emmaw298 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Another question! actually, a few questions please... what is bokashi bran and citricidal and when do i use them? also, do i need mixed grit as well as oyster shells?? I am currently just using mixed grit, putting garlic in the water and have got some chicken spice. its been 3 weeks now and my ex batts are still completely ignoring the pellets and only eating the mash. Is this normal??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I used Citricidal in the water when one of mine had the sneezes. It cleared up and I now don't routinely use it. I've not used bokashi so can't help on that one. They will pick up grit if they free range. But in the Winter mine don't free range as much with shorter days, so they get a bowl with a handful of mixed grit (sometimes it comes with oyster shell already in it). You can always bake egg shells and crush them instead of using oyster shell. I give mine the garlic powder on top of the pellets and give it a shake around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I give my girls a squirt of citricidal once a week or so when I remember. Here's the Omlet link for bokashi bran . It's supposed to help their digestion and make their poo more solid. It also makes things break down in the compost more quickly. I buy it for my bokashi bin but always put a few handfuls into their pellets box. Re the acidity of the soil that Omlet mentions, I dig some garden lime (not builders) into the run when I dig it over & replace the hemcore. I give mine mixed grit AND oystershell together. Grit for grinding in the crop and oystershell to help eggshells form. If they've been fed on mash before you got them, they'll stick to what they know. Can you very gradually increase the amount of pellets so they get used to them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Another question! actually, a few questions please... what is bokashi bran and citricidal and when do i use them? Bokashi bran is wheat bran that has been fermented with EM bacteria, molasses and water. It can be used to 'compost' kitchen waste in a 'bokashi bucket' or as a nutritional supplement for animals including poultry. The EMs in the bran not only improve the gut flora, making digestion more efficient, but they also have probiotic qualities which will improve the animals health and boost their immune systems. It also has the benefits of preventing chickens poo from smelling. Citricidal is a natural anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal derived from grapefruit seeds . You add a few drops to the hens drinking water if they seem to have colds. also, do i need mixed grit as well as oyster shells?? Yes. Mixed grit grinds the food in the chickens gizzard, an essential part of digestion. I am currently just using mixed grit, putting garlic in the water and have got some chicken spice. its been 3 weeks now and my ex batts are still completely ignoring the pellets and only eating the mash. Is this normal??? Yes!. Try mixing the pellets and the mash...say 50/50 and gradually increase the ratio of pellets to mash until you have weaned them off the mash....Or you could just leave them on the mash! There is lots of information that the new chicken keeper might find useful and will contain the answers to many of your questions in the "Stickies" at the top of each section of the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
