[Fredjones]

Hi All me again i have just collected my 5 ex batts which have been fed on layers mash, how thick do i make mash as i don`t want it to thick or to runny,  Thanks Fred

[chickenlady]

Hi there! i didnt thin k you mixed mash with water?  i thought it was just powdered pellets!! i probably wrong though!

Debbie

[treacleminer]

Mash can be fed dry!
If you are going to feed it wet, mix only enough for them to eat fairly quickly, ie. within a couple of hours so it doesn't go off.
I mix layers pellets with hot water sometimes as a treat on a cold morning - basically to a thick porridge consistency.

Enjoy your new birds
Janet

[AmandaH]

Hey Fred.  I have four ex-batts and I have only given them dry food (first the ex-batts crumbs - which I think is similar to the mash - and now pellets) from the off.  They also always have access to water, obviously.

I thought mixing it with warm water (a la treacleminer!) was a treat for cold days...

If you have a look at my post "Fat Mavis", you can see how well at least one of mine is doing on the dry food! 

[Fredjones]

Hi Amandah thanks for the info and every one else, i had alook at mavis and she looks ok to me i`m no expert but if my ex batts end up looking like her i will be chuffed----Fred

[AmandaH]

And Mavis was the sick one!  They'll worry you sick for the first few weeks, sulking in corners and under bushes and generally being right scaredy cats.  But they very quickly remember how to be proper chickens and will be trashing the place, chasing you about for treats and tormenting small children.

I've kept mine on a simple diet - ex-batts food and water always available, mixed corn and/or meal worms late afternoon and, recently, a bit of cooked veg or tin of sweetcorn (rinsed first to wash off any added salt or sugar) as a change from their corn treat.  They wouldn't touch veg for ages after I got them.

You'll be amazed how they seem to "come back to life" - seeing them sleeping upside down in the flower bed in the sunshine will bring tears to your eyes (and not just because they've squashed your plants)