4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Dave36]

I have been feeding my chicks layers pellets but they hardly eat any, A grub bowl full would last them days. I went out yesterday and brought them soma layers mash and they cant get enough of it, if i put a bowl full of it down and turn my back for 5 mins its all gone fill it up all gone again it tells me on the bag to feed ad lib but can i over feed them? also lime flour how much should i put in there food if they are laying soft shells

[puffball]

chickens do seem to prefer mash...trouble is it's so messy!

[Christian]

Mine prefer mash too and it keeps them busy for longer. It is messier but not a major problem.

 

I add a tablespoon or so of limestone flour per grub feeder

[Dave36]

Many thanks for your response, it is always much appreciated

[hils78]

what does the limestone flour do please ?

[Egluntyne]

It is a very absorbable form of calcium, which helps form harder shells

[chucknette]

Hi

 

Mine also like mash and to stop the mess I give it to them in a heavy dog bowl.

 

It seems to work as the sides are too high for them to scratch about in it.

 

The limestone flour is to help them with extra calcium when they are laying soft shelled eggs.

[BarbaraJ]

Mine have Mash, i bought one of those plastic gravity feeders but they made such a mess i bought a Grub. there doesnt seem much mess with it now much easier to add stuff to also, like worming powder!

[Rachel F]

I had abag of layers pellets that was delivered with the chickens in the middle of March. They were only very slowly eating it, so I bought a bit of layers mash. Mine too couldnt get enough of it. I didnt want to waste the layers pellets I have, so I do a 50/50 mix of mash and pellets. I put them in a bowl, add some boiling water until it makes a porrige-like mix. I add in any s"Ooops, word censored!"s from the kitchen that I have accumulated during the day eg. crusts off sandwiches, left over vegetables / rice etc. I add all these into the 'porridge'. And it all gets eaten this way.

 

So when my bag of layers pellets is gone, I don't plan to replace it... I will just buy mash, plus corn bits as a treat.

 

Rachel F.

[Dave36]

If we ground the pellets is this the same mash

[esta]

hi there, my chooks go crazy for a big tub of mixed corn and pellets, with the kitchen s"Ooops, word censored!"s too, sorry if i have gone of the track here x

[debbie26pet]

mine love mash, i was on pellets but got mash mixed it with the pellets.

i found a lot of waste, and hubby came back with pellets at weekend, now they are pulling there faces, so i think im gonna have to sneak out buy a bag of mash and mix it.

[Janty]

I bought a grvsaity feeder that you hang from the top of the run. I have hung it just out of reach of their little cloddhopping feet so that they can't scratch the layers mash out. It's working a treat.

[debbie26pet]

i have one hanging and 2 omlet ones, mine seem to put there beaks in it and sweep it about

[*mummy_hen*]

We use mash, with a handful of pellets mixed in, along with the pultry spice, etc. This all goes in the grubs and as yet ours haven't made a mess at all with it. They do have a little normal feeder in the house which they tend to kick about a bit but this doesn't matter as i can just sweep this up each evening.

[Hen Watch]

Mine were happily eating pellets for a year until last month.

 

One chook had an impacted crop, so to make sure she had soft absorbable food, I added warm water to the pellets, they go grainy like porridge and the chooks wolf it down. Now, they prefer this to pellets..... daft really 'cos it's the same stuff just with added water !!!!!!!!! But it is a lot messier.