celia36 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Hi there all you well experienced chicken owners, i am new at this and just got my ex bats from the bhwt just before christmas, they are all doing well and growing feathers back, also have got very confident with me! Anyway a couple of probably basic questions for you but i need to make sure that i get it right, I am feeding them daily with layers, pellets, grit and corn to forrage, but i often wonder what else i can give them, i have read conflicting advice re - potato peelings, which i did try and they liked, but how much do i boil them and do i mix them with anything, do i have to wait till it's cooled down to cold?? I have 4 hens and I only seem to get 1 egg a day between them, some days not at all, I am not concerned if I get eggs or not just is this normal? Is there anywhere I can get a list of what foods like s"Ooops, word censored!"s that they like and how they like it, ie boiled, just peelings, green veg etc, as i want them to have the very best of lives from now on, also all my neighbours want to help out with left overs and i have no idea what to accept! Thanks so much in advance, sorry to drone on, they really are quite lovely little things!!! Celia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Welcome to the forum. Potato peelings do have to be cooked before you dish them up. I just zapp them in the microwave until they are soft. You can also give them lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, cake, leftover cooked veg, rice, pasta. They might start laying more in the Spring, as the days lengthen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Hi Celia Also they can have bread (soaked in water), porridge oats mixed with warm water is nice on chilly evenings, grapes, sweetcorn, tuna (high in protein), apple, banana or try some dried (or live!) mealworms. No citrus fruit though. Have lots of fun with your girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisa33 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Hi & Welcome to the Forum. My girls like cooked Pasta, Rice, Mashed Potatos, porridge, cabbage, lettuce, tomatos, apple cores, cauliflower, raisins grapes........... Lots of stuff really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Welcome to the forum, Celia . Glad to hear you're enjoying your girls! There have been a couple of posts on this recently. Here's 2 that might give you some ideas: http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18574 http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18649 I don't often get round to giving mine potato/carrot peelings but when I do, I boil them for 20 mins or so (don't if that's right or not ), then chop them up and mix with anything else that's around. They should be cool enough after that (they don't need to be cold). Top with mealworms and it's a real meal! Hanging up fruit & veg is good for a treat/boredom buster too - corn on the cob, cabbage, whole apple etc. Hope that helps . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...