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

[nin-chicken]

I've had my four girls for just over a month and they've settled in well and are now all laying I am still unsure whether I am doing things 'right' so would appreciate some advice...

I know they are only meant to have their corn later in the afternoon but what about fruit & veg treats? Mine have a bunch of greens hanging every day and it is the first thing they head for when I let them out in the morning - they LOVE it! They also have some apples in a bird feeder and occasionally things like grapes, tomato, banana or broccoli. I also sometimes throw in a handful of sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Should all these things be kept for afternoons? I know I'm probably spoiling them

What do other people do? We are getting plenty of eggs, but I know they must have their layers pellets and don't want them getting chubby!

Thanks

[Chickabee]

It's really important that the majority of their food is pellets. It's best not to feed treats til later and not too many. Don't forget grit, I actually have corn with added grit, which they get before bed time

[nin-chicken]

Thank you. They have grit which they must be eating because the egg shells are fine. Should I just give the greens and other fruit/veg in the afternoons then? I sometimes let them out on the grass in the mornings, is that OK? Im not sure how strict I need to be!

[nin-chicken]

And should I not be giving them the greens every day??

[Chickabee]

Your doing just fine. There's no hard set rules. It's great that you let them out on the grass. They will get natural grit from scratching. I've only been keeping chickens for 3 years, but I have learnt so much from this forum. It's a lovely hobby isn't it

[nin-chicken]

Thanks for the reassurance, Yes its a wonderful hobby! My girls make me laugh every day, I love them.... A lot

[gavclojak]

I love my ladies too:) I let them fill up on Pellets in the morning , it's important for egg production, then give them treats in the afternoon. At the moment the favourite is porridge made with water, once cooked add some corn and mealworms...what a treat that is and as I give it about 4pm smiths still warm and they go to bed with a lovely full crop to get them through the night. Another high tea treat is a tin of tuna in water. They positively purr when they get that and it's a great source of protein for them,

Edited November 2, 2013 by Guest

[chuckmum6]

Just to add tuna is a very occasional supplement, give during the moult when they need a boost.

[nin-chicken]

Thanks, Ill remember tuna for when my girls have their first moult. Sorry if I'm being thick but can I just confirm whether or not greens count as 'treats'? I mean spring greens which you buy in a big bag from supermarkets.

Thank you!

[Chickabee]

You're not being thick. I would count them as a treat, I don't buy veg specially for the girls. Unless it's corn time or as now pumpkin time. Then I still wouldn't feed them lots of them every day

[Lavenders_Blue]

As long as you don't give too many treats, you will be fine. If you give your chooks (for example) one lettuce, I don't think it matters whether it's given in the morning or afternoon. One lettuce is one lettuce! As other posters have said the main thing is that the majority of the diet is pellets/mash. I would say if you are getting plenty of eggs and the shells are nice and strong, then you are not feeding too many treats.

[gavclojak]

As far as I am aware anything that is additional to their pellets/mash is a treat. I don't think greens etc has a lot of nutritional value but they do indeed like them. Another thing I give my girls occasionally is cooked pasta spaghetti, I hang it from the branches in their run and they think they have found treasure(worms)

[nin-chicken]

Thank you!! No greens tomorrow then (they are very cheap btw )..... But I'll put the carved out pumpkin in later in the day and see what they make of that!

[PoachedPlease]

Please let me know if your girls like the pumpkin. Mine refused to touch there's, even though they scoffed the seeds in seconds!

 

I wonder if carving pumpkins taste horrible. I'm not even sure if we would eat them?

 

Xx

[Chickabee]

You don't need to carve it out. Just cut into chunks. They love the seeds. BTW raw pumpkin is disgusting!

[Chickabee]

Sorry mis understood. Your gouging to put your carved out pumpkin in been watching strictly, brain frazzled !

[nin-chicken]

It's already carved out from Halloween . I just hope they don't mind the scary face!!

[jackian]

My girls have nothing but pellets till mid afternoon ,then they have treats ..4 girls 4 bowls .it is great watching them as they move from bowl to bowl.it is like musical bowls with out the music

They usually have veg chopped and cooked ,usually left overs no salt .they love couscous cooked with sweet corn and peas ,courgettes cut in half length ways and left for them to peck at ,pumpkin seeds . Ruby chard , cabbage leaves and spinach from the allotment as well just left to peck at .

Tuna is great as well.

I don't know if any one has noticed but they have trained me to bring their bowls out late afternoon and if they are |FR ing they peck at the patio door .As the nights are drawing in they are getting earlier and earlier like their body clocks are working They used to do it about 5ish now it is 4

 

Jackie xx

[merlina]

I think it doesn't matter as long as your chooks get a good balanced diet over a period of time.

 

You'll find conflicting opinions - some people swear by routine, some (like me) don't.

 

My bunch tend to get 'treats' if they are shut in the run all day because I'm at work (makes me feel better about their confinement ). Those treats might be greens, or corn on the cob or all manner of other things.

If they FR all day, they may get some corn to get them back in the run, but they can find their own treats in the garden. if they're in the run all day they tend not to get corn at this time of year as by the time I get home it's dark.

[Redwing]

All greens are good and you will see a difference in the yolk colour of the eggs as they should go a wonderful deep yellow or orange personally I would let the hens have something green on a regular basis - I'm too tight to give mine supermarket greens but most do get grass and weeds regularly

 

Grit is essential as it grinds up the greens in the hen's gizzard (their version of teeth) grit doesn't do anything for egg shells (unless it's mixed grit which contains oystershell)

 

I don't feed my birds anything that could ferment like grapes or anything like tomatoes - there are so many other completely safe treats that I don't see the point in feeding anything that may be a bit problematic

 

Sweetcorn is a classic treat of course and in the winter a little pasta is a nice idea. I tend to go for grains and seeds though. In the winter some mixed corn before roosting is a good idea as the body digesting this keeps the hen warmer and I do this rather than shut coop doors. Corn this can be too heating in the summer but wheat is ok

 

Too many treats can put weight on which can lead to egg laying problems such as prolapse but I wouldn't include greens in the definition of treats

[nin-chicken]

Goodness, it would appear that there is no clear answer to my question ! I am concerned that they aren't eating enough pellets so I think I won't give them anything else till afternoon. Then they can have greens, then later in the afternoon a handful of corn and some other veg treat or mealworms. I like the porridge idea for winter too. They have mixed grit with oyster shells so should be getting all they need. Does that sound like a good plan? I think I worry about them being bored in their run which is why I hang or sprinkle treats for them. I let them out on the grass when I can but as another person said, if I'm out at work they stay in and I feel guilty!

I know there are lots of ways of doing things but I just want to do the best thing for my girls to be happy and healthy

[gavclojak]

The very fact you have asked shows how much you care for your girls. I was exactly the same but you will soon come to realise the rule book gets thrown out of the window when you have chooks. They are unpredictable aren't they! If your worried about boredom try a yellow treat ball, I fill it with corn and they spend half an hour pecking at that and another thing is live mealworms buried in a litter tray....oh the joy of digging for those

This time of year is good for fallen leaves, I have just put a massive bag of leaves from the garden in a pile in the enclosure and they loved digging through those.

I find the hardest part is when they are wormed and not allowed treats of any type.....I feel so guilty

Your girls are hardier that you think, look what indignities and horror some have been through but still reward us with eggs bless them.

[nin-chicken]

Thank you so much for your kind words, I have a treat ball but assume that's only for afternoon treats too? And I must get some live meal worms!!! I hadn't realised you weren't meant to give any other food whilst worming, I'll do it properly next time

Thank you again xx

[gavclojak]

And on the subject of worming, flubenvet all the way:))

[nin-chicken]

Yes that's what I used last time - I bought a bag of the pre-mixed stuff from newlands poultry when I bought the chickens but next time I'm going to mix some up myself.

They've only had pellets and been on the grass for an hour this morning . No greens or anything else yet!