[twizzel]

Do you carry on feeding layers pellets over winter when they aren't laying or do 1/2 layers pellets 1/2 rolled barley/corn? Or all corn?


Also can they have soaked sugarbeet? I have a bag in the shed left over from when I was feeding lambs and wondered if they could have some of that each day soaked with warm water (it's speedibeet for horses)

[lachlanandmarcus]

The layers pellets are important as they're the only balanced nutrition, but the corn is appreciated to keep them warm overnight as its quite heating, so mine get layers pellets in the morning, and a little corn in the afternoon so they go to bed with a nice full crop of corn

[Mammyshaz]

I only have a few but they moult at slightly different times so I just continue the layers pellets.
As LachlanandMarcus the girls here also get corn in the last hour of daylight to keep them warm during the long night.

[lord flynn]

I keep up with the layers-I am not there before they roost in the winter so they get a tiny bit of corn in the mornings on weekdays. I've heard of people giving them soaked beet but haven't done it myself.

[Bodger]

I don't alter my feeding in the winter but all year round,  I've always fed a mix of half and half, wheat and layers pellets.

[HesterF]

I have quite a few on growers. The geese are on growers whenever they're not laying (which for them is only a few months each year) so I reckoned it should be OK for other non-laying poultry too. Having said that, cockerels eat layers and don't lay so it's not going to do any harm to keep non-laying hens on layers too (and its cheaper than growers),

H

[chrismahon]

We used to put our hens on a layers/ growers mix when they are not laying, like during the moult or Winter. We did this because Growers has more protein generally. But then checked the labelling on the smallholder range to find layers and growers were the same! Wheat is only about 10% protein and I aim to get over 15% in their diet. Wheat is a good slow digestion feed for carbohydrate over the long Winter nights apparently, but I've never bothered so far. Corn is very fattening which builds up and can stop them laying.


Not sure about the sugar beet Twizzel. Best give them anything out of the ordinary in moderation, but it sounds as though they will enjoy the warm stuff. Of course they may not eat it at all.

[ellied]

I feed layers ad lib all year round and they take more in winter when there is less interesting in the garden, but even the cockerel has it and I've only got one in on growers that isn't POL yet, the other that age is free range now so helps herself to layers too.

They all get corn in the evening, well in the hour before dark which is now about 4pm.. to keep warm and to bring them to a single place for headcounting.  Only time in the day you get them all in one place visible at one time!

I wouldn't personally feed speedibeet to hens, but I don't have a scientific reason for saying so.  I have it for emergency pony feeding and plain sugar beet too, but it wouldn't occur to me.  I'm not sure it would do them any good and I'd rather not take the chance so I'd keep it for sheep if it's a good sheep feed (I don't know sheep feed requirements at all) or otherwise use it only for equines.

[Victorian Farmer]

I'm feeding tripe dog food as well as layers corn bread as much as they can eat .Theyv had 2 lots of chicks then molt so need to get them in condition for winter.

[taz08]

tripe?

[Castle Farm]

Here is a site that has a different opinion on feeding. I never feed pellets or mash and cut yellow maize is the best feed of all grains in winter.


http://www.sterlingcenterfarm.com/Feeding/Wholegraindiet.htm