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

[Kalu]

Hello,

 

When our arrived with the they came with layers pellets. That morning I went to our local chicken place (Thornes) and bought Flo to join them. I was advised there that they should all be on growers mash for the next four to eight weeks but the nice man who delivered the said that layers pellets were fine....I have so far stuck with the mash (although have added a sprinkling of layers pellets to it and have also started giving them porridge may with the layers pellets).

 

Am I doing the right thing? should I be giving them the layers pellets or should I wait a little longer. Suffice to say we haven't had any eggs yet!

 

Many thanks

K

[ted]

they look lovely ladies. I would stick with layers ... and some corn mix later in the day for a treat...

[Falkor]

You have been talking to Frank haven`t you.

 

I asked the same question on here when my Orps turned 4.5 months and was told to go onto layers pellets. But after consulting Frank at Thornes (love him!) after my buff orp passed away he said to stick with growers as Orps are slow developing and at 9 months old they are STILL growing. They started laying last month and all the eggs have been fine except for one softie very early on from OSH.

 

My newbie Hybrids are on growers pellets too, they are 18 weeks and not laying but Snowball seems to have developed her face furniture overnight so it may not be long! They will all be on growers pellets until the bag is empty or they are all laying and then if i have growers left I will start mixing in layers pellets.

 

I also bumped into an ex-boyf a few weeks ago who is a farmer and he said growers too and his Dadwho was with him and is also a farmer of 55 years experience said growers so that is what I am doing.

 

If you want to use your layers pellets rather than buying a bag of growers I am sure they will be fine on that too.

 

The pellets V mash question is a personal preference on your part really. I tried mine on Mash and they loved it but they seemed to eat the good bits and leave a lot of dusty stuff in the grub and refuse to eat it no matter how long I left it in there THe mash also makes LOADS of mess as they flick it all over the place. Pellets are just mash but compacted together so they can`t pick and choose what they eat and they are tidier!

[TAJ]

Growers has a higher protein level, so is better for them whilst growing, all birds grow at different rates to reach maturity (orps & Dorkings I know are very slow). If birds are bought as POL then usually they will say just get layers as they are almost there.

 

Personally I would say there is no need to actually change over until they start to lay, but mine have come off layers depending on more when the bag is running out - i.e. if I have 5kg left I will use it and mix the last 1-2kg with layers as transition. However if I had 18kg of growers left they would stay on it longer.

 

So growers is better whilst growing and when to change will vary with breed, but when they start laying is the correct answer. As to mask or pellets - that's just personal preference (yours and your girls).

 

Tracy