Want healthy, productive birds? It all starts with proper nutrition! Research shows chickens require six essential nutrients in their diet: 1. 💦WATER - The most critical nutrient! Chickens need constant access to clean water. A hen can survive weeks without food but only days without water. Water regulates body temperature and is essential for egg production. 2. 💪PROTEIN - Builds muscle, feathers, and eggs. Chicks need 18-20%, layers need 16-18%, and molting birds need extra protein to regrow feathers. 3. 🌽CARBOHYDRATES - Primary energy source. Grains like corn and wheat provide the fuel chickens need for daily activities and staying warm. 4. 🪽FATS - Concentrated energy and help absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K. Essential for healthy skin and feather quality. 5. 🪶VITAMINS - Organic compounds needed in small amounts for growth, reproduction, and disease resistance. Deficiencies show up as poor feather quality, reduced laying, and health issues. 6. 🦴MINERALS - Calcium for strong eggshells and bones, phosphorus for skeletal development, and trace minerals like zinc and selenium for immune function. 🐓Complete layer feeds are formulated to provide all six nutrients in proper balance - that's why they should make up 90% of your flock's diet! ❓Questions for you:❓ 1. Do you offer free-choice calcium (oyster shell) separately from feed? 2. What's the weirdest thing your chickens have ever eaten thinking it was nutritious? 3. If your flock could design their own "dream feed," what do you think they'd put in it?

I was just chatting with my oldest daughter (who lives in Australia with her husband and our two grand-littles), and they have a pigeon that started hanging around over the past couple days. It appears to perhaps be a homing pigeon (she said it has a band but they couldn't really read anything on it), so it is quite friendly, and they are trying to find its owners. They're talking with a local bird organization that is helping with this. In the meantime, they have noticed that it has mites and were wondering about the best way to treat them. Those of you with poultry who have treated for mites before, what have you used that worked? Especially something natural that would be easily obtainable anywhere? They don't have easy access to farm stores where they live. I realize this isn't "poultry", but I would assume treatment would be similar?