Layer feed tastier mixed with water?

[Johanna Albertine]

My chickens were hardly touching their layer feed pellets. They free range and also have other food options like scratch, brown rice and various snacks, so they weren’t going hungry. Then one time when it rained they knocked over the bowl with layer feed and the pellets spilled into a puddle of water... and they all started eagerly pecking at it! Since then I’ve been mixing some water into the layer feed, just enough to make it mushy and then crumbly, and they now eat a lot more of it.
I have also started experimenting with fermenting grains, after reading the recent article on this Forum. Barley kernels only took 24 hours to ferment and my hens instantly loved it, cleaned the bowl right out. Now I have to find a place that has whole grains in bulk near where I live. The farm supply store doesn’t carry wheatberries or barley. Any ideas on this?

 

[NatJ]

They work so hard, foraging, I think they deserve treats.

And they get treats: every bite they find while foraging IS a treat. That's why they do it!

And they are always healthy treats!

If you want a thoroughly healthy treat-- layer feed + water works well!

 

[NatJ]

It's pretty common for chickens to like the feed better when it is wet.

I don't know why, but at least it's an easy thing to do

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I limit the treats to no more than a tbs per bird per day. They get their treats when then come into the run (when I call them) from being outside in the yard. We are a 150-acre hardwood tree farm so there are WAY too many predators for them to free range.

My girls get a mix of layer pellets and crumble in their Grandpa’s Feeders, but as a special treat, they get a wet mash of chow and warm or cold water (depending on the weather). For some reason, they think this is a special treat and will gobble it down!

I’ve noticed that some of my girls prefer crumble over pellets, so maybe your girls are the same. Try the mix and see what happens.

 

[Kiki]

They aren't eating the layer feed because of all the treats mentioned. Stop all treats.

 

[NatJ]

But I noticed the last two days the eggs seem to be smaller for all of them (smaller by 3-5g per egg on average). I don't know if this is related to the wet/fermented layer feed ? Does the wet feed fill them up more and they end up eating less?? Any advice?

Small eggs sometimes mean a chicken is not getting enough water. But that does not sound likely in this case!

Maybe just give them a few days and see if the eggs go back to normal.
It's pretty common to get eggs that are a bit odd in some way, for no obvious reason, and the hen often goes back to laying normal eggs afterward.

I don't think the fermented feed makes much difference in how full they feel. Dry feed will swell in the crop as soon as the hen takes a drink of water, so if they spend all day eating a bit and drinking a bit, they would usually have their crops full of wet feed anyway.

 

[Kiki]

Well, I don’t know... They work so hard, foraging, I think they deserve treats. And they are always healthy treats!

Healthy is having a balanced complete diet.
Feeding anything besides the complete balanced feed takes away from getting a balanced complete diet.

 

[Percheron chick]

Here is a link to a company that ships large bags of whole grains to drop points all over the country. I haven’t used them before, but found chicken wheat and barley for animals here. Also scratch without corn. https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/category/outdoor-garden/animal-feed/19176

Rather pricey additions. I can buy whole wheat for about $.22/#. Barley is slightly less. How long will a bag last? 6 months or more? Could be full of bugs by that time. I would build your feeding program with what you have available locally. Keeping it simple saves money. What's your aversion to corn? Should be the primary ingredient in the layer feed. If your birds like sunflower seeds then buy them that as your "scratch". Scratch can be any seed or grain that is fed as a treat or a means to get them to scratch and work the soil.
Your ultimate goal is to not add so much "stuff" that you compromise production. Keeping protein and calcium percentages and caloric intake at appropriate levels is harder and harder the more you alter a formulated feed.

 

[linguini]

Small eggs sometimes mean a chicken is not getting enough water. But that does not sound likely in this case!

Maybe just give them a few days and see if the eggs go back to normal.
It's pretty common to get eggs that are a bit odd in some way, for no obvious reason, and the hen often goes back to laying normal eggs afterward.

I don't think the fermented feed makes much difference in how full they feel. Dry feed will swell in the crop as soon as the hen takes a drink of water, so if they spend all day eating a bit and drinking a bit, they would usually have their crops full of wet feed anyway.

Thanks! The egg sizes are back to normal for most of them now! One young hen stopped laying for a couple days and I could see her trying both days. She seems fine otherwise, I hope it's just her body trying to figure out her schedule. She is only 6-7 months old now and have been laying about 5 days a week.

 

[Percheron chick]

Ferment the layer feed first. Add the scratch if you want. If your feed store does not stock barley and wheat, ask them to pick up a bag for you. They have access to the whole grains.