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

[mictogirl]

OK, I bought the garlic powder today - now what?? Do I sprinkle a teaspoon or so in their food hopper each day? Or dump the full bag into a big bag of pellets and mix up? What does everyone do?

 

Also does it make a difference having garlic powder or granules? The horse shop had both and while the granules were most expensive, there was more in a bag, so I wasn't sure what was best and stuck to powder.

 

Also just had a row with OH about movable netting. He's still having none of it, it's like I don't know why he doesn't get we might want to restrict the girls' access to the garden at times - he wants to just build a permanent fence around the raised beds we're going to have, but let them free range over the rest of the garden.... *sigh* What about when we need to open the garden gate for stuff? What about when we're getting our main garden fence re-done next year - will the girls have to stay in their run the WHOLE time that's going on??? AGH!

 

Sorry, rant over and answers about garlic powder much appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Laura.

[Mutrix Farmers]

I mix about 1/3 teaspoon in pellet porridge. I did try adding it to dry pellets but found the powder just ended up at the bottom of the Grub. Had the same problem with limestone flour and chicken spice, so now all powdery things go in the porridge.

[Angels4]

I just add a table spoon to each side of the grub everyother day. If you use a small amount of castor or olive oil to their pellets it keeps the powder from sinking to the bottom of the grub and helps it stick to the pellets,

[Egluntyne]

I add a tbsp to a bucketful of feed a couple or three times a week.

[SnowWhite]

I wouldn't add it to the food in the hopper as it makes pellets sticky and they don't fall through properly. Just sprinkle it on treats now and then if you like. I use a heaped teaspoon between 8 hens - they go mad for it. Today they got chopped apple, corn, pumpkins seeds and a few worms mixed up with garlic powder. Yummy

[KAZAROO]

OK, I bought the garlic powder today - now what?? Do I sprinkle a teaspoon or so in their food hopper each day? Or dump the full bag into a big bag of pellets and mix up? What does everyone do?

 

Also does it make a difference having garlic powder or granules? The horse shop had both and while the granules were most expensive, there was more in a bag, so I wasn't sure what was best and stuck to powder.

 

Also just had a row with OH about movable netting. He's still having none of it, it's like I don't know why he doesn't get we might want to restrict the girls' access to the garden at times - he wants to just build a permanent fence around the raised beds we're going to have, but let them free range over the rest of the garden.... *sigh* What about when we need to open the garden gate for stuff? What about when we're getting our main garden fence re-done next year - will the girls have to stay in their run the WHOLE time that's going on??? AGH!

 

Sorry, rant over and answers about garlic powder much appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Laura.

 

I'll take a pic of our yard...before it gets dark for you!

 

Bearing in mind I have had my hens since the end of August... just....! It will hopefully make him realize there's more to life than mud; muck and mire and buy you some fencing

[Hen Watch]

Garlic Powder, I chuck a tablespoon in a grub full of pellets.

 

I had the opposite problem with my hubbie. First year of chook keeping I insisted on letting them have the whole run of the garden but protecting hubbie's veg beds with netting. It backfired, as they would always find a way into the veg bed and hubbie got annoyed that the chickens would a) eat his veg and b) camp out and poo all over the back door - I found it endering but I was the only one and c) you had to climb over the netting into the veg beds all the time.

 

Then we bought Omlet netting and hubbie insisted the chooks would still be happy in their own enclosed area far away from the veg. It did work, and I had them in one spot in Summer then another in Autumn. Now we are in Winter, the Omlet netting has moved and the chooks are in the Winter position ontop of the veg beds so they can manure the empty beds.

 

So whilst my heart agrees with your hubbie that chooks free ranging the garden is lovely, my head tells me otherwise.

[mictogirl]

Thanks for your replies, Kazaroo, those pics of your garden are scary! We're on clay as well and already the lawn is starting to look churned up as I trudge accross it in my wellies every day to the hen house.

 

After yet more barnies, we've agreed on a compromise over the netting - It's going to be permanent rather the movable (*sigh*), but round all the raised beds and patio as well. He reckons he'll rig something temporary up while we're having the main garden fence re-done. Hmm......