Increasing condition on chickens

scoopy82 · **Posted:** Sat Mar 24, 2012 4:44 pm

I am a little worried that my hens are a bit under conditioned, I know a fat chicken is unhealthy but my girls just dont seem as plump as I would like them.
Especially as we are coming into winter I was wondering if anyone could suggest anything to increase their weight - feed or supplement wise. Currently they have 24 hour access to Barastoc Golden Yolk Layer Pellets, get treats of wheat or corn every few days, sadly they haven't been able to free range lately but get fresh vegies and greens once or twice a week.
I'm thinking of switching to Barastoc Darling Downs Layer mix or maybe using both.
Any suggestions appreciated, I'm about to go and worm them but I dont think thats part of the problem.

Hens and Hobbits · **Posted:** Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:22 pm

Ours are on a combination of the Barastoc Darling Downs Layer and Golden Yolk Layer Pellets with access to separate shell grit.

To improve condition, a treat of a tin of homebrand sardines in oil, oppossed to the homebrand fish based cat food, which has more fish content than the branded cat food ones, but I prefer the sardines at .69c as it is fish and not filled with add muck like jelly.
It dones wonders and gives the girls really nice shiney feathers.

A small bit of beef mince or steak also for extra protien, but some people are opposed to feeding their chooks meat, yet let them eat mice.

Left over porriage and molasses or warm mash and molasses also goes down well on a chilly winter's morn.

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

Hey Scoopy82

I used to use the Barastock Darling Downs layer mash but my girls always dodged the pellets and just ate the grains & weren't putting on much weight either, so I changed them to Barastock Top Layer mash as the main food they always have access to & they love it. It's the highest in protein of all the Barastock mixes(16.5%), and the eggs they produce are really yummy.

On top of that, I have a separate grain mix. I bought sunflower, safflower, cracked corn, wheat & milo and give them that as a daily treat as well as left over veggies & scraps.

And just like HH I give my girls warm quick oats & just recently I've learnt you can wet the top layer mash & mix it with a little molasses. Just make sure once you give it to them, stand back because the girls just go nuts over it.

Hope this has helped.

Cheers
Chicka-Dee

scoopy82 · **Posted:** Sun Mar 25, 2012 7:06 am

Thank you both for the replies

I was just looking through Barastocs 'Chook Book' and noticed the top layer mash has the most protein and was once told by a top breeder that she only fed mash, I thought she meant that she just wet the pellets down to form a mash like consistency but now I believe she actually meant this product. I will see if my produce store either stocks it or can get it in for me, I think the higher protein is definitely the way to go. If they cant I will try the Golden Yolk/Darling Downs mix, and I will definitely try the sardines too! Its odd because since they have been locked up (their coop is huge though) I have never seen their combs so red and the roosters almost glow in the dark they are that shiny, they just seem to lack the weight. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and should weigh them and compare them to the standard or find the weights from people with the same breed. I just dont like how pointy their keel bones feel. There are some cross bred Wyandottes, an Orpington (my main worry) and a Plymouth Rock, and being dual purpose birds I would expect them to carry a little more. Maybe I should put some vitamins in their water every now and then for an extra boost too?

Petite Poulet · **Joined:** Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm **Posts:** 5219

Lady Frances my Marans is a big girl, with a big appetite, she prefers the Golden Yolk Layer Pellets and The Pretty One eats the Darling Layer Downs and won't touch the pellets. I also mixed my my own scratch of cracked corn, wheat and sunflower, they get a handful each for around dinner time.

When Boss Chookie was sick we fed her red meat to improve her condition, the girls occasionally have a bit of meat. We had fresh sardines and white bait for dinner from the market on Friday, my brother doesn't like fish so he feed it to the girls and they really enjoyed it. Savings brand FISH cat food can also be used, along with boiled ox kidneys with the suet(smells though whilst cooking).

We put apple cider vinegar in their water. They love plain yoghurt with finely chopped garlic this aids their digestion. They get their fresh fruit and veg around morning tea time so they don't fill up on that and not eat the chook feed and they free range for most of they day. Also they get their warm porridge if we have any leftovers and warm mash as it is really cold in the winter, a nice warm tummy to start the day.

Chickens12 · **Joined:** Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:17 pm **Posts:** 1

Hens and Hobbits how often do you give them a tin of sardines in oil and do you drain the oil?

Hens and Hobbits · **Posted:** Wed Mar 28, 2012 1:17 pm

Chickens12 wrote:

Hens and Hobbits how often do you give them a tin of sardines in oil and do you drain the oil?

Chickens12

I do drain the oil from the sardines, I recently had a run down mother hen who also went into moult and needed her condition to pick up, so she shared a tin or two of sardines for a couple weeks until she gained weight back on.

Fiona450 · **Posted:** Sun Apr 08, 2012 4:20 pm

This has been very useful, I'm a bit concerned about the condition of my two Australorps who have both started their first moult and are looking rather bedraggled. They also don't feel as plump as I would like them to be, their breast bone feels very prominent when I pick them up. The laying has slowed down quite considerably as well. There also seems to have been an increase in the soft shelled eggs layed too.

I'm going to try the sardines and perhaps look at the other layer mash as well - I tried something similar once before and as somebody else has mentioned they just picked out the grains and left the pellets.

Is there anything else one should do for moulting chooks?

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

Hi Fiona

How is your girls' intake of grit? Soft shells are normally a direct cause of them not getting enough grit and/or calcium in their diet.

I say give the Barastock Top Layer mash a go & like PP said give them some sardines (fresh or tinned with oil), but since it is moulting time they will look a little bedraggled. Not much you can do about that. My Pkymouth Rock looks like she's going for the feather losing champion, she's that bald. I had to wash her the other day & she looked pathetic in the tub with all these bald patches on her . Lol. :lol:

Fiona450 wrote:

Is there anything else one should do for moulting chooks?

Have patience is all I can suggest :-D

kwinagi · **Joined:** Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:58 pm **Posts:** 236

in addition to hte above suggestions may i suggest a mash made of water, bran, meatmeal, pollard, lucerne chaff, skim milk powder and other bits of fruti and vegies like grated apple and carrot. teh bird go mad for it and it helps put on condition.

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