Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Mercedes55]

My OH is seriously spoiling our girls food wise. Every morning he is up at the crack of dawn to make them porridge with nuts and seeds and sometimes raisins too. Lunchtimes if he is home he has been making them a bowl of mashed potato with sweetcorn and then tea time they are getting some mixed corn. No wonder we are not getting any eggs at the moment as they are not eating their pellets, although I don't mind as I'm sure it's good to give them a rest from laying

 

I think at the moment they are eating better than we are

[Raina]

Awww.Bet they're loving all this extra food

 

With this cold weather and Orkiah going through a moult i've been giving her Porridge & Mealworms in the moring, Mashed Potato & Sweetcorn in the afternoon and before bringing her in at night some more porridge with corn

[madchickenlady]

Mine are getting warm oat porridge in the early afternoon with extra corn and some poultry spice. They get very excited when they see me get their treat bowl

[jennydavies]

Mercedes can we all come and live with you Pleeeeease We will bring eggs with us for you

[Redwing]

Its no bad thing - to be honest in this weather I have thrown the rule book out of the window regarding 'fattening' food for chooks - in this cold they need all the help they can get and seeds and grains take longer for them to digest keeping them warmer for longer, My lot are on a diet of wheat, corn, barley and chick pellets at the moment with their treats being peas and seeds

[Lavenders_Blue]

Mine are getting lots of extra wheat as a treat which they adore. I did buy them some pure split maize too but they hate it! And it just gets left on the ground to attract rats so I have given up on that. I only have 1/4 hens laying at the moment so I really don't think it matters if they're not filling up on layers mash. Strangely, they don't seem fussed about greens at the moment which they normally go bonkers for, they just want the wheat so it must be helping them keep warmer.

 

Mercedes - send your OH round here. I'd love porridge with nuts, seeds and raisins for breakfast, never mind the hens!

[Cranfield Kate]

mine get pellets in the morning, then mid morning corn, then lunchtime pellet porridge with spice, then mid afternoon corn again just before they go to bed. mainly because i feel so guilty that they are locked in the run all day!

[catherinedon]

very interested in this topic as my instincts say to feed lots but the hatcherys advice was to 'keep them slightly on the edge' ie wanting food. He said they loose very few chickens in this bad weather because they keep them active and moving looking for food which keeps them warm. I leave my grubs out full of food all day and he said no just feed them once day. Mine are not fussed about warm mash but are eating their Garvo very well since adding garlic. I also give them mixed corn once a day. Now I feel bad as you are all feeding yours much nice thinks. 4 out of 7 of mine are laying very well the others have not started yet. I do give them warm water each morn

[chuckmum6]

Its no bad thing - to be honest in this weather I have thrown the rule book out of the window regarding 'fattening' food for chooks - in this cold they need all the help they can get and seeds and grains take longer for them to digest keeping them warmer for longer, My lot are on a diet of wheat, corn, barley and chick pellets at the moment with their treats being peas and seeds

Quite agree, I have I grub full of mixed corn and the other two layers pellets, I bet you can guess which one needs refilling the most frequently!

[catherinedon]

chuck mum I might do that tomorrow actually. I have just been giving them some corn in the evening but may as well just leave it there

[BocBoc]

Oh dear - I don't think I'm spoiling mine at all!! Their grub is filled with half layers pellets/half mixed corn and is there for them all day. I take warm water out for them in the morning (but less than 35 degrees or it freezes quicker than cold!). OH is going home at lunchtimes to let them free-range and give them fresh water and their treat bowl which consists of peelings and leftover mash from Sunday dinner!!

 

I promise that I do give them spinach and hot porridge garnished with dried mealworms at the weekends!!

 

Oh - and they also have a peckablock and a brussel rod hanging in their run.

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Mine have hot mash with mixed corn, sultanas and any left over veggies, pasta, rice or the odd dodgy banana for breakfast during the winter. Afterall 3 of the chooks don't lay during the winter (Snowy the bantam has never laid an egg in the 3 years we've had her ).