Feeding my new brood

mollymawk · « **on:** February 24, 2012, 22:40 »

Hi there, I'm new to the hen game and am excited about getting some ex-battery chickens fairly soon but wanted to ask advice on feeding. We have a huge amount of vegetable and fruit waste coming from our kitchen and I just wanted to know whether I just throw the peelings into the run raw or whether I have to cook the veggie peelings down to a mush before I give it to them. Also, is doing the peelings once a day with both layer pellets and corn sufficient for them (they are not free range but will have a large outdoor area to roam). Thanks

Mrs Bee · « **Reply #1 on:** February 24, 2012, 22:55 »

If you give fruit or veg to the chickens don't give them too much or early in the day or you won't get many eggs

If you give them good quality layers pellets, they everything your chickens need. If you are getting ex bats, I think there are special feeds to perk them up but I don't have ex bats so I am not too sure about that.

I give mine fruit, salad veg and green veg uncooked along with squash and melon seed but other veg I cook down.

The chickens love their treats

but if you give them to much or too early they will fill up with treats and not eat their layers pellets, which will result in no eggs

Chickens love peas and corn.
Too much fruit will give them the runs

Enjoy your chickens, don't worry they will soon have you trained!

Tony H · « **Reply #2 on:** February 25, 2012, 04:54 »

Hi you can get an ex-batt food which is more like the food they are used to, but you cant go wrong with layers pellets, just watch that all the birds are eating

as far as kitchen scraps go DEFRA rules state no kitchen scraps should be fed to any livestock,

but as said only give a bit in the afternoon and if you give potato peelings you would need to boil them and then mix with layers mash

Have fun

joyfull · « **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2012, 06:09 »

Allen ad Page do an ex batts feed. Sometimes they struggle to adjust to layers pellets if they have been fed on layers mash but you can change over a short period by gradually mixing the two together.
Do not feed any citrus fruit or avocado and as Tony has said no raw potato peelings.
Personally I would withhold the treats for a while as they wont be used to them.

Here we are just found the link to the ex-batts feed

http://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/Products/ExBattery/Ex-Battery-Hens.aspxx

Mrs Bee · « **Reply #4 on:** February 25, 2012, 08:23 »

Quote from: Tony H on February 25, 2012, 04:54

Hi you can get an ex-batt food which is more like the food they are used to, but you cant go wrong with layers pellets, just watch that all the birds are eating as far as kitchen scraps go DEFRA rules state no kitchen scraps should be fed to any livestock, but as said only give a bit in the afternoon and if you give potato peelings you would need to boil them and then mix with layers mash Have fun

I didn't know about the DEFRA rules

When you think about it in Victorian times many families would keep a pig and chicken to help feed their families and they always fed them with scraps. How things change

mollymawk · « **Reply #5 on:** February 25, 2012, 18:56 »

Hi guys,

Thanks for that. So, basically, layers pellets are sufficient, easy on the scraps (especially perhaps fruit) and always mash potato peelings. It's interesting that as Mrs Ball said, back in the day it would just be kitchen scraps and what they managed to find whilst free ranging. I was also thinking of setting up a wormery for them- don't suppose anyone else does this do they?

Tony H · « **Reply #6 on:** February 26, 2012, 07:42 »

Hi i fully agree but the rules were introjuced to prevent crosscontamination of diseses, I know that if you have a chucks in the garden it shouldnt be a problem but rules is rules and they dont distigwish between 1 or a field full of chucks

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Feeding my new brood

mollymawk

Feeding my new brood

Mrs Bee

Re: Feeding my new brood

Tony H

Re: Feeding my new brood

joyfull

Re: Feeding my new brood

Mrs Bee

Re: Feeding my new brood

mollymawk

Re: Feeding my new brood

Tony H

Re: Feeding my new brood

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