Topic: chicken feed

[darren2007]

hi all i recently bought 6 hens who are all doin nicely in there new home and eating well but would like to know if people mix anything with there layers pellets as i got told to mix 1/3 of mixed corn in with my bag of 25kg layers pellets but now I've been reading that i should not do this and just give them layers in the morning and some mixed corn in evening would like to know what other people do thanks

[daveylamp993]

i always gave mine layers pellets in a morning,then the same mixed with mixed corn in the evening,i always made sure they had plenty of fresh water available too,when i had peeled all the veg for a family sunday lunch,i saved the peelings,put them in a pressure cooker for 15 - 20 minutes,then mixed the pellets,and mixed corn into it the next day,they enjoyed that,when my brassicas had finished i cut the stem in half,and left it hung in the coop,they pecked at it for ages,a old gardener told me it was good for their system,I'm not sure of the benefits although it kept them happy.

[darren2007]

i am giving my hens free choice of food i don't give them a set amount per day i just make sure they got food in there feeders every morning and top up when needed after reading a few things on the net i got to thinking I'm am doing wrong by having mixed corn and layers in there feeder i also gave them some left over veg this evening and they loved it . i also make sure they have plenty of clean water

[Lillyrose]

Hi
My chook has layers pellets in her feeder all the time. I also give her a small amount of warm porridge (made up with water not milk), with garlic granules and poultry zest in the morning which she loves then give her a handful of mixed corn in the evening.  I've heard that filling themselves up with corn at in the evening helps keep them warm at night.

[darren2007]

yes that's what I've been reading about the corn filling them up on night so they keep warm at night the only thing I'm worried about is that with me having it mixed in the layers they are eating corn and layers on a morning and then getting to full so they don't eat as much layers so they wont be getting enough protein

[goodlife]

Yes..you should not mix the feeds together..only because, if given chance, chickens will peck all the nice bits =corn off and leave boring bits =pellets uneaten. Mix corn is more of complimentary feed and your girls should get their fill from the pellets first to ensure they get all main nutrients in right quantity for their health and able to lay well.
There is another point too...if they get too much corn, which is high energy feed, it can course the girls to put too much weight on...which would cause slowing down in egg laying. Slimmer birds lay more eggs.

[pumkinlover]

Goodlife beat me to it! just about to say the same. corn is a treat- like chocolate for us!
Also leaving too much food around can encourage rats- or so they say though we found some spilled pellets never got eaten by rats so not sure.

[OllieC]

Layers for mine, freely available. They also get kitchen scraps and leftovers once they've had their breakfast. Corn or sunflower seeds for a real treat but not routinely.

[darren2007]

ty for all your replys will now only give them layers andd corn for a treat in evening

[Melbourne12]

I'm a bit late in to this, but I agree with Goodlife and Pumpkinlover - corn as a treat in the evenings, and don't mix it with the feed.  In the summer we stick to layers pellets supplemented by whatever they get by scratching in their free-range area, but at this time of year we hang up a cabbage for them to peck at, and very often give warm porridge or mash on a cold morning.

If you can get it, and want to give them a lovely winter feed, try this: http://www.gjwtitmuss.co.uk/garvo-fancy-poultry-food/pid20007/cid1936/garvo-fancy-chicken-breeder-mash-20kg.asp  This morning I made some of this up with warm water and left them a trough full.  When I left the allotment, 8 of my 10 birds were clustered round it for second helpings!

I always thought that Garvo feeds were a bit la-di-da until I tried them.  The chickens absolutely adore them.  It's a wee bit expensive, but try a bag of this in place of mixed corn for the evening treat: http://www.gjwtitmuss.co.uk/garvo-fancy-poultry-food/pid20601/cid1936/garvo-alfamix-chickens-125kgs.asp

[darren2007]

yesterday i changed them to just layers in morning and abit of corn at night and today i got my first egg very good size and was a double yolk my 6 year old had it for his tea was very nice he said