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If you sell the eggs I think feeding catfood might be against some sort of rule, feeding cooked eggs (well mashed up so not recognisable) is a good protein source, yes definitely reduce the corn, and only offer it late in the day so they don't fill up and end up not eating enough of the balanced pellets, treats of green veg don't have the same problem (higher protein to carbohydrate ratio, and the birds get hungry again sooner) and can be offered hanging to provide a distraction.
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Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white. -
Cat food is for cat's, I would personally not feed it, you can cause prolapse by over doing a rush of protein.
I have also seen on other furums and I'm sure somewhere on this one, poor little birds with raw mucking bottoms, that can be caused by feeding the incorrect diet.
Corn is only 10% protein and difficult to digest that is why you feed only a little and late in the day, rather like a cow ruminating they need time overnight to slowly digest.Comment
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Thanks motherhen. I haven't fed them any cat food, I wasn't sure it was a protein issue really. A couple have begun laying and their feathers are coming in thick and fast, which I wouldn't expect if they we're lacking something.
I believe it was a behavioural issue brought on by us! When we got the hens they were so timid so we would take corn down to them in the evenings and a little in the morning if my son was with me. I thought this would get them to trust us, it did, but they then associated us with corn and treats and got over excited whenever we went down. Over the weekend we've been giving less corn and instead just going and sitting with them or scattering the corn all over their area. They're less pecky already and I haven't seen any fresh blood, so fingers crossed!
My son and I also went down and dug an area over in their enclosure, the hen loved it! They were sat nearly on our forks looking form worms and slugs. They were so engrossed that there wasn't a single fight!
Thanks everyone for all your help and advice, I'm sure I'll be after some more in due course!
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Just saw all the tips about mashed egg; thank you, I will give it a try if things get bad today. I hadn't thought of it that way Flummery, quite right!Comment
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Take great care (I know you will) when digging with the Hens' erm 'help' they get in the bladdy way so easily. I was just pushing the fork into the ground with my foot one day, and luckily I looked down, as one of my Batties had poked her head between the tines. If I hadn't looked down, I would have decapitated her!
She just looked at me as if I was stupid, and wandered off!
All the best - Glutton 4 Punishment
Freelance shrub butcher and weed removal operative.Comment
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I did the same thing, G4 except with a spade. Chucking the massive mounds of earth up the garden too, they'd run under it, and panic when it was falling down. Run away, then run back. Daft things - after the worms so desperately - couple of them felt the rain of soil a few times, bok'd quite loudly, and then repeated the process.
In the end it was getting on my nerves so I ran some mesh across the garden to keep them away from me. 10 mins later one had flown over, so... I gave up digging
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I know I must get on your nerves but the welfare of the hens is paramount to me and I cannot stand by when I feel that they will suffer and I know no one wants to harm them they are only trying to do the right thing.
Just take care over doing the worms and slugs for two reasons they are protein and if too many are given it will do the same as cat food! if you imagine they would maybe only get the opportunity to peck at the odd one as they wandered about in the undergrowth, also people do not realise they are the mid host for internal parasites ( worms) in hens, so it's best to keep them to a minimum and I have had customers children learning this trick and giving the poor hens, pots full with the perants encouragement because it's clearing the slugs from their garden.
I had a customer where the poor hens in question had been fantastic for two years an egg a day each with no hassle, then the slug feeding began and they promptly prolapsed, it took me a few phone calls to find out what had changed so dramatically, when the lady said she had encouraged her 4 boys to collect as many slugs fro her garden and give them to the hens!
It would be like giving your dog if you had one a family bar of chocolate!!Comment
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Emphatically anything 'not layer's pellets (or mash)' should be very much in moderation. The only reason green stuff can be given more freely is that it is mostly water, so the 'unbalanced' bit is a small proportion of the total (also greens have nearer the correct balance of protein to carbohydrate, but fresh young growth has more protein than you'd think).Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.Comment
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Oh dear, there are alot of things you'd never even think about without coming on here! It's not a daily occurence, it was mainly to distract them and because they've trashed the 'undergrowth' already!
They're all doing really well and we haven't had any more pecked or bloody tails since we stopped directly feeding them corn.
I'm glad to have you lot on here, every Joe is suddenly an expert when you get hens
my neighbour keeps saying 'make sure you give them grit, they won't lay if they don't have grit available all the time!' every time I see him! To my knowledge he has never kept hens 
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Well they DO need grit, but it is included in the pellets!Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.Comment
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I give them separate grit if they want it, but rarely see them eat it. This chap seems to think it's the be all and end all of egg production!
My mum's been offering advice also. Another who has never kept hens!Comment
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Keep it simple - layers pellet plus insoluble grit (like tiny stones) for grinding grass/other fibrous veg matter/grain. Oystershell shouldn't really be necessary as there should be enough calcium in the pellet but some people (including myself) like to offer this from time to time, but it is not vital.Comment
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Yes grit should be offered seperately as this helps them to grind up the grass etc as RH says, it is in the mash or pellet but really the pieces are too small for the hen that is given access to plenty of grass to peck at.
They do not really need calcium added, as there should be enough in th eir proprietry ration, usually I find they need it towards the end of the second laying year or into the third year, I then feed this in a seperate dish to the grit although you can buy mixed grit and calcium.
This would all depend on the husbandry in their early years.Last edited by motherhen; 16-03-2011, 08:50 AM.Comment
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Completely agree - I don't "give" them worms or slugs. I'm digging out a huge amount of eath, to level a site for a run for them and they're helping themselves. I know about the parasites/worms, espeically in slugs [from the old slug eating news stories, etc!!Originally posted by motherhen View Post].
Mine hardly get any treats in all honesty, I'm too tight
Edit: not sure if your reply was directed at me, but you're not getting on my nerves, I appreicate the concern/advice from you and everyone here.Last edited by chris; 16-03-2011, 11:35 AM.Comment
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No Chrismarks my reply was not directed at you in particular. Just like to try and give advice that puts the hens welfare first and can hopefully assist in newbie chicken folk and others getting confused and causing them selves heartache and the hens distress.
I love to encourage the keeping of hens its a brilliant passtime and most enjoyable that's why I've been doing it for the last 30 years or more.
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