Layer pellets or crumbles which do chickens prefer?

[gritsar]

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I don't have bantams but I always wonder when I read of people saying their bantams can't handle pellets. Huh? How are these little wild birds - and I do mean LITTLE - able to gobble them up from my birds so easily?

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

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I just wanted to add to this...

Egg production needs to take a back seat for now. If your hens are as skinny as you describe the first priority is to get some weight back on them. If they were mine I would worm(as suggested above) them then get some flock raiser or game bird feed and leave them on it until they bulk back up.

I currently have mine on flock raiser for the extra protein due to them molting. I also make sure that they are getting enough oyster shell due to them continually laying. They are still laying up a storm. I am still getting 10 to 11 eggs a day out of 11 hens even with the shorter days and winter weather.

 

[Mahonri]

Mine would stop laying if I gave them straight pellets. I've spoiled them I suppose.

 

[gritsar]

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Wait! Aren't you the man with an air conditioned coop? Nah, your birds aren't spoiled.

Around here the farmers call my birds spoiled cuz they get yogurt now and again.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

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Wait! Aren't you the man with an air conditioned coop? Nah, your birds aren't spoiled.

Around here the farmers call my birds spoiled cuz they get yogurt now and again.

 

[chuckzoo]

I've been reading about worming and that one shouldn't eat the eggs for two weeks after worming. Would it be OK to boil the eggs for them or should I throw them away?

 

[Opa]

It wouldn't hurt the chickens to feed the eggs back to them. Just not a good idea for you to eat them.

 

[gritsar]

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Depends on what you use to worm. I know there's no egg withdrawel on one type - I think it's the Eprinex pour-on, but don't quote me on that. I've read of alot of BYC folks cooking the eggs and feeding them back to the hens, but I don't. I just toss them for the two weeks. I just can't get my head around it. Seems to me if there's a 14 day withdrawel period and you feed the eggs back them, if there's even a trace of the wormer in the eggs it would be prolonging the treatment time. But anyhow, that's just me. No facts to back up my opinion, just what makes sense to me. I'm also not a big believer in Wazine, since it only treats roundworms. If you choose to use a chemical wormer, why not use a broad spectrum and be done with it? I can see where wazine has it's place as an initial wormer with a follow up using a broad spectrum wormer.
By the way, have you seen the poop page? It's kinda graphic, or not depending on your definition of graphic, but it's an invaluable tool for chicken keepers:

http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[chuckzoo]

Thanks for the link.

I was looking at Flubenvet as a wormer seems it may do a good job;

• Used to treat: Large roundworm, caecal worm, gapeworm, hairworm and gizzard worm in chickens, geese, turkeys, partridges and pheasants.

I only need to treat two hens.

Where can you get this in the US, I have only seen it on sites in UK?

 

[mstricer]

How old are your girls and what breed? Some build their skeleton first then start to fill out. Thats what all my heavy breeds have been doing. Their around 9 to 12 months.