks Bob

-- Bob S (snuffy@1st.net), October 29, 2001.


Our rooster eats the same as the hens..I have laying pelets in the coop with their water supply and in the morning, we give them a large coffee-can full of cracked corn. They free-range all over the fenced in 3 acres. They do not seem to like the cracked corn..they'll eat it, but not with alot of enthusiasm. I have 7 hens and a rooster and we are still getting at least 5-6 eggs daily. They love their table scraps..they automatically come under the kitchen window at suppertime, catch a snack and then go off to bed.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), October 29, 2001.

Hi Bob, the eggs are probably comparable to the large size in the stores, all brown eggs. I had figured the cost at about 3 cents per egg. In the spring and summer I will get about 7 eggs a day, but this drops and now I am only getting 1 or 2 eggs a day.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), October 29, 2001.

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