advice as i am new to this

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amanda1979

amanda1979

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Hi,
My name is amanda and i a newbie. nice to meet you all.
I bought 6 hens this week. 3 on sat, 3 on wed so only learning about them now as i go on. Can u feed a hen too much. how many cup fulls shud i give between the 6 hens and how many times a day should i feed them.
My first 3 hens havent lade since i got them(they are 11months old but have been laying for the woman i bought them from) and wos wondering would it be the move that has stopped them aying. How could i encourage them??
And if there is anything else you could advice me on would be great. ie what scraps i could give them, treats etc etc.
 
Many people offer food free choice. Yes, most likely they stopped laying because of the move. It always seems to take time for them to adjust to any change. Even something like a new load of hay in their coop will throw them for a while. There isn't a set time for how long it will take for them to start laying. Hopefully you will get at least one egg in the next few days. Other than making them comfortable and secure, there isn't much you can do. Spending time with them, just sitting in or near their area, will help them become accustomed to you. Putting a fake egg or two (golf balls, sand filled plastic easter eggs, wooden eggs, etc.) in their nest often ecourages them to lay in the nest.

You can feed them most anything you can eat. They will also eat at least parts of most scraps, including everything from apple cores and melon rinds to a turkey carcass. Chickens are omnivores but many feeds are vegetarian, so any animal source scraps or additions should be beneficial. They also love bugs. Avoid things that you shouldn't eat much of, including a lot of fat or salt, and any sugar. Many people use scratch or cracked corn as a treat, which they love, but be aware they will eat it in preference to feed and it is far less nutritious, so if you buy these things, give them only in small amounts. Here is our BYC treats chart:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens

Good luck, enjoy, and welcome to BYC!
 
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The amount of feed a chicken needs will depend on how big it is, how active it is, if it's laying etc. What you can do to ensure your hens are eating enough is to place a feeder in their run and keep food in it all the time. The hens will help themselves as when needed. Most chickens will only eat as much as they need and no more, unless it's treats of course! If you prefer not to leave a feeder out you should feed them as much as they can eat in about 10 minutes, twice day. You can feel their crops after they ate and if it feels full they had enough. A chickens needs to fill it's crop before "bedtime". If I feed this way I feed them first thing in the morning and again late afternoon with snacks and treats, such as scratch grains at midday. But this was when my chickens were free ranging and had access to greens and bugs etc.

The reason your hens are not laying is because they are stressed from the move and new home. It could take them up to a few weeks to settle in and get back into production. Add a little organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (ACV) to their drink water. This helps with stress. The ratio I use is 4-5 tablespoons per gallon water and I give it one week per month with clean water in-between.

There are a lot of things you can feed your chickens as treats. Mealworms is probably the most popular! There is a wonderful thread on mealworm farming in the Feeding and Watering section. Other than that greens is always good, cooked rice and pasta, fruit... Here's a list of treats and also a list of things you should NOT feed chickens, like salty food, which is toxic for chickens:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

Also look through the Learning Center articles for more tips and info on raising chickens, keeping them healthy etc and enjoy!
 
Hello and welcome .... so glad you joined BYC

Best of luck to you with your new hens. You will likely see an egg or two very soon :)
 
Welcome to BYC!!!
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Glad to have you aboard!!
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Thank you very much for your kind welcomes and brilliant advice. i will learn as i go along. i am from ireland by the way.
One more question. i Have my chickens in their cook with space around it. then we have an extention which leads into a movable runway which they love because it feels like they getting out of jail ha. We have a field for a garden it that big. i would like to be able to let them out for a while so they dont get bored etc.... I am afraid to let them out because i dont even have them a week and afraid they will wander off. How long should i leave it before i let them out further than their runway?
 
Leave them in there for a few weeks before letting them out. So they know that's where they need to back to for food and water. Also some one said feed them apple cores. Just to expand on that. Don't feed then apple cores with seeds in them as the seeds can be toxic to them. Apple seeds have low levels of Arsenic in them. As well as tomato leaves. Also careful of avocado and potato peels.
 

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