[Helenaj]

Hi folks
Does anybody have a recipe for home-made peck-blocks? I mean the ones with seed, corn, oyster shell etc that you see for sale at exorbitant prices. I'll even stick layers pellets in them if it will work.
I have introduced a couple of young pullets (16 weeks) and 2 of them, a Faverolle and an Orpington are having a hard time of it food wise and checking last night both are very light. I'm seperating them in the mornings at the moment in their own little run so that they can have a chance to eat and drink, but obviously I can't let this go on any length of time as they have to get integrated into the pecking order. However, the Faverolle is so light, I'm concerned she's going to starve to death if I don't intervene.
I thought if I place peck blocks at the other end of my compound it will either distract my older birds away from the feeders and give the little ones a chance or give the little ones more opportunity to feed whilst the hens are at the feeders. I already have feeders placed everywhere, but the Faverolle is terrified of going anywhere near them when there is a hen in the vacinity and I'm really concerned at to her welfare as she is so timid. Any recipes greatly received.

[joyfull]

I wouldn't seperate them now because you will have the same problem when you re-introduce them. Make sure you have more feeders than hens out - they cant gaurd all of them at the same time and lots of water stations. Make sure there are plenty of hiding places too. I'm sure somebody put a recipe on ere for pecka blocks before so will see if I can find it for your.

[joyfull]

here you are:-

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50514.0

[Helenaj]

Thanks Joyfull, that's great.
 I know seperating her is not good, but I have feeders everywhere (10x6kg feeders for 60 birds) and drinkers, but she'll not go near them - it's almost as if she has a phobia of the feeders. If I scatter some pellets on the floor and keep the others away, she'll feed but if I scatter the food around and on the feeder, she won't touch it. I've not come across this before in all the new pullets I've introduced. I had to intervene because I'm convinced she would have died in the next day or two through lack of food, she's that bad. The both of them can see the hens and vice versa and they will be let back out this afternoon and go in with the flock tonight. I just wanted to give her a chance to feed unrestricted.
Since I work, I can't be there to watch her all day and keep the others off, but I do have a fortnight's leave coming up from next week, so I think I'll be spending quite some time up with my chickens to see how she gets on. Hopefully, I can overcome her "phobia" and she can feed normally.

[joyfull]

You could be right she may not like your feeders - some of Grannie Annies birds won't eat using they type of feeders I use, do you know what type they had where you got her from?

[GrannieAnnie]

Have the feeders got rainhats on?  I think that's why some of mine don't like the green and white ones like Joy has.  Mind you saying that, we used one inside a couple of times and Rocky and his girls wouldn't go near it.

[shetan]

just as a treat - could you try putting peanut butter on pine cones and suspending that or mixed seed in lard in coconut shells? i would suggest honey and seeds in a pine cone too but that might attract more flies than the others.

if that is enticing enough maybe the little ones will get the chance to feed properly?

best of luck...

[Helenaj]

I have the green and white feeders with the rain hats and during the last week with the really fine weather I removed the hats and it didn't make any difference. In the hutch I had her in this morning, I put a bowl of feed in there - wouldn't touch it. I emptied it on the floor and she fed normally. I'm just bemused!
 I will try her with the sweet treats to try and build her up. If I can get her to feed from a hanging feeder I'll buy some peanut feeders and fill it with pellets to see if that works.
Thanks everybody for your good advice!

[orchardlady]

I've put down my recipe on this reply. They just love it and the molasses helps everything to stick together.

Yummmm.....

Orchardlady.


http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=68249.msg785071#msg785071

[Helenaj]

Orchardlady - I'll definately try that one! I bet it smells wonderful when cooking.

At least my Faverolle is eating when she is segregated (and the Orpington), but won't feed at all when I let her out with everyone else and she's not being bullied now as she does not go anywhere near the feeders.
Next week will be cleaning out and spraying the coops so at least I'll be with her for a good couple of hours every day to keep an eye on her and try and fathom out what exactly is her problem.

[evie2]

That's interesting, I've noticed our big hens don't like the rain-hat feeders as much as the open ones, the poots on the other hand have no problem with them, might  be because they're smaller

[hardygeranium]

I am a newcomer but we found that our two Faverolles got really badly bullied, no matter what we did, so eventually we gave them a small house of their own and their own run together with a third Faverolles.  The third Faverolles settled in quite happily with no problems whatsoever.  (I am not entirely sure that Fifi or Lulu actually noticed we had added another bird).  They are just too gentle, I think, to be in with the rest of our mob. 

To keep the rest from squabbling, we hang up bunches of watermint (grown in our pond) at neck stretch height which seems to help.