what to feed hens

[Kier]

I have no chickens yet, poss later in the year, but what can I grow in the run to feed them ?
I may be able to get some grains when in season from a local farm plus bag food as well

thinking of a split run so can grow plants in one and change over, the runs will be poss 20` x 20ft each min and about 2 or 3 layers and 10 short term for the freezer,
I have some plastic coated chainlink fence I bought at an auction , had no use for it at the time but thought it was so cheap just couldn't resist

[Stan79]

It's a great idea but I would have thought that whatever you grew wouldn't grow fast enough to maintain any level of cover... I think it would be mud within a week or two.

[roitelet]

You might be better to grow lots more greens than you need. They have great fun tearing a cabbage apart and it's good for them.

[Scarlet]

I have no chickens yet, poss later in the year, but what can I grow in the run to feed them ?
I may be able to get some grains when in season from a local farm plus bag food as well

thinking of a split run so can grow plants in one and change over, the runs will be poss 20` x 20ft each min and about 2 or 3 layers and 10 short term for the freezer,
I have some plastic coated chainlink fence I bought at an auction , had no use for it at the time but thought it was so cheap just couldn't resist

I'm not sure what you want to do....lAre you thinking of growing greens as treats or as their main feed?
Are you going to get dual purpose birds? Will you be buying cockerels to feed for the freezer?
How high is the chain link fence.

[Kier]

it was for part of their main feed hopefully, the fence is about 8ft as far as I remember its under other stuff at the moment in a barn, I have yet to decide which birds might suit me, just trying to get a plan together
seem to remember comfrey as being good to grow but cant remember

[kathyd]

I think it might be quite hard to grow enough food in a run that size to feed all your birds - they seem to eat quite a lot! And they need lots of variety so they're getting all the nutrition they need. But I think it's a fab idea to try to grow at least some healthy stuff for them - I give mine broccoli once I've stripped the bits I want, and the outside of cabbages after I've pinched the heads, as roitlet suggests. I think they've started nibbling my parsley plants too, although I can't be 100% sure. I thought I'd grow sunflowers and keep the seeds for them, but found I'd need a whole field full to be of any use, especially if I want to feed the wild birds too!

[Nicos]

Personally, I'd grow grass which would encourage insects...and they will peck at the grass too.
Any young plants would only last minutes with that many birds!

My 15 hens free range inside 1 100m electric fence and they still need at least a large scoop of feed every day- even in summer.
We feed them veg from the plot too.

[Kier]

didn't realise they were such avid eaters , there is a local farm that supplies supermarkets that has green waste I might approach them and see if I could releave them of some once a week

[kathyd]

Hens love grass Kier, but if you put them on a small area they'll scratch it up and poo on it until it's just a dirty muddy splodge. You can pick handfuls of grass for them, but cut it up short otherwise they may get an impacted crop because obviously they don't chew their food - they'll just swallow any length of grass you give them, and it gets all twisted round inside and can be quite nasty. But a few handfuls of freshly cut short grass is good . Mine have problems with eg a whole cabbage leaf because there's nothing to pull against to tear small pieces off - you're better with a plant on its stem. If you can't do this, I think some people tie bundles of loose leaves together and attach it to the fence or something so the birds can pull at it.

[Scarlet]

Chickens need a protein feed complete with vitamins and minerals to fatten for the table or produce eggs. Young birds will need a growers feed that contains more protein for steady growth until they can move to a layers feed at 18 weeks. Meat birds usually continue with a high protein feed until 3 weeks before despatch when you can switch to a corn feed. I feed greens as treats as Kathy has said, (usually chard) tied in bundles and hung up for them to peck at. A bird fed solely on greens won't be getting any protein.

A guide to making your own feed is here: How to Make Your Own Chicken or Poultry Feed

[Kier]

looks its bag food then with some grass or give up

[Bill HH]

Chickens need a protein feed complete with vitamins and minerals to fatten for the table or produce eggs. Young birds will need a growers feed that contains more protein for steady growth until they can move to a layers feed at 18 weeks. Meat birds usually continue with a high protein feed until 3 weeks before despatch when you can switch to a corn feed. I feed greens as treats as Kathy has said, (usually chard) tied in bundles and hung up for them to peck at. A bird fed solely on greens won't be getting any protein.

A guide to making your own feed is here: How to Make Your Own Chicken or Poultry Feed

That was exactly what I was going to say.

[Scarlet]

Yes, I agree. Chickens eat all day long. "Domesticated" birds are fed to produce an egg a day or gain weight enough for the table. I've no doubt that a cockerel roaming the farm yard would get enough to survive but I don't think he would have much meat on him, the same for a hen but she wouldn't produce many eggs. If you had fresh ground weekly, plenty of worms and bugs etc they would probably eat a lot less feed. But it would be a huge undertaking to grow enough for them to eat, too many greens and they get diarrhea. Not enough calcium and they won't produce egg shells. They need protein for the eggs etc. Loads of pitfalls. Easy to buy feed.

[Scarlet]

You got in before me there Bill! I love the idea of growing food for chickens but I think their needs are more complicated because we either want them to lay or be plump enough to eat

[Scarlet]

Kier, this book is worth a read if you do decide to keep chickens
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Starting-Chi.../dp/0906137276
I keep a dual purpose type breed to use for layers and meat. After a hatch I don't want to just get rid of the boys but the finished bird for the table doesn't come out that cheap, I need to keep them for at least 26 weeks to have the bird big enough for the table. You won't be able to keep 10 boys in a pen with 3 girls at that age either. You will need to separate them from about 16 weeks or you will have a blood bath in your pen...maybe worth using the two sides and splitting it?