Warm boot recommendations please

[jsbates65]

Are there any tricks to making the girls more interested in their feed now that it's changed to pellets? Maybe they eat more of it than I know. . .but I rarely see them eat it. Since the girls freerange, the wild birds eat it too. . .which is fine, but I end up really not knowing if the girls are eating any or if they are just eating things from the yard and then the corn, pasta, etc that I give them in addition to the pellets.

 

Any tips?

[lost-sheep]

keep their food in the run so the wild birds can't eat it (you could put something else down for them) and (sad as it sounds) weigh the pellets you put in! then at the end of the day weigh how many are left!! fool proof

[KeymerKim]

Mine have gone off the dry pellets too, but if I mix them up with hot water and mash it all up into a kind of soup, they will eat it all up (once I've let it cool down!). I'm happy to keep doing this for them coz at least I know they're getting all the goodness they need.

[bangers]

Dont give them any treats till late afternoon, then they should scoff up on the pellets, mine have pellets for breakie then free range but keep going back for a few more pellets, some days they just want the corn box but they dont get any untill im happy, I gotta see there bums stuck up in the air eating pellets

[Snowy]

John, as yours free range all the time then they probably will find their own food, and lets face it, pellets compared to bugs, grubs and grass - which would you eat if you had a choice? The pellets are designed to give them the correct nutrients for optimum egg production. If you aren't too worried about a perfect egg every day, then I would let them eat what they want. They won't starve themselves by choice (unless broody of course). The only real way to get them to eat more pellets is either to make it into a porridge as suggested above, or shut them in their run with no alternative.

[kissinuk]

Have you tried using layers mash instead of pellets? One of the booklets I have likens mash to licking your finger and putting it in a sugar bowl, where as pellets is more like snacking on sugar cubes(!). In other words it should also take them longer to eat and helps keep them busy.

[jsbates65]

Thanks for the responses!

I definitely am not worried about getting my two eggs a day. . .so if they are getting everything they need from the yard, then I am happy!

 

I did try making the pellets into a "mash" with a bit of hot water. . .and the girls love it! So now I am going to give them this in the morning and wait to give them corn, etc until I come home for lunch. I was always giving them fresh corn in the morning. . .I guess it makes sense that they would go for that rather than the pellets!

 

I had seen that there is a "layers mash" available, but they don't offer this at the couple of spots I get my feed. I bet they might order it special though. . .I should ask.

 

I appreciate all the great ideas!!

[Christian]

Hi there.

 

A friend of mine has just rescued ex battery chickens and she has to feed them mash, as that is what they ate used to.

 

Her original girls eat pellets. She finds the mash really messy as it goes everywhere!!

 

I feed mine pellets and in the late afternoon, they get a bowl full of pellets and warm water, mixed with sweetcorn and chopped courgettes (zucchini). Spoilt girls!

 

Your girls are looking beautiful by the way.

 

Good luck

[bellekatz]

Mine had pellets to start then stopped eating htem - They loved meal but it is so messy. Now I have gone back to pellets and they are fine with them. I find having more chooks helps as there is always competition for food so they eat whats there

[James H]

my bantams are 21 weeks old now, I think I am supposed to giving them growers pellets now, nnot sure, if anyone would reply to my topic about layers pellets I would be gratefull for help,

Thanks