[stanlmic]

We've got 3 girls about 18 weeks old and not laying yet, is it ok to feed them a small amount of mixed corn ?

[richyrich7]

Last thing in the evening about 1/2 hour or so before they roost then yes, but don't give them loads a handful between them will do. 

[nicchick]

Hi, our chicken man said to us that corn is like chocolate for hens. So if you bear that in mind it helps to keep you proportions right. He recommended a little before bedtime to keep them warm, I usually give some to ours either a couple of hours or 1/2 an hour before closing up time. If you give them too much it will make them fat and they wont lay.Nic.

[karlooben]

but if u think about it {now i find this weird unless its just me ,} but back in the old days they were fed pretty nothing but corn wander how they got on back then.
 

well i have been told this by numerous ppl

[stanlmic]

thanks for the responses and so quick.

[richyrich7]

but if u think about it {now i find this weird unless its just me ,} but back in the old days they were fed pretty nothing but corn wander how they got on back then.
 

well i have been told this by numerous ppl

I'd imagine they would be left to roam free and forage, the corn feed would probably not be enough for them to live on more like a supplementary feed perhaps to keep them in one place. ?
Just because they where kept like it in the past does not always mean it's the best for them.

[Jane-M]

I would also guess that they got very little corn as it is people food too and folk weren't very well off back then. Also in those days dogs lived on cooked kitchen scraps and cats had a bit of milk and whatever mice they could catch. And the people would have had pretty basic and not necessarily substantial food too.

Now when I were a lass... (cue Hovis music)

[karlooben]

wouldnt it be interesting to go back in time to find out  .

[andreadon]

ive read a couple of books that said that they also used to get extra protein etc from the food left from more important animals (cows and sheep).  and then stuff they'd find when foraging.
also, they did used to pack up laying in the winter. (less food around as well as fewer daylight hours)

[shiatsusu]

Ok I'm going to throw the cat among the pidgeons  When i grew up we had a large flock of chooks, they were out in the fields all year round and came in at night, fed on corn and kitchen scraps (and horse feed when they were feeling cheeky), they laid most of the winter and had zero health problems. Too much interfering can be a bad thing (not suggesting that the proper application of knowledge is before you all start screaming at me!). 

[p00rstudent]

theres a booked called keeping pultry and rabbits on scraps from penguin, was written in the 1930's if i rember rightly and it covers some of this.

[andreadon]

theres a booked called keeping pultry and rabbits on scraps from penguin, was written in the 1930's if i rember rightly and it covers some of this.

don't panic - it is back in print!

[Briony]

Mine have nothing but corn ( wheat or barley, whatever is grown on the farm at the time)  the chick have growers mash and then pellets until old enough and whatever else they can forage in the fields and they lay too damn well!!!!
They also have when I have spare anything from the kitchen that I chuck out of the window but they do like to have their brown bread in the morning and the evening!!! not much just a mouthful.

[Aunt Sally]

The answer is free foraging in the fields. 

Grass has about the same protein content as layers pellets 16%, and is packed full of vitamins and minerals.  Snails and other bugs contain a lot of calcium.  If free to forage they can and obviously do get all the nutrition the need.  They would never have survived the evolution process if they required humans to look after them.

The problem lies in the fact that the majority of chickens cannot range freely and are either penned in a run or only have a small range (like my back garden) which does not contain sufficient natural food to sustain them completely.

There's a nice article HERE about pasture fed poultry.

[Jane-M]

Oh Aunt Sally isn't that my dream - and everyone else I expect. Pasture reared hens! Heaven.