Getting some girls tomorrow

[yoanbob]

we free feed ours but yes vermin is a problem, however the local cats and the chooks themselves sort it out soon enough, if they are on layers pellets i wouldnt mix it with the mixed grain as you cant tell how balanced their diet is, just give them a handfull of mixed grain in the evening.

[kirsty b]

Thanks yoanbob
Methinks I have lots to learn!
We'll get there

Kirsty

[TPeers]

Ok, a daft question,

When you say to feed a handful of grain 'in the evening' how late in the evening? If the hens put themselves away at say 7 to 7:30pm (at the moment - I know it will get later as the days lengthen) when should the grain go out?

6pm,

5pm?

Advice Please?

Terry

[shirlthegirl43]

We used to feed hot mash in the morning in winter, layers pellets in summer. Corn was a mid-afternoon treat - between 2 and 4pm and if they were kept in the run (fox threat or us out) then they got a cabbage or cauli (after we had the best bits) so that they had some greens.

Can't wait to get OH totally convinced on the benefits of turning table scraps into eggs!! One question which might be appropriate here - I can't remember if we fed meat scraps to the chickens - is that a bad idea? I suspect they went to the dog and cats but it was a long time ago.

[yoanbob]

yeah sorry, couple of hours before bed, it helps to keep them warm over night due to slow release energy, we dont give ours meat scraps, although they do like slugs worms and the odd mouse so dont think a little occationally would do them much harm, i wouldnt recoment it tho, vermin will go for meat more than corn, also if your giving the eggs away or selling them it would be against vegi society rules, also, all the bsc scares etc have come about by feeding mostly vegi animals on food they wouldnt choose to eat in the wild i.e. cows to cows etc, so i would just let them catch and eat there own protien.

[shirlthegirl43]

Cheers, thought it would be best to leave that out but thought I would check.

[March]

Hi Kirsty, are warrens the same as isa browns, the ones that developed from battery hens? They are said to be the best layers and they don't go broody, so you get a non stop supply of lovely large eggs.

[greenmachine]

Feeding the girls

My girls love rice & spagitti when its a cold day as pasta warms them up. I love the sound they make when when I give them some. I call it there chicken purr. They aren't very keen on there organic layers pellets but love there mixed corn. Spinage is there favourite greens.

[kirsty b]

Hi March

The warrens don't look unlike the birds used for battery farming. They are also very friendly and reasonably docile, the eggs are a good size also.
He's been and got 2 Rhode island Reds and a Bantam now. The Rhode Islands are fairly nervous still. Had no time to bond with them as they are being chased all over the place while the pecking order has been sorted out, the Bantam just gets up high and leaves the others to get on with it

Kirsty

[March]

Talking of getting up high, our bantam cockerel roosts way up in a tree and leaves his girls to roost on their own in the chicken house. We have now stopped shutting the door at night, because he makes such a noise crowing to them in the early hours of the morning. We were hoping that if he could get in to see them he would be a bit quieter, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to have worked! Any ideas?

[Squirrel]

Roosters crow to proclaim their territory, so unfortunately leaving the chook house door open isn't going to make any difference! Can you not get him down and into the house, then when you shut the door it might muffle the crowing a bit in the mornings before they go out.