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Author Topic: New Keeper  (Read 4418 times)

chloesgrandad

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Whitley Bay
New Keeper
« on: February 25, 2010, 11:37:48 am »
Hi everyone, I'm new to this hobby of chicken keeping and would like any advice or suggestion's that may come along. I am getting 5 exbats at the end of March and would like to know what is best to feed them on? Some site's say that layer's pellet's are OK, and some say layer's crumb is best, because that is what they have been used to, and I would like to know what the difference is. The hen's will have the run of about a 1/3 of the garden and I suppose they will find plenty to supplement their diet if I don't get it right first time. Looking forward to reading your replies. Thank you.

Wizard

  • Joined Nov 2009
  • North East Lincolnshire
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2010, 11:55:30 am »
Hello grandad If they are free range fed them oat they will eat they like wheat a lot any of the proprietary foods and mash and greens  any thing they are no particular and I have never heard of a poisoned one Unlike some stupid things  ;D :farmer:
Don't do today what can be put off until tomorrow because today will be yesterday tomorrow

DJ_Chook

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Mid Wales
  • Chicken mad, nothing else just chickens.
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2010, 12:01:00 pm »

Exbatts will be used mash. I've had exbatts/excommercials and I always offer them both crumbs and pellets, they ignore the pellets but eventually their curiosity kicks in and they start eating the pellets after a few days/weeks. I then start mixing crumbs with pellets in their feeders, steadily increasing the proportion of pellets in it.

http://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/Products/ExBattery/Ex-Battery-Hens.aspx

I buy them a bag of these crumbs. They are usually on the pellets by the time it runs out.Feed adlib, leave the feeders in there all day for them. They don't need food or water overnight in their coop.

My advice is also take a picture of your garden, you'll have a lovely memory of how pretty it was before got chickens. Keeping chickens is addictive.

DJ Chook


Chicken nutter extraordinaire.

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2010, 12:39:28 pm »
I would endorse what DJ says. Start them on crumb because that's what they are used to and change over to pellets, which are less messy and less prone to getting damp and clumpy. Crumbs are fed to battery hens because they take longer to eat so the hens are occupied eating for longer - less time for the vices they develop in intensive systems.

They drink a lot of water - the amount surprised me when I started. I also feed adlib - some days they eat more than others; it seems to be weather dependent.

And yes, they will trash the garden. But they will be happy and so will you.

Best of luck and enjoy.

JD

  • Joined Nov 2008
  • Glasgow
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2010, 01:35:02 pm »
Hi, if you are totally new to chickenkeeping I would recommend you try and get yourself on a course. I started a year ago with Rosemary's course and found it a great help. Along with this site of course. Good luck.
JD 

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2010, 02:09:00 pm »
I have found a happy medium!  I have a large run round the chicken shed that they are in when it is wet or bad weather, they get out into the garden for a few hours every day provided it isn't chucking it down like today.  So they haven't trashed my garden.  I didn't bother with the more expensive and in my view wasteful crumbs.  I gave mine some ground down pellets in with the whole ones and they adapted straight away.  I also gave them my now famous porridge breakfasts - rolled oats, boiling water over them, honey, citricidal, cooled with milk and served - they love it
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

Helencus

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • NW Leicestershire
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2010, 02:53:31 pm »
Hi, I started with ex bats nearly a year ago now. you'll find them very rewarding, the first time mine came out a sun bathed I cried.. Old softy at heart.. As above I fed crumb mixed with pellets for a few days but they soon get used to the pellets.

sagehen

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Warwickshire
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2010, 04:09:28 pm »
Like Helen, I found it really rewarding because the poor chooks have had a rubbish life and didn't know how to do chicken things. They didn't even know what rain was! They soon learnt though! I started them off with layers mash, which I was told what they were used to, but had to teach them to eat out of the trough, and to drink out of the drinker (they were used to drinking tubes). Like Helen, the first time they sunbathed, I was moved, and had to take photos!!  ;D ;D


Helencus

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • NW Leicestershire
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2010, 04:12:13 pm »
I thought it was just me.. I took loads of photos. One of the best things I've done was take those hens.. To see the difference in them today is incredible . You'll never regret it

sagehen

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Warwickshire
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2010, 04:42:21 pm »
It's great when they start growing their feathers and don't look so pathetic either  ;D ;D Two of the ones we got had really straggly feathers, and were completely bald on their necks, underneath and their bums. These days, they look like the non ex batts, and I have a hard time telling them apart.

Helencus

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • NW Leicestershire
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2010, 09:04:19 pm »
I still have 2 that show signs of damaged feathers but all the rest you'd never know now. Most of mine were pretty much bald when I got them so they've come a long way from that shed thank god

Roxy

  • Joined May 2009
  • Peak District
    • festivalcarriages.co.uk
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2010, 10:46:36 pm »
In the battery farms they are fed dried layers mash - must make they so thirsty.  Most of the ex battery rescues suggest giving them layers mash dampened with water to start.  I just give mine layers meal and mixed hen feed like the others, and they are fine.  For the first couple of days they eat loads, and you begin to think they will never stop.  This is because they are starved the day before the rescue, in case they are going for slaughter, so don't worry, their eating habits will even out once they are full!!

Wizard

  • Joined Nov 2009
  • North East Lincolnshire
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2010, 08:37:43 am »
Hello I have a little saying I don't know if its where you live or if its local "Howeyer George" reply "Madder than a wet hen" Have you watched how irritable a wet hen gets? ;D :farmer:
Don't do today what can be put off until tomorrow because today will be yesterday tomorrow

hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #13 on: February 26, 2010, 10:08:19 am »
We got eight ex batts last november which probably wasn't the best time due to the impending winter. They were scruffy as hell when we got them but were hungry for anything edible and feasted on layers pellets from the word go. As they don't have acess to natural greenery most of the time we feed them greens in the afternoon along with some wheat which they usually devour with gusto. They've grown most of their feathers back now but a couple of them still look scruffy. Best of all they lay super big brown eggs like there's no tomorrow. We get 6 every day, sometimes 7 or 8, even right through the winter when friends who keep better quality birds haven't been getting any.

Wizard

  • Joined Nov 2009
  • North East Lincolnshire
Re: New Keeper
« Reply #14 on: February 26, 2010, 12:44:45 pm »
Hello hugh As I said they simply love wheat dont they :farmer:
Don't do today what can be put off until tomorrow because today will be yesterday tomorrow

 

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