oneyolktoanother Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I was just wandering what feeding regimes everyone has for their chickens and also how often you give them things like tonic in their water and moulting tonic we give ours pellets all the time some mash daily and also fruit and greens, and every couple of days some corn thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 My lot have access to pellets constantly, access to greens most days, then have treats in the afternoon either mealworms or a small amount of corn. Unless they are being wormed and then it's pellets only. This week is worming week.... They are not happy If its really cold, I'll make pellet porridge. As for water, I tend to vary, sometimes it's just water, sometimes it has apple cider vinegar added, sometimes probiotics, sometimes moulting tonic, sometimes lifeguard tonic, if there are sniffles then citracidal, if there's worrying sniffles then tylan antibiotic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Mine have pellets all day every day and they get a bit of corn and maybe mealyworms late afternoon. they get greens 3/4 times a week. I vary what i put in the water depending on how I feel the girls are doing. They have recently had a tonic for moulting. At the moment they are having plain water. I don't like giving to many additives as I feel that they get used to them and may not benefit when thery are needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I'll come clean on my feeding regime .... It'll show you that I am a bit like Pooh Bear - rather fond of little snacks. Layers pellets in the Grub all day, 8.00 am on very cold days only - porridge, on not so cold days then a scattering of meal worms here there and everywhere 9.00 am - about a table spoon of wild bird food (when I go to put stuff on the bird table) 11.00 am - one shortbread finger broken up into little bits between all 6 13.00 chicken lunch - greens, bits of pasta, bits of cooked potatoe and a bit of cheese on cold days (this is put in flower pot saucer - one between 3 chooks) 16.00 - corn time (about a desert spoon of corn per chook) My hens don't seem to be fat . . . yet . . . but Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megalin Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Wow Cheaky Chook, you must have some happy hens!! Although mine get lots too, trying to give them less from now on though! Our have pellets in the morning and throughout the day..... greens most days, spinach and kale mostly.... Then some mixed corn or fruity porridge mix in the evening before bed. There's no strict routine though and I give them less when they're free ranging a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateCooke Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Starting to think my hens are underfed, however they are fussy. Mine have pellets in teh grub at all times, they are let out to free range in teh garden at approx 11.30, I assume they get plenty of yummy stuff there as I only feed them pasta, rice or bread every few days. However since cold weather i have been throwing a scoop of corn into run at 3pm. Seem happy, healthy and laying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poached Egg Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Hmm - access to pellets and mash at all times. Little bit of corn or mealworms near the end of the day, and/or 'supper' (normally created by OH). Access to greens/veg - they don't like cabbage or sprouts but go mad for cauli and sweet potato. Supper could be hot or cold mash with a bit of some of the following:- yoghurt/cottage cheese, spice, ground up roast egg shells, grapes, sweetcorn, tuna, tomatoes, raisins, sultanas, blueberries, rasps, strawbs. Sometimes pasta or rice with the above. Hot water and mash breakfast with spice and poss yoghurt (normally made by me) when extremely cold. OH spoils them with brand name tuna and sweetcorn (when we don't have any homegrown cobs spare) which he swears is the cheapest available but he now wants to move in and get fed by Cheaky Chook! Oh and cloudy cider vinegar in water with citricidal if sniffles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Mine have pellets all day. If I am home in time I mix pellets with warm water and add a couple of tablespoon of sweetcorn. Plus a teaspoon of porridge oats if it is cold. Chicken spice if they are moulting is also added. An hour or so before bedtime, a handful of mixed corn if I am home. Water is just plain water. I add poultry tonic if they are moulting or if it is very cold. The pellets are all they ned really and if I am away, they seem to eat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Moneypenny Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Wow we have some very spoilt chooks on here! Mine have much the same as most, organic pellets all day and a bit of everything in the way of fruit and veg for snacking... little corn... few mealworms... even a seed stick (as for canaries and parrots - seeds and honey) that hangs inside the run for when I'm away at work and they're bored as it's horrid weather. Love my ladies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Mine have pellets available at all times. I get up at 6ish each morning and make warm Wiggly Wigglers layers mash porridge with cod liver oil, limestone flour and poultry spice. Each weekend they get a fresh WWigglers half coconut hanger or something similar like a peck a block (although these last a bit longer than a week depending on which run I have put them into). I use apple cider vinegar in their water for a few consecutive days monthly. Then I worm them every four months on flubenvet. I think that's everything. Oops, nearly forgot, the pekins in Henonism have A&P Specialist Poultry Breeder pellets mixed with Garvo alfamix as their main, available at all times food. The quail get Garvo quailmixture. Falkor got me a bag to try a while back and the quail were addicted. They have laid all through the Winter in totally natural conditions (no added light, etc) so they must be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Mine have dry mash and mixed grit pot available all day. Sometimes with spice added to their mash. Plain ol' water in glug one week and then the next week it'll have a splash of ACV in it. Although this week I've been trying out some herban in the water (1ml to glug so it'll last me ages!) as Blanche had a chest infection in October and I swear I herd her cough/sneeze at the weekend so I thought I'd give it a go. I sometimes use citricidal for the same reason. All of which I administer separately in case they overload my girls. They only get garden time in fair weather at weekends this time of year so I hang up a few cabbage leaves every day or a half corn cob for them to play swingball with. Lol. I Never give them bread as after losing a chook to a crop problem I don't like the idea of bunging them up or the yeast in it. Besides their mash is giving them all they need nutritionally anyway. I do admit to one 'naughty' vice though, i give them a handfull of mixed corn and mealworms/gammerous shrimp in the mornings. (its actually only a little wheat mixed with garvo alfamix and extra bugs) as I only get home hours after they've gone to bed there's no one around to give them a treat. The extra protein helps this time of year after a moult and i know they're not holding out for treats in the afternoons as their mash is going down at normal rate. My mums chooks though - have somehow managed to train my dad ('mr theyre your blimmin chickens not mine') into going out every day at 2pm with treat bowl of leftover potato, pasta, veg etc from as my mum still cooks the amount from when I lived there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouldercroft Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I'll come clean on my feeding regime .... It'll show you that I am a bit like Pooh Bear - rather fond of little snacks. Layers pellets in the Grub all day, 8.00 am on very cold days only - porridge, on not so cold days then a scattering of meal worms here there and everywhere 9.00 am - about a table spoon of wild bird food (when I go to put stuff on the bird table) 11.00 am - one shortbread finger broken up into little bits between all 6 13.00 chicken lunch - greens, bits of pasta, bits of cooked potatoe and a bit of cheese on cold days (this is put in flower pot saucer - one between 3 chooks) 16.00 - corn time (about a desert spoon of corn per chook) My hens don't seem to be fat . . . yet . . . but Errr, can I come and live with you? I'd love a shortbread coffee break and a cooked lunch My girls get organic pellets all day A little bit of Sweetcorn to warm them up in the mornings (it's bitterly cold with 2ft of snow on the ground here in Boston) I did give them porridge but it was re-freezing before they finished it Some spinach or greens in the suet feeder with my own home made fat free flock block to peck on during the day Here is the recipe for my flock block. My mix is 40% pellets to keep it healthy... I split it into small batches and press it into a bunch of tupperware dishes that match the size of the suet feeder 1.5 cups water 4 x 0.5 ounce packets of gelatin 8 cups birdseed/oats/pellets/crushed egg shells/nuts/currants/shredded coconut Boil 1.5 cup water. Empty the 4 packages of gelatin into 8 tablespoons of cold water in a large bowl. Let the gelatin sit for 1 minute. Add the boiling water and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the gelatin has dissolved. Stir 8 cups of birdseed into the gelatin, mixing thoroughly. Let the mixture set for a few minutes, then stir again. Repeat this process a few times allowing the seed to absorb the liquid. Spoon the mixture into a greased pan and put in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I had better pull my socks up, mine get pellets or mash and a treat if I get home from school in time They do get treats at weekends and more when it is lighter later. Must do better Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Mine get pellets ad lib, green veg and a handful of corn of an evening to get them back into the run. I occasionally doctor their drinking water with whatever takes my fancy. They don't need anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 When the glugs empty I fill it up. they get a handfull of mealworms, rice or pasta or mash if I have some left over and greens too if I have some. I am not as organised as you lot I can see - but they are still standing so must be doing something right. they have poultry spice, garlic and apple cider vinegar too and whatever rubbish they pick up FR - I dread to think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Mine get ex-batt crumb ad lib all day, a couple of handfuls of wheat in the afternoon as they luuurve it and either some greens or a bit of time FR on the grass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Mine get pellets ad lib, green veg and a handful of corn of an evening to get them back into the run. I occasionally doctor their drinking water with whatever takes my fancy.They don't need anything else. Egluntyne, is so right. My chickens don't need all the treats I give but I do love it when they come running, all excited to see me. The truth is that they have me and my OH very well trained. He even said the other day that we couldn't go away for a full day because "What will the chooks do without 'Chicky lunch'?" and he has just come back from shopping with a fresh coconut to cut for them. I'm going to try Bouldercroft's Flock Bock recipe and will be adding grapes, sweetcorn and sweet potatoe to their lunch dishes too at odd times. But I am not sure about tuna. Wouldn't that make their eggs taste fishy? I do think they'd like fish however. This morning my Dee Dee (Frizzle x Poland) ate one of my goldfish I had three in a barrel. With all this rain, the water in the barrel had got right up to the top and with the warmer weather the fish were swimming close to the surface. Along came Dee Dee, hopped up on the edge, bent over and . . . now I have two gold fish. I didn't know they'd do that. At least she didn't fall in. I'd better put a net over the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneyolktoanother Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 thanks for hearing what you feed, it has given me some great ideas for extra recipes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Cheaky Chook - love the story about Dee Dee eating your goldfish. Perhaps she has a heron as a great-grandfather? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
