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

[eggregiousness]

Can you advise me please? I started letting the 10 week old cochins out to free-range in the mornings a couple of days ago, since when they have stopped eating their pellets. Will they start again of their own accord? I don't want to retrict their freedom - they are such happy chikkies!

[sjp]

easiest way is to let them out later after they've had a good feed of pellets you might have to very the time you let them out so they don't get used to the time and wait for they're free range time but worms and plants are much nicer than proper food

[eggregiousness]

Will it do them any harm to live on mostly worms and plants instead of growers pellets?

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Whatever stage they are at, the appropriate mash or pellets has all the essentials included for a balanced diet. If you keep them shut in until lunchtime for example they will fill up on their proper dinner & be ready for topping up on the snacks which worms & bugs etc should be seen as.

 

Chooks are like children and will eat all the sweets before they go for the good food (just watch them with a packed lunch box - children not chooks ) which is never a good idea long-term.....and they are masters/mistresses of the guilt-trip as you have found ! But in theory they will not starve themselves, if they only have pellets available, they will eat them soon enough

 

And sjp is right, if you vary the times they are let out they soon get used to YOU being in charge not them...sometimes when you go out in the garden, leave them in, it breaks the habit of "if we holler they let us out" too.

 

As they are only 10 weeks old they are still growing & need all the goodness in the pellets for bone & feather production etc. Once they get to layers age, they will need their pellets or mash to ensure they have all the nutrients to produce good healthy eggs.

 

Sorry if this sounds mean, but it's for their own good .....and your sanity re the times when you simply can't let them freerange for whatever reason

 

Sha x

[Gelbel]

Will it do them any harm to live on mostly worms and plants instead of growers pellets?

They might not get all the nutrients they need.

 

I let mine out practically all last weekend and just before bed time on Sunday I had green poo from one of mine as she had not had any layers pellets at all - her pals were nipping in and out of the run to have pellets from time to time while free ranging. It is quite possible that the worm, snail and slug population in Leeds is on the point of extinction from the amount my girls ate.

 

It was bile poo as she was not eating properly. Several days in the run solved that and I now only let them out for an hour or so in the evenings. I have to ignore their pleas to be let out when I checke them in the morning and take little peeks during the day (one of the great advantages of working from home ).

[legend21]

I am sorry but I cant resist and let mine free range all day, they are let out of coop at 6.30am and let out of run at 9.30am, so they have had 3 hours of feed before getting out, I watch them all pop in and out for mash all day long. If it is raining they get put in the run. I know it is wrong but they are so persuasive with their little cries I fall for them all of the time

 

Jackie

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Mine aren't shut in their houses overnight at the mo, so they are up in the WIR from daybreak until I let them out at about 8ish, but they do have a bowl of pellet porridge which they munch on all day and snaffle the pellets ad lib too, I think once they get into the habit of eating the pellets they go back & snack during FR time too.

 

They don't FR all day, if I go out, they go in

 

Sha x

[sjp]

I am sorry but I cant resist and let mine free range all day, they are let out of coop at 6.30am and let out of run at 9.30am, so they have had 3 hours of feed before getting out, I watch them all pop in and out for mash all day long. If it is raining they get put in the run. I know it is wrong but they are so persuasive with their little cries I fall for them all of the time

Jackie

 

I find deafness helps when they start screaming to be let out

I have to admit I've had mine out since 9:30 till about 10 mins ago (but they didn't get let out yesturday ) mind you they spent most off that time in each other runs or in cyclone case laying for over an hour

they also aren't going to get much free ranging till tuesday due to me being at the Sandwell show till monday night

[vikpow]

i worry about my girls eating enough as well. I let them out at 7am then leave straight for work so they free range all day, they dont seem to eat a huge amout of pellets but as im not home until 5 i cant leave them in the run all day

[eggregiousness]

i worry about my girls eating enough as well. I let them out at 7am then leave straight for work so they free range all day, they dont seem to eat a huge amout of pellets but as im not home until 5 i cant leave them in the run all day

 

I have similar problems with work commitments I am just on my way out now so they are shut in again - hope they have some pellets this afternoon. Their poops are perfectly normal looking - firm etc.