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

[house-elf]

my hens for the first week were kept in their run and had pellets and a small amount of treats before bedtime, but now they free range from lunchtime onwards and of course loving munching the grass, bugs etc.

 

How much pellets should i expect them to eat now ? Can they still have a treat ?

And if they are free ranging and eating whatever, is it a good balanced diet ?

 

I have just noticed that since free ranging they don't seem to be eating as much pellets !

[moochoo]

If they're free ranging all day they probably won't touch their pellets. I tend to leave my girls in the run until 1-2pm then they've had chance to fill up on pellets all morning to get their nutrients. It also means they can all lay in the nestbox instead of around the garden!

It's still fine to give them a small amount of treats in the afternoon.

[Egluntyne]

If you want them to free range all day.....that is fine (lucky them ), but they won't eat as many pellets as they are busy eating other stuff. As a consequence, you may find that they don't lay quite as many eggs as they would if fed mainly on pellets. The usual reccommendation is to confine them to the run till lunchtime so that they eat up and then let them peck around in the afternoon, with one small treat to lure them back into the run.