What is HHR please?Case in point, I bought Kalmbach's Henhouse Reserve about 6 months ago for no particular reason other than people bragging about how their chickens did on that. Mine picked through it even though it was in a raised feeder. I wouldn't put up with it. Now, they are back on layer crumbles and I ferment the HHR, of which they eat completely.
Henhouse Reserve that I referenced earlier. Sorry, I should just type it out since not everyone knows the brand.
I will try this. Since I leave a light on in the coop from dark (5-ish) until about 8 p.m., they won't go back in the run, where they are safer from night predators, until very late. They are like little kids, and as long as the light is on and giving a bit of light into the yard, they want to be outside. A reliable lure would be great. I wouldn't have to spend so much time messing about, tryi g to convince them that it's time to get ready for bed, lol!Have you tried making a wet mash with some of the normal complete chicken food? Just add water, and they think it is a great treat.
Since it is a properly balanced food, you don't have to worry about them missing getting full of "treat" and missing some important nutrient.
It can be warm in winter and cool in summer, just by using different temperatures of water.
If you need to lure the chickens somewhere (like back into the pen after free ranging), mash is nice because they cannot pick it up and run away with it (I had that trouble when I tried to use bread crusts as a lure-- they picked up the bread crusts and ran back out.)
It is easy to make any amount you need. They get just as excited about a few bites each as they do about a full bowl of it. The less you use, the more they think it is a "treat," and the more useful it is when you want to lure them somewhere or make them excited. If you leave it available all the time, they will start viewing it the same way they view their normal dry food: something to eat in the right quantity, but no need to rush and gobble it up.
If you ever have a sick chicken that doesn't feel like eating, wet mash will often encourage her to eat more than dry food does.
As you can probably tell, I think wet mash is great stuff for chickens
What is BSFL please?
Never mind. HHR=Hen House Reserve. Sorry, I am a slow learner.Case in point, I bought Kalmbach's Henhouse Reserve about 6 months ago for no particular reason other than people bragging about how their chickens did on that. Mine picked through it even though it was in a raised feeder. I wouldn't put up with it. Now, they are back on layer crumbles and I ferment the HHR, of which they eat completely.
Black Soldier Fly Larva
No you're not. We old farts start using acronyms or short versions of things without thinking others don't know what we're talking about. Someone brought this up to me recently about saying cocci for instance when referencing coccidiosis as they actually can be two different things.
This is what I'm thinking of doing. We'd been fermenting Scratch & Peck, but the price is insane and it's too different from typical crumble. I'm worried it's giving them digestive issues.Now, they are back on layer crumbles and I ferment the HHR, of which they eat completely.
