[Bruced]

Hi, the girls (all around 21 weeks, 2 laying so far) seem to really have tailed off with the amount of pellets they are eating. I have only had the sack for a month and it is kept dry in a galvansised bin. The ladies usually have the run of the garden for the most part of the day but have been cooped up for a couple of days after the lawn had a treatment - let them back out today after it hosed it down enought that I was happy that everything had soaked in.

They seem to be eating other things OK (grass, my tomato plants, the odd treat) and otherwise happy but I am guessing they are only having around an average of 2oz each pellets. Anything to worry about or are they just getting their nutritiom elsewhere? I wouldn;t worry that much but they don;t seem to be diving for the pellets when they are let out in the morning as they have before, but make a start trying to dig up the floor of the run instead...

Thanks!

[Roughlee Handled]

Do they have access to there pellets all the time?

[Gareth J]

it sounds like they have discovered the wildlife under their feet. I am not an expert, I have only had my hens for 8 weeks but my hens have their days when they would rather scratch around instead of eating their pellets.

[Bruced]

Yes Ruff, they do have access to pellets all the time.

[Roughlee Handled]

Yes Ruff, they do have access to pellets all the time.

I would not worry then.  I would assume they are filling up on other food.

[LittleRedHen]

We have the same set up as you, and our hens eat very little layer pellets now.  They fill up on all sorts out in the garden.  Look at your hens' crops.  If they are full, then I'd say that they are getting enough to eat.  Hens are natural foragers.  Wow!  Mine never touch my tomato plants but have a good go at my pepper plants. 

[craig1981]

i went into chicken keeping believing my 8 girls  would eat 1kilo between them a day as suggested on the pellets bag but as yet they havnt ever eaten more than half . The day i turned the soil for them they didnt touch the pellets and just eat all the new creepy crawlies available . I wouldnt worry too much . If they seem happy and healthy and foraging all day then you wont have an issue . My girls happily put themselves to bed around 8pm so must be all full up and ready for sleep by then  .

[andreadon]

they should eat around 4and a half ounzes a day.

if they're scratching round on the floor, they're probably getting leftovers!
maybe you could throw a few pellets on the floor for them to scrat about for?
in the morning, though: otherwise you could encourage rats...

[too many girls]

[they should eat around 4and a half ounzes a day

.
mine free range 30 acres at will, they don't eat anywhere near that amount of pellets (they have 24/7 access to pellets) it depends on how much they can get from the land, if they're happy and healthy i wouldn't worry, bugs are nicer than pellets anyway..................

[karlooben]

my girls went of eating thier pellets , so i tried putting  a scoop full in a bowl of cold water in the mornings and they love them . maybe they perfer them mashed i would use warm water but the smell is  ummm gross to say the least 

[azubah]

I found that mine eat less pellets in summer as it is warmer and there are a lot more weeds and bugs around. Mine lick greenfly off the roses!

[andreadon]

[they should eat around 4and a half ounzes a day

.
mine free range 30 acres at will, they don't eat anywhere near that amount of pellets (they have 24/7 access to pellets) it depends on how much they can get from the land, if they're happy and healthy i wouldn't worry, bugs are nicer than pellets anyway..................

yes, free-range birds do eat fewer pellets - they have a natural instinct to feed themselves, don't they!
I'm assuming Bruced's land isn't anywhere near as lovely as yours... 

[Bruced]

As a townie, it certainly is smaller than 30 acres!

[Sue33]

I guess they eat less pellets in the summer as they're up from 6am and bed by 9pm, I'm assuming in the winter they're ravenous in the mornings if they've been in bed since 5pm    mine are freeranging in the garden for most of the day and I've also noticed they're not eating so much pellets, seem happy though!