[Btrobe]

Does anyone know what roxazyme G2 is? it is an ingredient of layers pellets and I would be grateful for any advice.
Thanks
Brenda

[shetlandpaul]

ROXAZYME® G2 contains an enzyme complex derived from
Trichoderma longibrachiatum. It has been developed especially to
complement the digestive enzymes of pigs and poultry, so that the
non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in cereals and legumes are broken
down into simpler molecules, which the animals can digest and utilize

sounds a bit high tech

[Castle Farm]

I wonder when it was that chickens need an additive to be able to digest grain 

I gave up feeding pellets a few years ago as I like to know what I'm eating when I have an egg or a chicken dinner.
The crap that goes into poultry pellets and mash is for the commercial industries benefit where the birds are locked in and cannot get out on grass and free-range to do what chickens have being doing for hundreds of years thats foraging.
I have not noticed any difference in egg production,hatchability or weight gain and the birds are healthy and full of vitality.

What ever you feed an animal comes out in the eggs or meat and I for one don't want to be feeding my kids on industrial chemicals because it's the norm.
We have been led to believe that without pellets the birds will not lay or fatten and be all the poorer for it...Total load of rubbish.

Just read the lable on your next bag of feed and see what they are putting in it and have a think about what your eating.

[doganjo]

So what should I feed mine on - they are in a sand floored run for most of the time as I have dogs that would retrieve them - not kill them but they don't like it lol.  They get out to my half acre garden for 2 hours every day.
Thanks

[shetlandpaul]

feed them what you want to feed them. the pellets may not be the most organic route but it helps with a balanced diet. if your chucks have limited chance to hunt for food then it maybe best to keep feeding it to them. or you will need to start doing some heavy studying on the dietry needs of hens. mixed corn by it self is not a replacement food. http://www.lionsgrip.com/nutrition.html its not easy to know whats best to but don't rule any feed system out unless you can give them a adequate diet.

[doganjo]

I always make sure it's non GM, and they get veg as well so I'll just carry on as before then.  Should I give them mixed grain as well or just the layers pellets?

[rustyme]

hello Annie,
             what to feed ?. This is one for the individual really. Just about everyone will have different views and thoughts on what is and isn't ok to feed their animals. Like with growing vegetables , why grow veg if you are going to cover them in every pesticide and weed killer known to man ? just buy them from the super market and save all the work . The ones there already have all that crap on/in them !! I want to grow veg that is free of all that poison and I am willing to put in the effort to do so . I am trying to eat food as fresh as I can, and as clean and free from so called SAFE? chemicals , as I can . I also want to feed any animals the same way , why rear any animal for food, using commercial feed stuff , with all the crap they put in there. It was only a short time ago we were told it was perfectly safe to feed our cattle and sheep DEAD CATTLE and SHEEP!!!! What did we end up with BSE !!!! It all boils down again to big companies trying to make more and more money for less and less . They want cheap protein , that is the main problem . They care not where they get it really as long as it is the right price. Going the clean whole food route is hard work and can cost money . It boils down to, you pays your money and you takes your choice. But what IS the point in keeping animals and feeding them all the safe? ingredients that we are told they need to survive . This all reminds me of the film Soylent Green .
    They say that most GM ingredients are stated as such on food ? Well I doubt that can really be true, as I have read that some 95% of soya  grown in the USA is GM or GM contaminated ( weren't we told that this couldn't happen ?) So as soon as you see anything has soya in you then have to find out where it came from . Then you have to find out where the seed came from . Sadly you will then , most likely, find that it came from a big seed company that is converting the world to GM by any means it can .....the company begins with an M ....they are selling very cheap seed to third world countries , GM seed.  There are reports out there that some 60-80% of world soya may now be GM contaminated. I even read that in rice, human genes have been used in them !! ( trials in 2007) whats wrong with that ? it must be safe !! otherwise they wouldn't do it !! would they ?

cheers

Russ

[shetlandpaul]

I always make sure it's non GM, and they get veg as well so I'll just carry on as before then.  Should I give them mixed grain as well or just the layers pellets?

i would they love it. flaked maize goes down very well and any worms that you find digging are always gratefully received.

[Castle Farm]

Ask yourself this.

What were chickens living on before they came up with pelleted feed.If the birds then managed to breed and lay eggs around all the farms and cottages in the country how come they need all this stuff to live nowadays.
It's another con trick and people are brainwashed by people who don't know any better.Poultry keepers used to give birds meat and fish meal as a protein supplement until our illustrious goverment banned the use of swill etc and we all know how they have the interests of the public in mind.

I feed Wheat,Rolled barley and cut maize.Twice a week they get cod-liver oil in the feed and all the water contains Cider vinegar.
As soon as the chicks hatch they get Cider Vinegar and that lowers the ph in the gut...no cocci or microplasma can get a hold if the gut is low on the ph scale.
I do feed chick crumbs until the birds are almost feathered up and they go onto wheat,rolled barley and porridge oats.
I give clover about the same time as I take them off crumbs and get them out on grass as soon as they are big enough and fearthered up to keep warm.(delayed if the weathers cold).
There is no downside to this it's a natural way to feed birds.
Grass tips hold around 21% protein if cut on a regular basis.

[shetlandpaul]

thats fine but the person who asked the question has them mainly on sand. without extra protein there diet will be low in lots of trace chemicals. the traditional diet will work but if you have the red hen layers then any reduction in protein etc will impact on egg production. This may sound like a dirty word but the less eggs the less profit. again its what you think is best for your hens. there is no harm mixing your feed sources and it gives them a varied diet.

[doganjo]

Thanks, everyone, lots of food for thought there.  I let them out round the garden for at least two hours every day, and they get a lot of raw fruit and veg from neighbours - OK that will be from the supermarket mostly I'd guess, I feed them 110gms layers pellets per bird per day(more for the ducks), but will feed mixed grain from now on and give them cider vinegar too.  They get citricidal occasionally and are wormed regularly with Vermx, and also at least once a week have porridge with honey and milk in it.  So thank you again, everyone.

[Btrobe]

Thanks for all your advice. I worry about what my hens eat because if me and the family eat the eggs, we are eating the enzymes as well and everything else that's put in the feed. I read a while ago that some layers pellets may contain hormones so I started to feed them on organic layers pellets (very expensive) but after reading advice from Castle Farm on another thread, I started giving them wheat, rolled barley and cut maize and they seem to do fine. I also give them cod liver oil or linseed oil and put cider vinegar in their water. They get all of my kitchen scraps too. My hens have a large run which they've scratched up so there's no grass anymore. I give them clover and grass cuttings when I can to compensate. They love this. I also collect dandylion leaves when I find them. I let them out into the rest of the large garden ( which has a lawn) for a couple of hours a day. They don't seem to take any harm with this natural diet and I can't tell if they are laying less. Even if they were, then it would be more natural for them. I always worry that they are getting enough greens, especially, as they have no grass in their pen so I occasionally mix in some organic pellets or organic mash. This way it works out at about the same cost as ordinary pellets. By the way, I must say that this is an excellent forum with lots of experience which very much helps amateurs like myself. I have had hens now for about a year and love keeping them.
Brenda

[rustyme]

you could also grow some comfrey if you had a small area spare ? if you had an area 10-12' x 10-12' , you could grow 25-30 plants . This would give you somewhere in the region of 1lb-1.5lb of fresh comfrey every day. You could put all your poultry manure direct onto the comfrey bed too. You can cut comfrey from say April to september ,about 4 or 5 cuts in total . This could give you anywhere between 200lb - 450lb of comfrey per year, and comfrey is about 22% protein ,plus it has many trace elements etc in it . If you get the bocking 14 variety , you need not worry about it seeding as it is sterile and will only spread by root cutting . Any spare comfrey can go onto the compost heap , or chop it up and put direct back onto the comfrey bed. But once the chickens are used to it , you won't have much to spare. If you only have an ornamental garden , you can still grow comfrey , as it is a pretty plant and will attract many bees when it is in flower, and you can grow a few little clumps of it here and there. ONLY do this with the bocking 14 variety though ....otherwise you could end up with a HUGE comfrey garden. 

cheers

Russ

[CarraghsBorderCollies]

i dont quite know how to ask this but does anyone have a particular recipe
for their own homemade mix of hen/duck food,
i dont have a clue where to start!!!!!!!!

xxxxxxxxx thanks xxxxxxxxx
      xxxxxx gem xxxxxx

[shetlandpaul]

good idea. green anything will aways go down well. unless your planning on going organic then i would spend your money on a better quality free range layers or growers. i won't mention the kitchen scrap issue again but keep it green and they will be happy. thou having to chase them off the odd dead starling shows they are really not fussy. if they get into your veg patch you will soon know what they like.

the cod liver oil if your going organic would possibly be an issue. would it not taint the meat if the were meat birds.