Discuss all aspects of raising poultry. No topic is too small
Feed 2023
Whats every one using this year,I fed wheat oats and barley over the winter months then I was feeding gain layers hens didnt like them and poor performance on them now Im using Kiernans layers,I bought a bag of gain chick crum I have about 10 chicks left alive out of 40 and these are not doing great either.
paddycrawford
Friday, April 28th, 2023 Mine were not performing well on gain layer pellets either Paddy. I changed to a mix of whole wheat, barley and flaked maize and they are laying non stop since
Fintan96
Friday, April 28th, 2023 Pure dirt that gain feed no good in it at all Kiernans feed is good stuff.
paddycrawford
Friday, April 28th, 2023 Yeah its not great and the chick crumb is expensive now
Fintan96
Friday, April 28th, 2023 i use gain layers pellets an sometimes gain layers mash ,never actully seen a gain chick crumb its always corby rock i get in gain stores
king cream
Sunday, April 30th, 2023 Red Mills, here. It's what the creamery has.
I only have the few birds, right now. Few months I gave them pellets. Starter, transitioning to Layer. They seemed to eat that only because there was nothing else.
Found a 'recipe', on line. Oats, flaked maize, yellow peas. Then, far lesser amounts of other stuff. Much better. But, even the rats and crows aren't fond of the peas. Chickens seemed to find them disgusting.
Got a bag of Red Mills Chick Crumb out there now. Broody hens sitting eggs. Think I'll start looking for a recipe to try, once they're past the crumbs stage.
All the above while free ranging too, by the way.
Ratcatcher
Monday, May 1st, 2023 Just checked the chick crum bag its actualy red mills,if your free ranging ratcatcher whole wheat is good enough,Im only using layers because hens are in pens.
paddycrawford
Monday, May 1st, 2023 Ahgh, jeez, Paddy! So, ye saying it's the *Red Mills* Chick that's knocked down 3/4 of ye chicks?!?
Oh well. Guess I'll be reporting back with what the rats make of That then?! Come to think of it; I'll give it to the mice, in the stables.
Really sorry to hear that. I give their " Cool 'n Cooked " to the horses. Great stuff! But, what's with all the pellets knocking over birds?
Would Whole Wheat suit hatchlings?
Ratcatcher
Monday, May 1st, 2023 Any of ye have any hassle with mice this year. I’ve an army of them living in my treadle feeder at night.had to take it away and only feed the hens by day now. Treadle feeder is supposed to be rodent proof. You’d be better off feeding them out of an old boot. I’m fed up of the lot of it.
Doctorsroomghost
Monday, May 1st, 2023 No whole wheat is really only suitable for adults or half grown birds you can soak it for younger free range birds,let your chicks kick through the horse dung does wonders for them.
paddycrawford
Monday, May 1st, 2023 Cheers,Paddy. I'll have to wait and see what happens, I guess. Treat this round as gaining experience and learn from it :|
Ghost; Not around my birds. No. But, my stables?!? Oddly enough, I've a little plague of them in there. House mice. Not Wood. Only really happening this year. Must be a good year for them.
Ratcatcher
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 Yeah the mice are plenty here this year. Are ye using treadle feeders for fowl and if so how are ye finding them. Do mice go in your ones and do you remove them at night
Doctorsroomghost
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 Believe it or not ..... I FEED the little buggers! :o
Yep. Every night down the stables, chuck them their handful of C&C. They amuse me, shooting about the place. Doing no harm and no one's paying me to do anything about them ...
Your feeder sounds like it needs tuning. Mouse weighs c.20g. What's a chicken weigh? LOT of mices worth, I'd wager. I'm not personally familiar with the mechanism of ye feeders. But, surely it allows adjustment?
Hang on! Aren't those 'Rodent Proof' feeders mean't to stop a Rat??? Yours is clearly, massively unbalanced then. Rat weighs up to half a kilo. How can it hold a whole rat up, if a Mouse can tip it??? Never right.
Ratcatcher
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 Using gain layers pellets and red mills pellets, find the hens going through the gain twice as quick as the red mills, birds seem happier on the red mills. The down side have to travel 15 mile for the red mills and gain closer.
pat f
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 I don’t know how they get into the feeder but all I know is at night if you stand on the lifter plate and it opens there’s heaps of mice in the trough where the pellets sit. They are there then all night having a buffet and dirtying the hens food which is the real reason it’s annoying me. I take it away now at night but it’s a nuisance being honest considering it’s supposedly rodent proof. I don’t want to use poison and i haven’t time nor interest to be trapping them. It’s a nuisance
Doctorsroomghost
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023
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Feed 2023
Whats every one using this year,I fed wheat oats and barley over the winter months then I was feeding gain layers hens didnt like them and poor performance on them now Im using Kiernans layers,I bought a bag of gain chick crum I have about 10 chicks left alive out of 40 and these are not doing great either.
Friday, April 28th, 2023
Mine were not performing well on gain layer pellets either Paddy. I changed to a mix of whole wheat, barley and flaked maize and they are laying non stop since
Friday, April 28th, 2023
Pure dirt that gain feed no good in it at all Kiernans feed is good stuff.
Friday, April 28th, 2023
Yeah its not great and the chick crumb is expensive now
Friday, April 28th, 2023
i use gain layers pellets an sometimes gain layers mash ,never actully seen a gain chick crumb its always corby rock i get in gain stores
Sunday, April 30th, 2023
Red Mills, here. It's what the creamery has.
I only have the few birds, right now. Few months I gave them pellets. Starter, transitioning to Layer. They seemed to eat that only because there was nothing else.
Found a 'recipe', on line. Oats, flaked maize, yellow peas. Then, far lesser amounts of other stuff. Much better. But, even the rats and crows aren't fond of the peas. Chickens seemed to find them disgusting.
Got a bag of Red Mills Chick Crumb out there now. Broody hens sitting eggs. Think I'll start looking for a recipe to try, once they're past the crumbs stage.
All the above while free ranging too, by the way.
Monday, May 1st, 2023
Just checked the chick crum bag its actualy red mills,if your free ranging ratcatcher whole wheat is good enough,Im only using layers because hens are in pens.
Monday, May 1st, 2023
Ahgh, jeez, Paddy! So, ye saying it's the *Red Mills* Chick that's knocked down 3/4 of ye chicks?!?
Oh well. Guess I'll be reporting back with what the rats make of That then?! Come to think of it; I'll give it to the mice, in the stables.
Really sorry to hear that. I give their " Cool 'n Cooked " to the horses. Great stuff! But, what's with all the pellets knocking over birds?
Would Whole Wheat suit hatchlings?
Monday, May 1st, 2023
Any of ye have any hassle with mice this year. I’ve an army of them living in my treadle feeder at night.had to take it away and only feed the hens by day now. Treadle feeder is supposed to be rodent proof. You’d be better off feeding them out of an old boot. I’m fed up of the lot of it.
Monday, May 1st, 2023
No whole wheat is really only suitable for adults or half grown birds you can soak it for younger free range birds,let your chicks kick through the horse dung does wonders for them.
Monday, May 1st, 2023
Cheers,Paddy. I'll have to wait and see what happens, I guess. Treat this round as gaining experience and learn from it :|
Ghost; Not around my birds. No. But, my stables?!? Oddly enough, I've a little plague of them in there. House mice. Not Wood. Only really happening this year. Must be a good year for them.
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023
Yeah the mice are plenty here this year. Are ye using treadle feeders for fowl and if so how are ye finding them. Do mice go in your ones and do you remove them at night
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023
Believe it or not ..... I FEED the little buggers! :o
Yep. Every night down the stables, chuck them their handful of C&C. They amuse me, shooting about the place. Doing no harm and no one's paying me to do anything about them ...
Your feeder sounds like it needs tuning. Mouse weighs c.20g. What's a chicken weigh? LOT of mices worth, I'd wager. I'm not personally familiar with the mechanism of ye feeders. But, surely it allows adjustment?
Hang on! Aren't those 'Rodent Proof' feeders mean't to stop a Rat??? Yours is clearly, massively unbalanced then. Rat weighs up to half a kilo. How can it hold a whole rat up, if a Mouse can tip it??? Never right.
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023
Using gain layers pellets and red mills pellets, find the hens going through the gain twice as quick as the red mills, birds seem happier on the red mills. The down side have to travel 15 mile for the red mills and gain closer.
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023
I don’t know how they get into the feeder but all I know is at night if you stand on the lifter plate and it opens there’s heaps of mice in the trough where the pellets sit. They are there then all night having a buffet and dirtying the hens food which is the real reason it’s annoying me. I take it away now at night but it’s a nuisance being honest considering it’s supposedly rodent proof. I don’t want to use poison and i haven’t time nor interest to be trapping them. It’s a nuisance
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023