AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

I have been reading about feeding and I think I am giving my girls too much in the way of scraps/fresh fruit and veg.
They carry on in the mornings when they don't get their treats!! I think they have become too accustomed.
They probably get extras (along with their layer pellets and Red Hen layer mix and shell grit) 5 out of 7 days.
Should I reduce this? Should I gradually reduce?
I am in Adelaide and its starting to get cold. I have started giving them warm mash in the morning. I generally soak some layer pellets and red hen layer mix with the shell grit in hot water. Depends what I have as to what else I add - this morning they had a tin of cat food, Yesterday they had some pasta.
They often leave the scraps if I havn't put it through the food processor!! Although there are some exceptions to that!!
They have access to the pellets in different feeders in their yard. I scatter the scraps and mash for them to graze.
I have been having some problems with stress/behaviour/weight loss/mites.

I just want to do the best for them, but not sure if I am fussing too much.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Sam

Generally treats shouldn't be more than 20% of the chooks diet. The scraps a chooks is preapred to eat, and is often given, are not always as nutritous as we think they are. Their pellets are designed to offer the chooks everything they need to stay healthy, but other foods still taste good and are enjoyed by chooks. If they eat more treats than pellets it could very well eventually affect their growth, egg laying, weight, health and ability to come out of a moult.

Blending the food down in a processor is probably a good idea as it will make them eaiser to eat. I did this for a while too until I got sick of cleaning five parts of the food processor every day! I did notice how much more they ate and I must admit the compost loved whatever was left over as it broke down so quickly.


Has this been since feeding the scraps daily or just in general?
Could you tell us a little more about your setup as we might be able to help here too?
How many hens in how large an area do you have and what breeds are they
Do they get to free range?
Excatly what problems are you having with stress - behaviour - weight loss etc

Thanks. I will give you a run down.

I am not sure what breed they are (I would have to find out). They are brown.
They are approx 2 yrs old. I inherited them from a friend (who moved & couldn't take them) about 9-12 months ago. They had approx 500sqm to range at my old house & seemed very happy after initial settling in period. I was getting 4 - 5 eggs daily from 4 chooks. Then I moved.
Since moving in September 2010, they have been a bit problematic.
They now range in approx 100 sqm and sleep in an old bird aviary - approx 1.5mtrs wide x 2 mtrs long x 2mtrs tall (same aviary they had at their first home - we have carted it around). It is a metal aviary. Their nesting box is home made from wood - up high in aviary. One big perch (old tree limb). I have a bamboo blind that I use in there to protect from elements. I have raised the ground level with just an old piece of board.
I do usually bring them out to the lawned area of the yard most afternoons too.
But "their yard" is dirt with pea straw scattered that they love to scratch around in.

Until Thusday I had 4 chooks - I had to have one put to sleep this week - she became very sick from being egg bound (that is what the vet suspected, but without XRays it couldn't be confirmed.) She had mites too.
They were never treated for worms or parasites at their first home.
I treated them topically with Ivomectin beginning of January and again end of this week.
One of my chooks has developed mites and the other two appear ok.

The one with mites (that is still alive "Esther") has recently been a real problem child and was attacking another chook "Esme" and not letting her eat. I seperated Esther for a few weeks and have successfully reintroduced them again (so far). Whilst separated she started to look cruddy - some feathers missing, some weight loss, some crusty patches that looks like mite eaten skin. She was quite stressed being on her own & separated from the others, but she was being so nasty to the Esme who almost died from the stress and not eating enough. Esme is now strong and healthy. She is still a bit scared of Esther and runs away from her, but at least Esther has stopped picking on Esme.
I have been getting 2 eggs between the 4, now 3 chooks, for the last month.

I clean the aviary regularly but havn't sprayed it. I hate using toxic sprays. Any suggestions for something that will be safe for chooks and me but get rid of mites? Do the mites live in the dirt, ie in their yard? If so, how do I treat that?
When a bird is stressed are they more prone to mites because their health is compromised?

I am wondering if I am not keeping their cage and yard clean enough.
I havn't raked up the yard and when I empty the straw from their cage when I clean it, I just chuck it out into their yard.

Does this help? Any other info that may help paint a picture please let me know.
Sam

Oh and I try to interact with them daily and give them a once over. Although Esther is hard to catch.
I am in Adelaide and soon without day light saving they will put themselves to bed before I get home, so winter months will be a little tricky.

I think I have their cage facing the wrong way. I read it should face north? Is that right?
I think mine is facing west.

I am thinking about getting a new cage. Bigger, and concreting into ground for fox proofing and hygiene. Thinking about a "gardenmaster" aviary.

I am a bit tired this morning!! Sorry!!



This behaviour I don't believe has anything to do with the feeding of scraps. At my other house they got scraps and all was good/ok.

I thought i would add some photos to paint a picture. Also you can probably tell me what breed they are?!?! My friend says they are Leg horn x.
On the floor of the chicken coup I put some bricks and I put the old wooden board on top to raise the floor.
I put some boxes on the floor to rest the perches on.
When I took the photo I had just pulled everything out to clean.
I have sprayed with Malawash - all I could get from the fodder store today.
I sprayed the inside and outside of coup, all the perches, all the shade structures, wooden floor, the bamboo blind, nesting box.
The only thing I havn't sprayed is the chooks themselves and their yard.

I am finding mites on myself too which is gross. How do I get rid of them from me - any ideas?

"Esther" the sickly chook.

more pictures.
hope you don't mind.
Anything to help me. If anything appears really wrong I want to know so I can change it.
And if it's good, that's great!!

That looks like a great setup I am envious mine is not that clean and neat

Thanks for taking the time to post all your photos. Your hens look like straight commercial layers to me - they tend to have a redy white look about them. They are fantastic layers but in some cases they do lay themselves to an early death. 18 months to 2 years is where a lot of them live to before succumbing to reproductive problems (like becoming egg bound). You need to keep an eye out for any sickness and be prepared to act quickly because problem like being egg bound can be very painful for a bird. Commercial layers are bred to keep laying where a purebred bird might stop to go into a moult or in the hotter and colder months. They lay less eggs than commercial layers but lay consistently for a much longer time.

Your sick girl looks like she was in a heavy moult too. Extra protein can come in handy when the girls are moulting as producing new feathers and laying eggs takes a lot of protein. If they continue laying when moulting, they can often take a very long time to grow new feathers back.

There is special feed which can be bought for the ISA Brown type bird which is specially formulated to give them what they need. I'm not sure whats in it, but I imagine its higher calcium and protein to cope with their large constant eggs. It could be worth checking with your local stock feed place if they have it?

Do you also have shellgrit available for them at all times? This helps add extra calcium to their diet and they eat what they need.

Regarding treating for mites, chemicals unfortunately are going to do the job you need done. Just follow the directions and do any follow up treatments and Im sure you'll be fine. I personally would be totally disposing of any mite infested straw though. You're just moving mites and eggs from one area to another if you throw it in another pen. I presume you'll be putting straw back in their nestboxes?

If you're thinking of replacing the aviary you could always keep an eye out for a garden shed (ebay is good for this). They're very handy as a chook pen! You can leave the front door's open (or take them off). Roosts can run along the back (staggered so they do't poo on the lower ones) and nestboxes down the side. I have a small table inside one of my sheds with the nestboxes on them and the food and water hanging under the table. I use sand as the base so its really easy to clean poo out. An aviary has quite a bit of wire meaning there is less protection from wind, rain and the cold in winter.

Whatever your setup is, you obviously care for your chooks and Im sure your girls will be totally fine!