The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: bloomer on September 05, 2010, 09:03:36 pm
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right im nearly ready to start my chicken keeping experience, the house is under construction, it will be ready before the chickens are :)
question i have is how much do chickens eat its something i can't find a clear answer for, we are getting 6 POL hens how much roughly per day will they need between then to keep them healthy without getting fat, i'm talking about organic layer pellets.
they will also get a certain amount of greenery and what ever they forage in the garden when they are allowed out of the run.
thanks for the help
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hi i just fill there feeder up and leave them to it, they also have a run and access into my back garden, but they have corn and layers pellets ab lib
i will be interested to see if im doing wrong or not, but my girls seem very happy and lay well so at the end of the day thats all that matters
happy hens happy mum
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I let our six have a full feeder of pellets every day and just top it up in the morning. They also have a couple of mugs of corn with cod liver oil added at night and the occasional vegies.
What they do love is for me to go in every morning and rake over the ground with them. It's a kind of bonding ritual and they all stop what they are doing to join in. I suspect it is quite theraputic for them. I know it is for me :D
Sometimes I mix layers meal with grit and water to a paste consistency in a cat litter tray (not a used one). They go crazy for it. Two of them fly up to get it ;)
Ian
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This website should help - http://www.happyhenhoose.co.uk/simple_faq.html. I think each hen needs about 125gms per day of layers pellets(depending on breed and size) plus green veg and any other nice tidbits gleaned when free ranging plus meal worms - earth worms, slugs, fresh grass etc
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thats about the right amout. but thats under controlled conditions. you have to factor in greedy geese raiding gulls or hungrey sparrows. plus some chucks are greedier thn others. so aim for 120-150. if they act hungry up there feed a bit.
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I find that it varies through the year. when they are laying at their best (ie spring/summer) they tend to empty their feeder quicker. winter they seem to eat less pellets but I do tend to give them porridge with warm goats milk ;D