help new to this

[charlielynnsingletary]

okay,my hubby had a friend of his give me 5 laying hens don't know what kind all i know they lay eggs.anyway we built a really nice coop and nesting boxes,now i need to know what type of feed do i need. the hens are about 1 1/2 years old.can someone please help?oh and not be mean about it,i have had a bad experience with asking a question on line.
thank you.

 

[thechickenchick]

Welcome to BYC! I feed mine layer pellets. It is also sold in crumble but I find they waste more of it! Congrats on your new additions.

 

[thechickenchick]

I want to add you can also feed oyster shell. You should be able to get this at your local feed store. This provides them with extra calcium which is good for the shells of the egg. You can also grind up their shells and feed that back to them. If this doesn't answer your question let me know, I will surely try to help.

 

[ranchhand]

Yes, and congrats on having chickens. Layer pellets, free choice, and another holder for oyster shells and grit. Unless they free range, in which case they will get grit themselves. Fresh, clean water is very important, too.

from South Carolina!

 

[giasmom]

Ditto,l ayer pellets, or crumbles. Mine won't really eat the pellets to well, the man that I got my hens from was feeding fresh ground feed that a local mill in his area was making just for him. When I got my girls I did not know this. So I went out & stocked up on pellets.needless to say they would barely touch them. Now I am stuck with using a food processer & hand crank sausage grinder making grain out of pellets! Only 25 more pounds to grind ! Then I will be buying CRUMBLES! So any way you might really want to try to find out what they were eating before you got them. The things we do for our chickens!!!!!! Good luck, I know you will enjoy being a new chicken owner & member of BYC.

 

[Judy]

Mine eat the layer pellets just fine and wast a lot less than when I bought a bag of the crumbles. Chickens are individuals!

 

[charlielynnsingletary]

thank you thank you very much. i'm glad i was able to get nice people to answer my question, unlike when i asked a puppy question on a puppy site.

 

[thechickenchick]

Once in a while that can happen, even here. However it is rare. I think sometimes people are having a bad day and don't reread what they post. It is hard to hear the "tone" in someones voice on-line.

I know I have gotten my feelings hurt too. I am glad you gave BYC a chance even after such a bad experience else where. If you have any more questions, just ask!

 

[George Papa]

hello guys,
My name is George from Cyprus Mediterranean and i am a new member. My grandmother used to have a farm with chicken and ships e.t.c but unfortunately he get very old. In my family we love eggs and chicken so i want to start my own small production with chickens just for us. Can anybody advice me what kind of chicken shall i buy because i want to try something new and a supplier which is possible to sent chickens to Cyprus.