[Timbo47]

Hi All/
         Had my Hens since June (Ex-Battery Hens) and they have a feeder full of Ex-Batts range pellets each day, plus a few handfuls of fresh grass most days, plus some cabbage leaves in mornings and some bread broken up too sometimes.
But as Winter draws in....what else can I feed my Hens on?
The KItchen Garden is more or less finished now, so green food is becoming a problem, unless i spend pounds on things from the Supermarket.  I just wondered what else I could feed my Hens on, as i wonder if they are eating enough. I also throw a couple of handfuls of mixed corn in once a day late afternoons.
I await a few suggestions here.....     Tim

[Aunt Sally]

Sounds as if they are getting plenty to me.  As long as the pellets are available all the time and mixed corn in the late afternoon to keep them warm over night.  The rest are just treats

[redmolly]

Hi Tim - on cold days you could add some poultry spice to keep your girls nice and warm!! They also love rice, potato and pasta!! In fact - mine eat nearly all kitchen scraps (which they fight the dog for and win) apart from carrots!!! Make sure your bread is wet or in milk tho as it can ball up a bit!!

[Timbo47]

Thanks for those suggestions. Did'nt know they liked Rice so thats another I can try!  
The main reason I mentioned this, on a visit to my Vet yesterday regarding another matter...he thought they looked a bit under weight! He suggested more Proteins.ie, Worms, etc.  Though I don't go digging up my garden everyday. 

[Aunt Sally]

vets always think that laying hens look thin 

[redmolly]

 
A vet should meet my black rock Gladys!!! 
I was worried she was overweight - so used to make her run for her food!! Then she went broody.......and came out of that absolutely perfect looking!!! Everyone told me how she would lose condition and look thin and scrawny!!!
 

[grumpydad]

ours will eat cooked vegetables, rice and pasta, aldi often have fresh corn on offer so we will buy a couple of them as a treat now and again, ours do not like greens, like kids i suppose, but a bag of mixed corn goes a very long way, we buy ours from a local mill, but pets at home sell them, overall cheaper to buy a 20kg bag than smaller bags.

make a porridge of layers pellets with warm water and a little probiotic yogurt maybe.

if you can eat it then more often than not a chuck can, but be careful with uncooked veg, no potato peelings, if in doubt give it cooked.

 

[GrannieAnnie]

And just beware of things with salt or sugar in, that is a defo no no for chooks, and not too much rice and pasta.

Like auntie says, laying hens are not meant to be fat!

[Timbo47]

Many thanks again! Very useful Info here Ta.   Yes my Vet even seemed wary of handling my hen!!!! He said its not really his type of  thing!     So I had to hold her whilst he examined my Hen.  Reminded me a bit of "Doc Martin" on TV......he's scared of the sight of Blood!   My Vet seems scared of Hens! Weird eh? 

[Aunt Sally]

He probably thought they should be as fat as oven ready birds 

[dizzylizzie]

Thanks for those suggestions. Did'nt know they liked Rice so thats another I can try!  
The main reason I mentioned this, on a visit to my Vet yesterday regarding another matter...he thought they looked a bit under weight! He suggested more Proteins.ie, Worms, etc.  Though I don't go digging up my garden everyday. 

some vets make me mad...underweight...does he know what these girls go through as battery hens? it takes a good while for some of our girls to put on weight and start to look healthy. As long as you can see they have put on weight since you got them they are going in the right direction If you are giving them a good quality layers pellet, that is available all day, they have access to greens, and a hand full of mixed corn late afternoon they shouldnt need anything else. I give my girls small amounts of other stuff, but have cut right back on what i give them because  they dont need it. They do however love a porriage made up with their pellets, mixed with warm water, hunny, and bio yoghurt, sometimes i add a few mealworms, rasins, cranberries or grapes....but not too many as you will give them the runs! I now have my girls on the ex-batts pellets and have noticed a massive improvement in them...you sound like yur doing everything you can for them, remember, vets hardly see a chicken, let alone a recovering ex-bat. Good luck with them anyway

[colliebird]

Put a few planks of wood, bricks etc on the ground for a few days, then lift them.  You will find worms there and the hens go crazy for them.  I put about a dozen bricks down, scattered here and there, and the hens know what is there when I go to lift the bricks to put them somewhere else, and they come running, waiting for "the lift-off."
It's funny to see them pecking at a brick knowing what is underneath

[hillfooter]

They eat pretty much anything with seeds in such as melon or green pepper seeds (haven't tried the chilli peppers other than in the vindaloo).  Don't feed citrus fruits though.
Does anyone have a view on the occassional finely chopped cheese rind?  Mine seem to like that too. 

All such things are ok in moderation given in the evening so they still get a well balanced staple diet from the layers during the day.  If you feed anything starchy like potatoes make such they are cooked and again in moderation.

I'd echo what Auntie says about not being overweight layers are usually on the spare size.  Being overweight is more of a health risk than you might think.

Regards

[nzdunn]

my girls adore pasta shapes and the long spagetti, they get it as a treat, i buy the corn on the cobs when it is on offer in tescos, i throw those down and that gives them something to peck at also the odd apple and a bit of bannanna.    Late afternoon mine get mixed corn as you have said and layers on tap, they also get a bit of porriage or weetabix mixed with a little warm water in the mornings.    nickyx

[redmolly]

Oh and tomato!!! Like everyone else says tho - the pellets come first....this is all just treats stuff!