Settling New Hens

[Anonymous]

Hi,
Just a couple of novice questions... I rehomed four hens from a free range farm recently and they have settled really well. My only problem is that they don't seem to want to eat from the feeder that I bought! They are fine with the layers pellets if I scatter them around on the floor but they don't eat at all if they are just in the feeder! I'd rather not scatter them as I'm worried about rats and mice (we've had them in the past as we back onto open land and they are rife even in the house at times.) They have been laying 3 eggs a day and as soon as I reintroduce the feeder they seem to stop laying or go down to one a day or soft shells (I have taken the lid off the separate grit now so I hope this will help.)
How much are they supposed to eat? I got the layers pellets in clear plastic bags FROM Wells Poultry with no feeding instructions on???! They love scraps and I have only been giving them after lunch time but when the pellets are in the feeder they almost attack me for the scraps they are so hungry!!! How much are they supposed to eat scrap wise??? A guy in a garden centre said once a week or they get diahorrea and another friend who keeps hens feeds hers daily!
The other thing is that they have a white substance on their earlobes that looks like mould, is this something I should worry about? They have had it since we collected them.
Please help I'm so confused!!!! :?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Well done on rehoming some commercial hens

I'm afraid you might need to show a bit of tough love what kind of feeder do you have?

Layers pellets should be available all day, and treats (i.e. kitchen scraps, corn, wheat etc) should not make up more than 5% of the diet. I'm a hard *ss, and my pullets only get layers, and perhaps once a week do they get a handful of mixed grain

For a while I would give them layers (in the feeder) and absolutely nothing else - no scraps, no corn, nothing. When they are hungy enough they'll eat out of the feeder (unless you have a treadle or spring feder, then they may need to be taught how to use it )

 

[Anonymous]

I have a standard hangable feeder that has a kind of cone shape with a trough at the bottom with little dividers, I got everything from Wells poultry. They eat nothing at all if I just put the pellets in there. Would they starve themselves? They start clucking madly and coming upto their fence flapping as soon as we go in the garden! I'm too much of a softy obviously! I'll try the tough love though as I don't want them to get fat and unhealthy!
How often and when do they moult? One is looking a bit bear on her chest but I haven't seen any of the others pecking her and there are no obvious wounds. She's looking a bit bedragled so I was wondering if she might be moulting. There's no sign on the others at all apart from a bit of pecking to the tail feathers. Have bought some anti peck spray for this, is it the right thing to spray her chest with that too just in case?

 

[Anonymous]

It is a bit late in the season for moulting ... this usually happens in late autumn/winter - however these are chickens, and they do like to keep us on our toes

One thing to watch for, is that a broody hen will pluck her own feathers out on her lower breast and abdomen to line the nest and to help incubate any eggs easier, so missing breast feathers could be due to broodiness (though it is unlikely in commercial hens, as they have all but had the brooding instinct bred out of them)

Also missing breast feathers could be from perching injuries.

Regarding your feeder. Have you got it hanging? and how high is it off the floor? If it is hanging, you may want to put it on the ground for a while, until the hens realise what it is there for... and yes, it is time for tough love :roll: