Cranfield Kate Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 hi all. the bag of layers mash i got with my coop is about to run out so now I am dazzled by the choice on offer. The stuff I have is the smallholder feed range and the ladies seem to like it, plus I like that it's vegetarian, has all the vitamins etc, blah blah blah but now on the smallholder website I see they also do an ex bat crumb and pellet range with added stuff that ex-bats need. should I get that instead??? or stick to the usual pellet stuff they are quite happy with. they get treats too but I am always careful to make sure that they get their pellets for the full nutrition. and I would like them to be as healthy and robust as possible. and if anyone can recommend a supplier that doesn't charge 8 arms and 2 legs for the delivery i would be grateful (I am based in South London) thanks everyone. ex bat Atilla ex bat Bertha RIP Peeper 1 black and white one-eyed cat called Collin 2 unnamed fish 1 OH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Many Pets at Home stores now sell layers pellets, I cant remember what make it is but its a good one I wouldnt get it delivered if you can avoid it as the carriage s very expensive, if you dont have a Pets at Home then there is bound to be an agricultural supplier in striking distance, a horsey equipment and feed place may be able to order it in for you, there is a huge one over Esher way Chickens arent vegetarian so I wouldnt worry too much about that, just get a good quality feed If your hens eat the pellets I would stick with them as mash and crumbs can be wasteful and messy I personally use Garvo feed which I find to be by far the best available feed but its not liked by everyone as it contains some GE soya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Kate Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 thanks for the pets at home tip! we have a couple locally so i can go and stand and umm and ahhh over everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrambledhead Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 My local Pets at Home stocks the Ex Bats range! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 My local Pets at Home stocks the Ex Bats range! Yes, so does mine. They like the Ex Bat crumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Kate Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 by the way, is it weird that I always mix the pellets with water? i assumed this was how you made "mash"and as the birds seem to like it that way I just carried on - it meant they couldn't throw it all over the coop as they did the one time I just gave them the pellets. is that weird/wrong/bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 by the way, is it weird that I always mix the pellets with water? i assumed this was how you made "mash"and as the birds seem to like it that way I just carried on - it meant they couldn't throw it all over the coop as they did the one time I just gave them the pellets. is that weird/wrong/bad? No, that's exactly what I do to make their morning "porridge". I add a little bit of corn, and sometimes a few raisins to get them interested. I also add polutry spice as they really seem to like it. I add warm water (from the hot tap, not boiling water), and it seems to disappear. They eat most of it before I let them out into the garden, and then they eat the rest up when I shut them in the run at about 3pm, ready for them to go and roost in the cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Kate Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 okay, good, I was starting to wonder if it was just me. I add poultry spice, a little bit of ground up oyster shell, a good pinch of ground up cooked egg shell and, at the moment, it has fleubenvet in it. honestly, it's a ten minute mission every night to get it all ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joybelle Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 My girls wont eat their layers pellets unless made into porridge, so from almost day one thats how I get them to eat it. I know I spoil them and my OH says if they are hungry enough thay will eat them dry but I dont care it doesnt take long to pour hot water over and mix it up Joy xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 My local Pets at Home stocks the Ex Bats range! Yes, so does mine. They like the Ex Bat crumb. Ditto - so do mine. They much prefer layers crumb to pellets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickcluck Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Ours do it also, but they can be very expensive, so if you've got a horsey shop near try there... You can always go the the website of places like Fancy Feeds Garvo Small Holders (allen and page) Marriages can't think of the others and they will tell you where your local stockists are I buy a couple of sacks at a time and stash it in the shed! Best to keep the open sack in a plastic/metal bin tho..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligg Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Hi I've found pets at home quite expensive for chicken food, I get mine from a local animal feed merchant, they sell good quality organic/free range feed as well as tonics,spices etc at a very reasonable price. The pellets we get are from the smallholders range and less than £8 for a 25kg bag and it has the same ingredients as the pets at home range. Most areas have a local feed merchant, especially if there are people in the area that have horses, ours have said if there is anything in particular we want just to ring and they will try and get us it. Its worth having a look round Alli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipCaldwell Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 mine love layers mash from the local farm suppliers, just to add, mine hated the organic layers pellets off the omlet shop, they turned their beaks up at it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beulah59 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Pets at Home sell Dodson and Horrell ... not yet tried it, but it will save me a trip to the farm supplies shop if that's all I need at any time. Mine have mash (ie pellets with warm water) in the morning, but they still like to feed at the dry food in a hanging feeder throughout the day. I add oats, mixed grit, garlic, poultry spice, ground eggshell, limestone flour and occasionally cod liver oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dappy Chick Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Might be a silly question but if you are pouring water on pellets to make mash why not buy mash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickcluck Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Some people like to have pellets available all day and water them down as a treat in the afternoon..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 My lot get the ex-batt pellets and seem to have thrived on them , expensive as they are. The little girls certainly seemed to feather up quicker than the big girls, despite being in a worse condition when they arrived. The spoiled little monkeys have two feeders with dry pellets and three bowls of pellet "porridge" to see them through the day (and don't even ask about treats!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Kate Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 okay NOW i'm worried I am not feeding them enough! that seems like about twice as much food as mine get and i thought i was overfeeding. they get the amount the bag says you should give to each chicken per day, plus a few treats ( ). I try and limit the treats (honest!) to encourage mash-eating as it has all the nutrients etc. oh and i give them pellets with water instead of just giving them mash because i got very confused by the whole mash thing at first. i assumed mash was just pellets with water but then i read somewhere that mash was just a different type of dry pellet. then I lost the will to live and just gave up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Join the club! Mine spend more time tipping their food out! I haven't tried mash yet - heard it can get messy, but the chickens do get bored with the same stuff - then they turn their noses up at it. Suddenly they get more interested when a different make is slowly introduced. I might try a small bag to see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 I don't limit the amount of dry pellets and pellet porridge my lot get - they can eat as much of that as they like. Treat-wise they get very little during the week, as I only see them for about 10 mins in the morning at this time of year and they are all in bed when I get home . They do get spoiled at weekends though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 It is really a matter of trial and error as to what they like, and what you can persuade them to eat. My lot really like the ex-batt crumb made into a warm porridge with 1/3 added corn, poultry spice and occasionally some raisins or mealworms mixed in. The treats mixed in seems to encourage them to eat the whole lot as they have to peck and scratch their way to the treats. They also have unrestricted access to pellets and corn in a grub during the day. They like to make me think they won't eat it, but I catch them eating it quite often! They are not supposed to have treats before the afternoon, but DH keeps giving them grapes! In the afternoon they always have a handful of dried mealworms to get them back into the run. In this cold weather they are eating more, so I give them a second helping of crumb made into a porridge which seems to go down rather well. My three are all laying every day, so that is also demanding on their little bodies. When they weren't laying they didn't eat so much. I don't think there is any one solution, just what works for you and the chickens. When I didn't have crumb I made porridge out of pellets and that worked just as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Kate Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 it is good to know that they are all different and that what works for one may not work for another - it makes me feel less like I am getting it wrong! if i am out all day i layer their food bowls so there's corn on the bottom for wwhen they get to it at the end of the day, then mash, then treat things above that, then mash, then morning treats, then mash on the top. oh my god I just read that back. i am LAYERING food for chickens. maybe we should have a competition to see who does the most insanely pampering thing for their chickens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted January 5, 2010 Share Posted January 5, 2010 maybe we should have a competition to see who does the most insanely pampering thing for their chickens! I suspect it would be a tough competition around these parts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
