Just corn or mixed???

[Warwick Lad]

We went to our local farm feeds on Tue for mainly a bag of mixed corn, in the warehouse they have cracked or what I call kibbled corn...so which is the best for the girls to go to bed on??. The mixed is mostly wheat with what looks like a small amount of fine corn...along with other seeds.

BJ.

 

[LadyA]

I think it's a matter of preference. They don't need much. I always gave mine a small handful between them in the evenings, to train them to be back in their run by teatime. Too much, and it leads to them rejecting their pellets in favour of the corn.

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[Warwick Lad]

I think it's a matter of preference. They don't need much. I always gave mine a small handful between them in the evenings, to train them to be back in their run by teatime. Too much, and it leads to them rejecting their pellets in favour of the corn.

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Thanks, LadyA........do you use the cracked corn then?? how much would you give 9 POL???


BJ.

 

[LadyA]

I always used the mixed corn. For nine, I'd give a bigger handful between them. They don't need a lot. It's a treat - the pellets should be their main feed.

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[Marigold]

I just buy mixed corn which is wheat plus chopped (cracked) maize, but there are brands which also have extra seeds which is nice but more expensive. I give mine about a dessertspoonful each, in winter shortly before roosting time so they go to roost with something in their crops to keep them going through the 15 hours before breakfast. I add the same amount of pellets and anything else which has gone into the ‘chicken box’ on the worktop during the day, such as apple cores, leftover grapes, etc. Then I mix it up with a little warm water to make the pellets just crumbly. They have it on a big plate so it doesn’t get dirty on the run floor. They also get their daily cabbage greens then as well.
But it’s fine just to give them a sprinkle of corn in the afternoon before bedtime, once they’ve eaten their pellets for the day. If you just hold it on your hand they will come to you and become very tame. Don’t give very much, though, it’s fattening, and they need the balanced nourishment in their pellets to go on laying eggs with strong shells.

 

[MrsBiscuit]

I used to give straight wheat, its less fattening and I could buy it easily from the feed merchant or direct from the farm. It was a bribe to get them in when free ranging, it made me feel better that they had something 'nice' to keep them going on cold winter's nights (although not strictly necessary), and made them tamer. However, mixed corn is absolutely fine, just keep the quantities small, Marigold is a bit more generous than I was!