Feed habits?

[DragonClaw01]

Should my birds get a buffet of layer pellet or a set amount?

I have a large flock, so the geese eat first, then the agressive guineas/hens and so on and so forth.

I heard they get broody or something when their greens overtake their intake of feed. Or maybe it was more eggs?

I supply them oyster shell too.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Food should always be available to all the birds. Especially if there are more aggressive eaters like geese or guinea.

If you only give a ration then the lowest on the totem pole may not get to eat at all.

 

[junebuggena]

Multiple feeders will also help ensure that everybody is getting enough.

 

[DragonClaw01]

I'm aware of the totem pole, so I fill them several times and make sure the lowest on the pole get to eat.

Maybe I should space them out more.

 

[centrarchid]

You might consider dispersing feed in hay scattered on the ground. Birds scratching (Guinee Fowl) and rooting (geese) will be more focused on going after feed. Aggression I see is more typical of food patches that can be defended easily. A single feeding station and sometimes even several can be easy to defend. If multiple feeding station approach used, then consider spacing them farther apart or breaking line of sight between them. Bushes, hay bales and tractor tires are structures that can break line of sight.


I also like to keep the complete formulation in feeder and disperse / broadcast items like shell corn, oats and other intact grains on the ground. Then you can get away with a restricted ration.

 

[junebuggena]

Feeders need to be far enough apart, that the ones higher in the pecking order can't keep all the lower ranking ones from all the feeders, at one time. On opposite ends of the run, with plenty of visual obstacles to block sightlines is ideal.

 

[DragonClaw01]

I don't have a run. 2 acres in a fence, plus a few more acres of the piney woods.

We have zosia grass planted in the front galf and various plants overtake the back in spring.