Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 My hemcore supplier has put the price up to £9.50 so I've found another supplier only a mile or so further away who charges £7.50. As I also get my pellets at the same place, obviously it makes sense to buy them from the cheaper place but they stock different brands. Does anyone have experience/views/comments on these brands: Spillers - £6.95 (what I currently buy)Dodson & Howell - £8.30Allen & Page - £18 (organic) Or does it not really matter as they're all the same (except the organic stuff obviously) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 I don't think it matters, as long as you mix gradually increasing ratios of the new feed into the old to make the change gradually. I did that and the girls were fine. I use the Smallholder range at present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Good tip, MedusA as they can be a bit picky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Do you not feed your chickens organic pellets ANH? Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 Do you not feed your chickens organic pellets ANH? No . Should I be? All they had at my local horsey place was Spillers so that's what I got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 mine arent currently on organic and have been on normal pellets for nearly 2 years. Im switching to organic the next time i need to buy any though. Im going to get the organic brand Omlet sell as I buy their mixed corn and my chooks LOVE that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Mine have had the same organic pellets that omlet sell from our local horsey place. Last time I ran out they had too so they are on Dodson and Horrell at the moment. To be honest I had run out so there was no chance of mixing them in - I figured if they were hungry enough they would eat them and they do!! I think I would feel better if they were organic as you hear so many horror stories about what can be contained in animal feeds. If they have the organic ones when I go to get grit tomorrow then I will get them at the same time. I think the Dodson and Horrel ones were a few pence cheaper. I pay £7.60 for a bale of hemcore btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Do you not feed your chickens organic pellets ANH? No . Should I be? All they had at my local horsey place was Spillers so that's what I got. I don't know whether you should be or not I just assumed that non organic would be full of nasties that would not be good for them to eat, I don't really know what I'm talking about If it is ok to feed non organic I will switch in a heartbeat, my three eat me out of house and home, and it would make keeping them so much cheaper Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 We use allen & paige small holder free range layers pellets ours didn't like the omlet organic ones. If you are going to change mix the new with the old in increasing proportions so they get used to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hi mine eat Dodson & Horrell (it isn't organic but it is GM free). £8.30 is a bit steep.....!!! I only pay £5.25 for a 20kg bag from my local horsey shop. Once the Omlet organic stuff ran out I was going to stick to organic but every time I rang suppliers they were out of stock. So I went for the Dodson & Horrell instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 My hemcore supplier has put the price up to £9.50 so I've found another supplier only a mile or so further away who charges £7.50. As I also get my pellets at the same place, obviously it makes sense to buy them from the cheaper place but they stock different brands. Does anyone have experience/views/comments on these brands: Spillers - £6.95 (what I currently buy) Dodson & Howell - £8.30 Mine usually have the Allen & Page organic but I have to remember to order them in advance so they have Dodson & Horrell at the moment - and I think they like them better . Last time I bought the A&P organic ones they were about £12 something a bag - £18 seems a bit steep to me, even if there has been another price increase...My D&H bought 12/01/08 were £7. More than Hen Watch pays Just for the record, Hemcore was £7.60. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 My Hens are on country Layers pellets which are not organic or GM free A 20kg sacks costs £7.00. The farm supplies store sell Dodson and Horrell GM free pellets but only in 4kg bags and they cost about £4.00. My girls eat that amount in a week and prefer them to the Country Layers. I can't get organic food up here I bought a bale of Hemcore today which cost £9.05. This will be the first time I have used hemcore in the run. I am not sure one bale will be enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 We just buy ours from Mole Valley and they're not organic as they can't garauntee the level of organic matter in them as there simply isn't enough in the country for them to supply. I think a 25kg sack costs £6.35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I bought a bale of Hemcore today which cost £9.05. This will be the first time I have used hemcore in the run. I am not sure one bale will be enough You might be surprised, it does go a long way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 My goodness - £18 for A&P organic! I buy them for £10.40 from our horsey shop! I won't be doing if they go up that much though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I give my girls Golden Yolk Layers Pellets, not organic but they wolf them down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanchick Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Mine have Spillers, as it's all I could get from our local saddlery, and I've had no complaints. The bags do seem to have a short shelf life though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I bought a bale of Hemcore today which cost £9.05. This will be the first time I have used hemcore in the run. I am not sure one bale will be enough You might be surprised, it does go a long way! I think another half a bale would have been better. The hemcore is sparce in some places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 10, 2008 Author Share Posted February 10, 2008 I thought that too, Urbanchick. Mine says something like "mineral content guaranteed till March 2008". I've just started my 3rd bag since September so should be OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanchick Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Mmm, I think it must be my supplier! When I get them they have 6 to 8 weeks before the use by date. Did seem a bit short to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolo Rabbit Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 We'll be getting our 3 hens in the next month or so. How much feed would they get through and would we get through a 20kg bnag in time before the whatever it is runs out ?Or would we be better off buying a smaller size? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 10, 2008 Author Share Posted February 10, 2008 I got my 3 girls at the beginning of September. They've got through 2 bags (20kg - I think ) and have just started on the 3rd. So one bag might do you 2 1/2 months? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 A 20 kg bag lasts me 3 weeks, with 8 hens. Greedy beggars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I've been feeding Organic Feed Company (Allen & Page) layers pellets to my six... i say feed but it would be more true to say I fill the grub up and it gets ignored. They really don't seem to like it, unless they're sneaking beakfuls when I'm not looking. They're not underfed, that i can tell. Free range all day and - as they are new to the kids who insist on 'taming' them - they're getting far too many treats of dried meal worm, apples and mixed corn at the moment. I open the girls up between 6 and 7am, then keep them in the run for about an hour before free ranging to 'encourage' them to eat the pellets, but they don't seem interested. I've tried adding garlic powder, I've tried adding less and more garlic powder. I've tried adding bokashi bran (which they would happily eat on its own). I've even tried making a pellet porridge - but they just turn their beaks up. Is this typical behaviour? If they don't look or act underfed, and with a couple laying already, can I assume they're healthy but getting most of their nutrition from the garden? Is it the pellets? I've been reading about Dodson and Horrell pellets being popular, would it be a good idea to try something different? Are they eating too much of the wrong thing? As I keenly bought a 20kg bag for them, i'd hate to think i bought the wrong stuff! I didn't think to check the best before date when i bought it a couple of weeks ago but it's only good until November - would that be an old bag i picked up? I went to our local feed merchant - WM Thompson in Murton - and he suggested i tried their own layers 'mix'. What do you omleteers think of the mix rather than the pellet? Would it make a difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Mine won't eat pellets at all. I tried a bag from omlet but no go. I've just given it away on Freecycle. They eat mash which I mix with a little warm water in the morning and I must admit I just ask for layers mash and take whatever my farm shop has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
