Chickens - How much food?

[Annpan]

Me again

I have layers pellets for my girls but I had been wanting to encourage them to work for their food a wee bit. My plan (ha ha) was to feed them a handful each in the morning and a handful each about an hour before shutting them up for the night.

However... This morning they didn't finish their food until about 10 (having been fed at 8) then they got another wee snack at 11 (to entice them out so the in-laws could see them) By 4, they were making such a fuss I gave them another handful, then they had another handful each at 6.30, which they finished sharpish.

I know handfuls aren't precise and I was also trying to get them to eat dandelion leaves, ground elder and a few grubs I dug up today. I hadn't planned on one of those hopper type feeders, but is that likely to be the best option?

Also, should water be available for them in the coop at night? they seem to be guzzling it down during the day and I don't want them suffering.

[becks77]

Hi,
My girls have pellets and water available all day , in the summer they only have the corn towards bed time otherwise they can overheat during the heat of the hot summer day. Then during the winter the same but corn all day to keep them warm.Treats as and when, they are free range in the garden so get greens and any other kitchen bits, of course they are in line after the dog but before the compost bin ..LOL
But nothing at night, they seem to like it that way and also were spilling it when I left water in the coup for them.
However they will probably let you know what they like and when, from the other thread my girls also really like to play tomato football.
HTH
Becks

[Annpan]

Thanks, I take it you have a hopper type thing with food available for them all day then? I might try putting out a bowl of food... but it is fun for E to scatter food for them and keeps her and them amused for a few minutes.... hmmm....

[Thomzo]

Hi Ann
My birds have water available in the coop all the time. That way I can have a bit of a lie in without having to worry about them (probably not an issue for you with a little'un).

I feed mine a cat food tin full of pellets or mash for two birds in the morning. The main flock doesn't get any treats apart from another handfull of pellets between the nine of them when I go to shut them up, but that's only to stop them eating me when I walk into the hen house. Otherwise they just get garden prunings: grass, hedge clippings etc.

The main flock has some of their food in a hopper and some scattered. The hopper is a useful way of mixing in worming compound, grit etc. I scatter food so that they go running after it and don't get under my feet while I'm filling the hopper, opening the hen house, changing the water etc. The bantams and the ex-bats, who live outside all the time, just have the food scattered as a hopper would fill with water.

Enjoy
Zoe

[Annpan]

They took another handful at bed time there... half to keep them out of the way while I put the water in the house and the other half in the house to entice them in. They really stomp about when they are hungry, and shout at me.

Their run is quite small (3 sq m) and on grass just now so I don't think they are getting many grubs from the ground - I'll move it tomorrow and get them working on my veg beds - plenty of slugs in there at least.


The food I bought calls it's self complete but should I still give them grit? or will they peck up what they need from the ground?

[red]

my hens have a hopper style feeder and eat ad lib

we let them out of the hen house at about 6 am, they dont have water in the house, but always available out

you wont need to give them grit if they have access to fresh ground at regular intervals.

if you feed them layers pellets then you wont need to give them oyster shell either.. but it doesn't hurt and is cheap. i have a metal bowl with holes in it for drainage and keep some in that and they can take from it whenever they want.

[Millymollymandy]

Mine help themselves to layers' pellets from a hopper but the wheat they get as a treat is scattered around.

I always have water inside the shed and water outside.

My only laying hen eats loads of oyster shell when she is laying and doesn't touch it when she isn't - which to me is an indication that she needs a lot more than is available in the layers' pellets!

I still have an enormous bag of grit but they hardly ever touch it because they can get all the grit they want from the ground with my sandy gritty soil!

[2+bump]

mine are getting fed twice a day (a good mug sized amount between 2 of them) and chase me about for food, eat my plants etc they have taken a liking for my herb plot, rocket and jasmine

[Annpan]

I have followed Thomzo's guidance to give them a can full (using a standard tin can, baked beans I think) a day between the 2.

My 2.5 year old likes to feed them so much so I decant a small amount into a yogurt tub and she pours them on the chickens heads Not intentionally but they run for the first speck that hits the ground, so the rest hits their heads.

They are still drinking lots of water (more than I imagined) I have put out a large marge tub full but I have to refill it at least once a day.

[Thomzo]

Oh Ann, wait until you try to give them some left over soup or apple puree, then watch it all fall on their heads . You really can't avoid getting food all over them but they don't seem to mind and it doesn't seem to harm them.

They really do drink loads. Anything up to half a litre a day it seems (that's if they don't tip it all over the run).

Zoe

[red]

they'll drink even more when laying

[grubbysoles]

I've also been quite surprised at how much they drink - I have to fill up their drinker twice a day. Oh, and I also have a 2 and a half year old who is developing some interesting chicken-keeping skills. She enjoys throwing food at them when they are pottering about the garden, likes to chase them around the garden and has also taken a liking to watering them with the watering can Actually, they like this last one more than I thought they would (on a hot day, anyway!)...

[2+bump]

my two and half year loves chasing mine too, and when he gets bored they swap and they chase him

i can't wait till we can get more, they really are a pleasure to keep

[grubbysoles]

More what? Chickens or 2 year olds!!?

[craig.r]

Hi, I have a book all about herbs and weeds in which it says adding Nettles to a hens diet helps egg production. Gonna give it a go myself when i get my own chucks lol