Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: BIG ZOOK on April 08, 2018, 19:20
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Hello all and thank you for any help I may receive :).I currently have 4 Rhode Island Red hens and 3 white leghorn hens.The birds are all kept together and wormed,loused and are free range with a diet of layers pellets and grit.They have access to fresh clean water with ACV added on occasion and poultry spice when required.The birds are about 1yr old and are red combed and mad as hatters.However all the brown hens have nice clean vents and fluffy bottoms and the white hens are wet and messy .Egg production is fine .Just spoke to an older allotoment holder yesterday and he suggested that I change the feed to mixed corn as white hens need a more natural diet??.Cheers
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I've never kept Leghorns, but I'm dubious about the white hens need different food theory. Layers pellets contain a better mix of nutrients. Corn can make hens overweight and is just straight carbs.
Messy wet poop can be linked to too much greenery in the diet, which could be the case if they are free ranging. Without knowing exactly what they are eating all day, its hard to say :unsure:
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Agree New Shoot :)
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I have white leghorns and their diet is the same as the marans, layers for the most part, they get a treat everynight of a small ration of mixed corn with dred herbs in (oregao, thyme, basil, dried garlic powder) this is about a large handfull between 5 chooks and I use ACV (2%) with garlic in the water every other fill.
I do find their poops can be on more occasions than the marans be a little wet.
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Cheers for the replies.All hens are fed the same diet and have 3hrs per day on the allotment foraging amongst the grass and hedges.
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Soggy bottoms could be due to a bacterial imbalance in the gut :)