[Tony H]

Layers is a manufactured product made to ensure chucks get all the nutriens they need in a farmed enviroment, they are made from:
Wheat, Wheat feed, High protein soya bean, Calcium carbonate, Maize germ, sunflower seed extract, Vegetable oil, Dicalcium phosphate, Salt, Sodium bicarbonate, Methionine, Vitamins and trace eliments, Citranxthin  :blink:  this is a high protein food to encorege regular laying,  a good and balanced diet is all chucks need for a healthy life 

[ManicMum]

It's amazing, isn't it, that we all feed so differently but we all have happy hens who lay eggs?

I go for the pellets all the time, then anything else is counted as a treat, whether it's weeds from the garden or corn/mealworms bought specially, or kitchen scraps: they just love anything they get and make no judgement about relative value!

I reckon that the scraps and weeds contribute towards bring free-ranging to birds who are confined in a specific area.

[binghamd]

There are even people who feed no manufactured feed and have healthy poultry. They may not be super productive but that may not be what their owners are after.
Mixed corn in the UK is mainly wheat, which is quite high in protein, with some maize. Whereas in America corn is maize ie corn on the cob, which is low in protein. If the latter is the main food the poultry they will consume a lot of carbohydrate to get the necessary protein. This leads to health problem. Just as it does in humans.
Recently, I have had to buy some eggs in the supermarket and been amazed how tasteless and pale yellow they are. Their hens are fed only on pellets or mash. So the "treats" we feed must be giving the hens something.

[nerdle]

Woud there be anything really wrong with just corn and scavenging? That's what my last hen did - she seemed fine.

[Sassy]

My hens shunned pellets, just wouldnt touch em, they do enjoy a bit of brown bread, but that dont happen often

I spilt some dry rice this morning, that did disappear a bit quick, seems to have done funny things to their crops though

The rice will have swelled up in their crop. Advisable to avoid this

[hillfooter]

There's no harm in a small handful of corn in the afternoon BEFORE it gets dark.

The key phase in the original post is "every time I go out".  If you give them treats every time you go to them they will very quickly cotton on to this and mob you.  This behaviour gratifies you since the little darlings obviously 'love you' and you always remember to take them some treat and the cycle is established.  They soon learn to not bother with their layers feed offered ad lib and just demand the treats and this reinforces your opinion that 'my birds won't eat layers' so you feed them treats and corn since you don't want them to starve.  There's no chicken in the world which will prefer starvation to eating layers pellets you just need to persevere.

We once looked after someones chicken while they went away over Christmas for a fortnight.  The owner handed the hen over along with a bag of grapes and mixed corn and some layers mash.  We were to mix the corn with the layers as she won't eat pellets she explained.  We fed the grapes to our other hens and the bag of mash didn't last long and the corn was only given sparingly in the evening separately so it was either pellets or starvation.  When her owner returned she was delighted to discover that her hen now happily ate pellets like every other hen.  She also told us the reason she only had the one hen was because it wouldn't tolerate any other and kept attacking them.  We were convalescing Sylvester a Cock who had been badly mauled in a fight with Sidney his neighbour and we kept both birds in separate small runs in a stable.  However come cleaning day both were released and had the run of the stable while we cleaned their respective runs.

Sylvester clearly thought here was a new girlfriend who obviously would welcome his attentions so he advanced eagerly.  Henrietta suddenly lunged at him and gave him a few vicious pecks on the chest causing Sylvester to rapidly jump back in surprise.  He eyed her for a moment then equally viciously he flew at her and set about teaching her who was boss.  After this brief but decisive courtship Henrietta decided she did quite like this attention after all and the relationship took on a more normal mode.

HF

[nerdle]

Ahhh hen love!  New topic required perhaps - there will be a lot of love stories out there.
I currently don't have corn but Christmas is coming..... she might get a Christmas treat then.