MrsMurphy Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 To the very wise and helpful members of the forum, three questions I ask of you... At the weekend I assembled a basic, rather shallow and very malodorous "bark garden" for my girls. It all looks rather soggy after the serious precipitation of the last couple of days and I plan to top the whole thing up with Hemcore. 1) Will a bale of Hemcore fit in my Mini if I put the rear seats down? 2) About how many and how great a variety of greens should I provide on a daily basis now they have no access to grass? Lavender and Daphne still don't seem interested in their pellets but are obviously doing ok as they are laying 6 days in 7. 3) Is it worth buying a bag of mash to mix with the pellets? PS I lied. Gus did the whole lot while I directed operations . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara.F Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 PS I lied. Gus did the whole lot while I directed operations . I use aubiose (is that similar?) and that would def fit in the front seat of a mini without putting any seats down. my girls get a bit of what's about but their fave is leafy green cabbage suspended from the run to hop up and peck. I was advised by several people that they should be offered as many greens as the'll eat. shops often bung the cauli trimmings and so on in for free if you ask. As for pellets, my girls truly hate them. They will, miserably, eat them when there is no alternative and only then if softened with water and mixed with some tomato juice or cooked potatoes etc. (and I've done the whole 'feed nothing but and keep them in the run for a week' thing but I felt rotten and it didn't work anyway) To be honest, I'm thinking of binning 'em and just buying layers mash instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 My girls have Aubiose in the run and it's great They freerange for most of the day but their favourite greens are curly kale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 My girls love the Spring Greens type of Cabbage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlb1871 Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 My three also will not eat the pellets, I get around it by mixing it with some mixed corn approx 2 parts pellet 1 part corn, but they still pick around the pellets, which I end up throwing away. Where can you get the mash from? My local farm shop only stocks pellets and I'm keen to try them on the mash. Having said that they are all pretty healthy on the corn diet and do get a lot of veg supplements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 What type of pellets do you use, and have you tried a different make? Mine wouldn't eat the old Omlet pellets, but love the new ones they do - organic ones from Allen & Page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlb1871 Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Yes it's the Omlet Pellets they're not too keen on. The Farm shop does sell other pellets (not sure on brand) so I may get a small bag and try them on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Mine didn't like the Omlet pellets either! They (the pellets) were always all over the floor and stank to high heaven if left. I now use Golden Yolk Layers Pellets (unfortunately not organic) and they wolf them down. In fact they eat twice as much. To be fair that could be because they have grown a lot and are all now laying and so will be hungrier. There was none of the pickiness that I had read about. They scoffed the lot. I have 8 hens in 2 Eglus and I have to fill both Grubs to the brim every day. These pellets are much bigger. They (the hens) cost me a fortune. I daren't work out an actual cost per dozen eggs!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMurphy Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 Imagine four burly guys and a whippet in the office nursing their cups of tea. "I've come to collect some Hemcore," I say. "What, in a Mini?" they say. Some mirth and a belly laugh emanates and they all scarper. Easy peasy, I picked up the bale of Aubiose, shoved it in the boot and now have the moonlight task of filling the run. If only I could find our headtorch... I don't seem to be able to get up early enough for the girls' liking and shutting them up for any longer in the morning seems a bit mean (I'm still feeling guilty that they don't free range). Lavender and Daphne, especially, are greedy for anything that does not resemble Omlet pellets so maybe mixing in their corn ration will work. They have broccoli hanging in the run and cabbage, sometimes shredded and scattered. Can they have too many greens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine C Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 They (the hens) cost me a fortune. I daren't work out an actual cost per dozen eggs!! Yes, OH is often commenting on how many pounds per egg with the initial cost of the eglu and netting and converter At the moment he's working on about £2 an egg. They have laid dutifully over the summer but alas egg production on the down now. On the plus side hopefully the my girls due at the end of the month will help bring the cost down with additional eggs! Well eventually as may not lay until spring now. Only a couple of weeks ago I bought some Allen and Page pellets - strangely, this coincides with the the drop in egg production. Before that they had some really cheap non-organic pellets from our local suppliers and thrived on them. Not sure what to think on the food front! Still, as I say to OH, at least the eggs are quality not watery, pale and tasteless like shop brought eggs plus the bonus that our chooks having a quality life. Priceless E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellcat Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 PS I lied. Gus did the whole lot while I directed operations . But of course. After all, one does not have a dog and bark oneself, now does one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellcat Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Any greenstuff seems to go down well. Mine are particularly partial to broccoli stems, and love strawberries. I used to give them both mash and pellets, then the mash ran out while Ian was working away and I was ill so they had to get on with pellets, and now thats what they have. Bear in mind that they might not produce so many eggs if they don't eat the mash/pellets. There was a thread about egg production being down due to too many treats a few months back. Mine dont get enough treats to make a difference, their diet is mainly pellets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Don't get onto egg production Helen I have 7 hens, and only one is laying at the moment . The roll call goes like this: Ruby: Was poorly when younger, lays funny shaped eggs infrequently Sadie: Still laying like a trouper - 5 eggs a week Lavinia: Looking after chicks, so off-lay Dolly: Moulting, so no blue eggs for now Fleur: Lays perfect tiny eggs, not sure why she's not laying Lucille: Lays beautiful little white eggs, but is tiny and delicate - too posh too push - gets away with not laying as she'd so beautiful Lily: Just finished being broody, so not laying yet. They have gone off lay quite abruptly as the night drew in. I am sure they weren't like this last autumn Cut out all treats except for a little indigo wheat to get them in the run in the evening; still no sign of more eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara.F Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 I'm quite glad when my girls don't lay. Since these hybrids are reputed to lay as many eggs per year as a battery hen, I worry that the strain is too much for their little bodies. Years ago we had chickens, kind of anonymous bantams (given to me by a kindly farmer while on holiday) that laid blue or white eggs quite irregularly and they went on for years and years quite happily with no redmite, soft shells, floppy combs and eating mainly s"Ooops, word censored!"s. I wonder if our chickens are paying a terrible price for such prolific egg laying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Yup, I feel sory for the hybrids - they seem to stop laying sooner and die earlier. My pure-breeds are lovely girls, but egg laying isn't their forte Buffie has a good theory about being broody (and not laying) resting their bodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 My pure breeds are such prolific layers I do feel sorry for them them but they seem happy enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
