Layers pellets, mixture, corn or what?

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valeriebutterley

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Why (apart from the obvious) do we feed layers pellets, why not a corn mixture or other appropriate foods?
Can anybody please suggest a really good way to feed both layers (mixed bunch) and pets (Pekins and other bantams).
I am getting to dislike the smell of damp pellets when mixed with other chickenly things.
What are the best pellets you can buy?
What is the best diet for a mixed bunch?
I would be pleased for advice on this.

Regards and thanks to all.
 
mine have about 3 parts layers 1 part corn and lots of fresh veg and now and then bread and meal worm
i keep food outside so cant smell it
 
layers, fresh veg, access to grass and a handful of corn scattered in afternoon is recommended. Layers has a good balance of essential nutrients, so it cannot hurt your pekins to have some of that. :D
 
Seeing so many people recommending Garvo I have just changed over to it after using Smallholder pellets.
The girls go crazy for it and the eggs are great. It is a bit more expensive but as I only have 6 dottes it is worth it. They also free range for a couple of hours a day and get a handful of corn late afternoon. ;)
 
mine free range 7am till dark but there no green stuff left in my garden so a bit of bugs worms and fallen apples, now an then the neighbours chuck over a weed or 2
 
Layers pellets and layers mash are one and the same feed just in a different format, I feed pellets because mine chuck mash all over looking for the best bits!

Both the above are a compound feed with all the required vits and mins added, mixed corn is just that nothing extra added.

The best and easiest way to feed all your birds is to feed them the same, they're all chickens and they all eat the same diet.

Mine get ad lib pellets and half a handful each of wheat in the afternoons as a treat.

Best feed you can buy imho, Garvo by a mile.
 
i wonder why your pellets are smelling damp? They do need to be stored in a dry place, or they'll go mouldy, and shouldn't smell of much at all.

I agree with Bantiekeeper and CCM about Garvo, which is an excellent feed. Go to http://www.garvo.co.uk/ for a list of local suppliers. And look at the Fancy Chickens section for details of the feed.

Some people do feed a mixture of grains instead of pellets, but this does require quite a lot of confidence that you're balancing the feed to include all the nutritional elements your layers need. Also you need to have enough birds for it to be worthwhile to buy and store several sacks of different kinds of grains etc to mix. People always used to feed chickens like this, but modern birds, especially hybrids, do lay best if they have appropriate food for their special characteristics.

Go easy on the corn, give an absolute maximum of a small eggcupful per bird per day, as it's very fattening. Maybe a bit more in winter in the afternoon, to help keep them warm through the long cold nights. If grass isn't available, provide cabbage or other greens as a healthy supplement if possible, but avoid household scraps if they're going to fill up on them instead of eating their pellets.
 
I've never found wheat to be fattening but maize is and is included in mixed corn, tends to put fat on around the heart which can cause them big problems.

Americans call maize corn, we brits call all cereal grain corn which has resulted in this misnomer.
 
Your layers pellets should not be allowed to get damp. Either your storage is wrong or it's being mixed with other damp food and this can cause the birds to become ill. If you do feed other damp feed I suggest you put that in a seperate container.
Maize is certainly fattening and plain wheat is safest. Moderate layers can survive with less pellets and more corn but the price difference is not that great so you might as well feed pellets as the main feed. Years ago we were much less scientific in our feeding and the birds were expected to lay on a diet of much lower feed value than is the norm today and were healthier for it. In truth, most of todays chickens are grossly overfed, mainly in the form of treats/suppliments..
 
Hi Chuck,
my food is stored in the garage, always dry until it goes as feed.
The problem is with the girls - messy feeders, and then the rain which dampens the pellets that have been strewn about with gay abandon (as if they grow on trees). The smell can get awful when mixed with straw and other unmentionables, this, of course, can happen when I have just cleaned them!.
I am a one off chicken keeper, I think, in my area, and would really like to see (for ideas) how other people keep their girls, and any problems they encounter.
I have joined a local poultry group, but they recessed for the summer. So, no further on as yet. Regards all.
 
Sounds like you need to find a better feeder for your situation or if it's adjustable, fiddle with it till you get less
waste though I've yet to find a completely non waste feeder. My best ones are my home made ones.
 
You're quite right about the dangers from mouldy feed. Maybe things could be made better if you either got a rainproof feeder, or positioned the feeder in a dry, covered area, either up on a concrete block or hung from the roof, at the height of the smallest hen's chest? Also get one that doesn't allow the hens to scatter the food? Have a look at the Ascot Feeder from Solway Feeders - http://www.solwayfeeders.com/products/25kg-outdoor-ascot-feeder-with-rain-guard-p1818-c397.html The feeding ring is divided into lots of small sections, so the birds can only peck tidily at the pellets and not scatter them. I use these and there's no wastage at all. The outdoor version has a large overlapping hood-type top, whilst the indoor one http://www.solwayfeeders.com/products/25kg-indoor-ascot-feeder-p1817-c400.html has a itted lid you can hang it up by. The outdoor one comes with a choice of either lid. I think the outdoor version would help to keep it dry, but there's no doubt the most effective way would be to keep the feed under cover as rain or drizzle can blow in sideways, even with a large lid. The legs on these are not very stable so I threw them away and just put the feeder on a concrete block. Otherwise, build quality is very good.
 
we've moved from layers pellets to mash, and they get a little maize (corn ;) ) mixed in (so its wetted, less inclined to swell & get thrown about or hogged by the fattening cockerels!)

they make less mess with it & when the weather is colder I will mix it up with warm water,
they can also have an occassional treat of spare goats milk without extra mess or food!
 
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