Single hen

[marky mark]

I'm a tad confused (something you will get used too! )

 

How much food do I give the girls? We fill up their trough every morning with pellets - the trough is 30 cm long and we fill it to the top so they get a fair amount and then I add a couple of small handfuls of flint grit. By the afternoon its all gone and when we pop out to see them they act as if they are starving and would eat more of the pellets if we gave them! So, do I just keep feeding them until they have had their fill or will this be over feeding them and make them too fat? Are they just wanting more food because at the mo they are only in a small run and are bored? Also - whats the ratio of grit to pellets I should be feeding them? And do they need the oyster shells/baked egg shells - I was told at the domestic fowl trust that it wasn't necessary but from what I have read at other places then its seen as a must? And one last thing! They don't seem to eat their treats! So far they have had cucumber (should I have sliced this), leaves off our broad bean plants and a lettuce! We generally just throw this on the floor - should they be in a bowl and should they be chopped up?

 

Sorry for all the questions! Once I have had them for a while I will be more helpful! Thanks, Sarah xx

[ali-s]

I think the amount of pellets/mash per bird, per day is 4oz and slightly less for Bantams. I wouldn't have thought they would get fat by eating mash/pellets as it is the treats such as corn which should be restricted. The pellets/mash should be fed ad lib so that they can have more if they need it. It might be worth weighing how much the feeder holds. chickens will eat more when they start laying as laying takes up lots of energy.

 

I have a seperate dish for grit so that the chickens can take as much as they require. If they free range in the garden they will eat small stones to help grind up their food. I buy poultry grit which contains soluble grit (to help make the egg shell) and insoluble grit (to help grind up their food).

 

It can take a while for the chickens to start eating treats such as veggie s"Ooops, word censored!"s etc. I hang up spring greens in the run for the chickens to peck at. Stuff like cucumber, apple, tomatoes is chopped up into quite big chunks and then stuffed into a wild bird feeder designed for fat balls. The feeder is hung from the run. The feeder can keep them amused for ages as they try to peck at the goodies and it swings about

[kannie]

If they're youngsters they won't be so interested in treats yet, Sarah! Don't worry this will come as they mature.

 

I have to say our chooks have never particularly gone for cucumber - they love grapes though, and I do cut these up a bit. I never cut lettuce or other leaves up though: they'll peck bits off. They just love grapes so much they would willingly swallow them whole, and I'm afraid they'll choke!

 

Don't apologise for asking questions - thats what its all about!

[marky mark]

Thanks for the replies! I'm off to stock up tomorrow on a new wild bird feeder (purely for the entertainment value ) and will put small amounts of treats in there which will make it easier for me to remove what they obviously don't want or like!

 

I will also weigh my feeder and do a seperate bowl for the grit and see how that works!

 

So, do I need the oyster stuff? I plan to bake some of our egg shells but we don't yet eat huge amounts of eggs and do the birds still need it if they are not at POL yet? They are 14 weeks so I guess at least 2 weeks away from POL?

[Twiglet]

A useful hint I was given when I started was to get a big tin or box (I've got one now specially made for feed from the local pet supermarket) and mix all the stuff for the chooks to eat on a regular basis such as, pellets, grit (both types) garlic powder etc.

 

I do this and it gives me about a month's supply in the box and then it's great to keep by the back door and just fill the feeder up each day knowing they've got all they need.

 

"Green" treats are stuffed in a bird feeder basket, other stuff like mealworms etc are just flung about the run.

 

Mine LOVE cucumber! lettuce, grapes, SWEETCORN, mealworms and now get fed slugs & snails after my nightly slugathon. I do have to chop the big slugs in half though or they won't touch them, then all black stuff comes out it's gross!! Even worse when they shake their heads to eat it and it flicks at you..............

Sorry......were you eating your Sunday Lunch!!

[marky mark]

Thanks for the tip! What do they need garlic powder for?

 

As for the slug lol! I saw a couple of slugs in the hen house yesterday and was about to remove them - so glad I didn't now! But ewwwwwww about chopping them in half!

[Twiglet]

Apparently it's for lots of things, a bit like humans, garlic is good for you, I'm told it helps stop their poo smelling so bad but i'll sit on the fence on that one! Have a look on the Omlet website shop, they sell it.

[marky mark]

Thanks! I guess if their poo smells any fresher then their breath will make up for that!

 

How much of the stuff do they need?

[Twiglet]

I just put about 2 talespoons in about a large biscuit tin amount of pellets.

sorry, bit vague, I guess the amounts when it looks right.