[cammi]

We have recently changed our run flooring, it is now paved with wood chip and a raised bed full of compost mix for a bath.......but since these improvements i have noticed that the girls are bored in the morning just waiting to get out.  I don't want to let them out all day and i want some garden left  .  In the afternoon they are fine they go back in their run and get scraps then corn later.  I was wondering what scratch feed is and why you can give that during the day where corn should just be a treat.  My thinking being i could throw some of that in the morning for the morning.  They have Garvo pellets, and once a week i fill a smaller feeder up with Garvo Mash as a treat as they love it.  I have thought about throwing some of the mash in but some of it is so fine i wondered if it would just be a waste.


Sorry to gabble on yet again.

Cheers me dears

[hillfooter]

Scratch feed is just a term used to describe any feed you give extra to their normal ration and is usually poultry corn you throw down hence "scratch".  It's sometimes available commercially as a mix of grains which chickens like.  There's nothing magic about it and it's not a balenced diet of nutrients.  You should strictly limit any feed including treat feeds which are extra to their layers ad lib supply or you will unbalance the mineral and vitamin balance provided by the layers. The usual advice on such feeding is to keep it to less than 5% or so and only in the evening.

If boredom is a problem hang up a lettuce or cabbage above head height so they need to stretch or jump to peck it and put some things to climb on in their run or have a scratching area for them to pick over.  Boredom can lead to bad habits like feather pecking so try and avoid it.


Best wishes
HF

[GrannieAnnie]

lol, like HF said, hang up a cabbage or something, it's so funny to see them jump and to get bits.  Lettuce doesn't last as long as cabbage though!

[evie2]

I dangle the outer leaves of cauliflower, cabbage etc. and they love it but they can squabble a bit and tiny Josey as she's at the bottom of the pecking order never has a look in

Last week Ali hung it out for me and he had it like a washing line, no squabbles and Josey had the lowest ones all to herself

[ManicMum]

There's no law (or lore!) against scattering some layers pellets around the run as well as having them i a feeder.

Chickens are designed to hnt for their food, so just standing round a feeder would be a bit lacking in challenge!

Our girls have different areas within their area: this bit in the morning, over there in the afternoon - so I scatter pellets around as well as topping up the feeder.  The pellets in the feeder are less popular than the ones on the ground.

[hillfooter]

There's no law (or lore!) against scattering some layers pellets around the run as well as having them i a feeder.

Chickens are designed to hnt for their food, so just standing round a feeder would be a bit lacking in challenge!

Our girls have different areas within their area: this bit in the morning, over there in the afternoon - so I scatter pellets around as well as topping up the feeder.  The pellets in the feeder are less popular than the ones on the ground.

As MM says chx prefer to forage and find their own food so pellets scattered on the ground are often eaten whereas the feeder gets ignored.  Whenever I top the feeder I do it outside the house entrance and they usually ignore the feeder when i hang it up but enthusiasically hoover up any pellets which have spilled.

Hf

[8doubles]

I buy the occasional bag of 'budgie tonic mix' at the market, a half handful of these tiny seeds  take a long time to pick up if thrown into a bush.
Keeps them happy scratching for a while.

[cammi]

thanks for that.

Have now started throwing down some of their pellets and mash.

Budgie tonic mix sounds interesting for them, do pet shops sell something similar?  I'll have a google.

Yep they do so will try some of that too