[joyfull]

mine free range and I still get through a sack of layers every 3 weeks and a sack of corn every 5 weeks. Bought a sack of each yesterday and they cost £28  I have got 15.

[Casey76]

50kg sack of layers 19euros
chiropracter after getting said sack out of the car boot by myself...

Next time I'm going to ask for 2 25kg sacks.  Trying to lift or even manouevre 50kg (which is well over half my bodyweight) is an absolute nightmare.  I was in constant fear of tearing the sack and ending up with a huge pile of pellets int he middle of the garage!

[pink-chicken]

Just a link to plants 'harmful or poisonous' to chickens. I was amazed to see Buttercup and Clover on there!  Do the girls know about these when they are free ranging?

Jan.x

http://wiki.omlet.co.uk/index.php/List_of_plants_that_are_poisonous_or_harmful_to_chickens

[redmolly]

mine free range and I still get through a sack of layers every 3 weeks and a sack of corn every 5 weeks. Bought a sack of each yesterday and they cost £28  I have got 15.

Wow!!! My layers cost £7 a sack!!!! They last 6 to 8 weeks!!!

[redmolly]

Just a link to plants 'harmful or poisonous' to chickens. I was amazed to see Buttercup and Clover on there!  Do the girls know about these when they are free ranging?

Jan.x

http://wiki.omlet.co.uk/index.php/List_of_plants_that_are_poisonous_or_harmful_to_chickens

I'm still waiting for my hens to "read the book"!!!! The same book I read that said they only lay in the morning!!!

[joyfull]

mine free range and I still get through a sack of layers every 3 weeks and a sack of corn every 5 weeks. Bought a sack of each yesterday and they cost £28  I have got 15.

Wow!!! My layers cost £7 a sack!!!! They last 6 to 8 weeks!!!

Allen and Page organic are expensive and have recently gone up in price  but I do like the taste of the eggs so worth it to me (don't even sell my eggs just give them away).

[pink-chicken]

I'm still waiting for my hens to "read the book"!!!! The same book I read that said they only lay in the morning!!!

Our girls have 'read the book' but still insist on doing things their way!  Eggs, whenever they are ready, especially on a day when mummys waiting to 'paint' the whole coop with anti red mite that needs to dry! Pounce on anything inedible that's dropped so as to frighten mummy to death etc!

Jan.x

[Bonniebean]

Just gone into a panic fit - I have ivy everwhere in the garden, elderflower tree next door hanging over the fence and ferns around the pond!!!!!!

[Casey76]

Don't worry; generally the girls know what is good and what is not, so they will generally not eat the things which are bad for them.

[New shoot]

Just gone into a panic fit - I have ivy everwhere in the garden, elderflower tree next door hanging over the fence and ferns around the pond!!!!!!

Don't panic Bonniebean - mine have ivy growing into the corner of their run. At first I used to worry and chop it all back, but now I leave it as they like to sit on the house roof under it on hot days.  They never eat it.

I've got ferns round my wildlife pond and they never touch them - although I do have to fish them out every so often when they are on garden forays as they are obsessed with duck weed 

[Bonniebean]

Thanks Casey and New Shoot, I was starting to think I wouldn't have a garden left!!!
It has just occurred to me that the berries on the Arum lilies could be a problem as they are poisonous to people, but they wont come until late summer next year so time is on my side.

[Alby]

Just looked at the list and a lot of that stuff was on the plot before I put the girls on. What have I got now ?   MUD  not a plant in sight

[johnfh]

Many thanks to all for your contributions.

I am overwhelmed by the number of replies in so short a time - no wonder this site is so successful (and quick to boot).  Congratulations to all involved!

[Arnfields]

I presume you also bought some hens Arnfields and very productive ones too if they haven't slowed down yet!  What were they?

Buying egg boxes!! that's a bit extravagant?  All our family and friends are on the "no egg boxes no eggs" scheme.   Might as well recycle what we can.
[/quote]

Err, bought hens - well kinda - we have ex-batts bless their little hearts 

As for the boxes - we did only buy four pink ones, and have a stack of re-cycled boxes which folk have to bring back if they want a re-fill!

[Caralou]

I have piggie chooks - at the moment they get through 20k in 7 days with 12 chooks and 2 ducks (3 are cock birds who are eating an awful lot and putting on lots of weight - all the better for when they become dinner  ) They are also getting through about 5k corn a week in the early evenings before bed. I've just wormed them, so it's just greedyness with them as they also free range and get greens on top of that But, even then the cost is still only £7 a week and they are now laying again after the moult and I'm back upto 6 eggs a day as my speckled sussex girl has joined in the lay - I figure £7 for 42 free range eggs a week and building up the boys for dinner is probably a good price, and I do love my girlies as well  .

Joy, that's still a bit pricey on allen and page organic - you should come up here for a visit and bulk stock up from my feed place  - £11.80 for the pellets 20k and £10.60 on the corn for organics. I tried feeding mine on it - they refuse to eat it  They wont even eat the smallholder freerange range which I have just tried them on as well (they pick around it when I try to mix them together and then complain loudly at me!).