[RTB]

Hi all, our hens spend from lunch time untill dusk out and about in the garden helping them selves to what ever takes their fancy, at about 6am we give them their fresh water, layers pellets, corn & grit and about 8am some greens rocket or lettuce or ther like, but I am never sure how much corn pellets per bird they have never finished all before dusk so what is left gets thrown is their a rough guide of how much per bird.
We would love to put a photograph on the site for you all to see how wonderful these hens are but have no idea how to do it, any help  

[muntjac]

firstly they are chickens so will find lots of food on their own free ranging as they do .,how many birds have you . now get a sweetcorn tin as a cup ....dont feed the sweetcorn to the birds it contains salt .... use that as a measure 2 cup corn/ layers pellets  for 6 birds is enough .plenty of water and grit which they should be picking up from free ranging but get a pack from the pet stores to supplement it or dig part of the the garden area over  and oyster shell. oestra is what i use but there are others available . what isnt thrown should be left till morning and adjust it to suit......why dump good food ,the chickens dont know about eat before dates  

[Aunt Sally]

I give my hens layer pellets ad lib.  I just refill the feeders when the are getting a bit low.  While the hens are free ranging about the garden they pop back occasionally for a snack of pellets if the bugs are few and far between.  Mixed grit and oyster is also available ad lib.

I give them about 3 hand fulls  (my hands are small so about 2 man hand fulls) of mixed corn in the late afternoon just thrown down for them to peck up.  Greens every day, hung up for them to stretch for and a corn on the cob occasionally for a really special treat.

[Foxy]

Hi and a warm welcome to to the forum!!

This link should help you with the piccies!


http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=630

   

[jack russell]

forgive my ignorance but why no salt

we give our chooks the remains of our meals.. is this a good idea or bad they seem to devour everything

the bloke a few plots away who keeps chooks says that lettus is bad for them and gives them the runs ..    i cant see how, as it has a very high percentage of water content no sure of exact facts..

cheers

jr

[muntjac]

lettuce is brilliant . salt because its a poison to some birds and i have always been told not to for 40 yrs or more

[Aunt Sally]

You might get very happy laid back hens if they eat too much lettuce  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactucarium

[KathyH]

How annoying that Wikepedia didn't mention Beatrix Potter and the Flopsy Bunnies! If you remember they found "that the eating of too much lettuce could be said to be soporific".
I had loads of trouble getting my kids to take the word "soporific" on board!
She was right though!

[Aunt Sally]

I'd forgotten about the Flopsy Bunnies Kathy - soporific, what a lovely word  

[muntjac]

mine get any lettuce thats gonna blow ,when we use it for the kitchen there is always leaves left to go waste so i feed that .also we pick a couple carrier bags of dandelions from the fields each week for the chooks n my bunnies ,so my birds must be appapleptic or summat like that. dandelions are a lettuce anyways ,and taste great  

[Aunt Sally]

    Really cool birds eh Munty  

[muntjac]

sure are you should see em drink my tea lolo