diet

[steve]

My chickens are totally fed up with layers pellets. Simply don't touch them any more. They eat occasional kitchen scraps, corn and bird seed. They also roam the garden. Will they be ok without layers pellets??

 

[chrismahon]

No they won't Steve, without more work on your part keeping the calcium levels up, the protein levels up and the fat down . I suggest you change the brand. We used a cheap CWG brand and they got sick of it quickly so we changed to Smallholder and for years no problems. Need to be careful with kitchen scraps as anything cooked could cause sour crop, potato peelings however uncooked are poisonous, yeast products are also potential sour crop items. If your birds get fat they will stop laying -the fat obstructs the ovaduct system.

 

[Marigold]

I agree with all Chris has said, I've found they do like a change of brand now and then, but if you want to use up the old stuff first, try mixing it into a damp mash in the late afternoon, maybe adding a little bit of mixed corn or sunflower seeds. They will probably go for this and then will have full crops to roost wirh during the long dark nights.
Modern chickens, especially hybrid egglayers, have been bred to do well on layers pellets, which supply all they need in a balanced form. This doesn't mean that it's not necessary to supplement their diet with a bit of variety, epecially green food and short grass, and roaming the garden is excellent for this. But its a mistake to indulge them with lots of human food as 'treats' which will make them fat and not want to eat their pellets. Too much corn will also unbalance their diet - the suggested maximum amount, for treats and catching them, is one small eggcupful of mixed corn per hen per day. If you measure that out, it's not a lot, and you can actually treat and train them with even less than this.

 

[Chuck]

If you cut out the corn and the bird seed, they will probably eat the pellets. Some people successfully use whole grain feed for their poultry with no ill effects, especially if they have access to free range. Plain wheat will not pile flesh on but they will lay less. Many chickens don't justify a high protein diet as they are poor layers and calcium can be provided for if mixed grit is offered.

 

[steve]

thanks for advice. I'm on it. Forgive my ignorance - but how do i make a mash?

 

[Sue]

To make a mash I just add boiled water to the pellets, a bit at a time until they become crumbly and moist, but not too much otherwise it just turns to a soggy, gluey mess! Then add in anything else you want. Feed it to them warm. This is how I always do it, but others may have different 'recipes'.

 

[Marigold]

You soon find out how much water the pellets will absorb if you leave it to stand for 5 minutes, and if you've judged it right, it will still be in little crumbly bits, only soft. I think the warm water not only changes the texture and makes it go down easier, but perhaps it also brings out the flavour, a bit like having gravy with a dry dinner maybe. When the weather is freezing hard and its difficult to keep the water liquid, it also helps hydrate the hens to have a damp feed at bedtime. Useful additions to make it more interesting include a few hulled sunflower seeds, the stalks and core of cabbages cut up into bite-sized pieces, or any chopped fruit or vegetables, or apple cores. If you are giving them any kind of chicken tonic this can go into the mixing water. This is a more economical way to administer liquid tonics such as ACV, as if you add them to drinking water most of it is wasted when you chnage the water. Also, hens really do prefer to have plain drinking water, and if you put ACV or anything else into their drinkers they will only drink the minimum, which is not so good for them.

 

[Sue]

I added a small amount of Poultry Spice to mine as well, made it smell really nice!

 

[Willow1234]

Just give them Garvo layers mash. Marvellous stuff and the birds will love it.