Stoopid food question

[priss]

Hello, I don't suppose anyone can help? This is the food that my husband buys for them:

This is what it says on the bag:

They also get cucumber, peas and spinach. Sometimes they get grapes and brocolli and blueberries too. My husband thinks this is all they need. They have the back garden to rootle in too, but I want to make sure this will give them all they need. I give them grit and oyster shells too and they seem good and fat and happy.
I saw some duck pellets in the pet shop and bought them too butttt and this is even stoopider of me, the guy in the shop was really mean and I totally forgot to ask how to feed it to them. Does anyone recognise what they are? Do I put them in water or just in their own bowl?
Here's a picture of them:

And here's a gratuitous picture of the little people eating brocolli:

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Wow Priss! That all looks so different from anything I find in our feed stores. I guess in the UK corn is a generic term for grains? Here corn is what you must call maize. We do have a sort of duck food that floats, maybe that's what you have, did you test what it does in water? If it floats just watch to see that they eat it before it gets soggy and dissolves.
Does your garden stay green all year? With plenty of foraging plus the veggies you give them your little peeps may be doing just fine with that diet.

 

[priss]

There's a little bit of frost on the grass at the moment but it melts and is all nice and green when the sun comes up. I took this about a week ago:

I will go try and float the pellets and see what happens! Thanks for the help, hopefully they're gettin all the needed nutrients.
x

 

[BarkerChickens]

That bag is a mixed grain and corn. As stated on the bag, it is soething that can be added to the diet, but not the soul source of nutrition. The raw veggies are great! But, I suggest getting a bag of layer pellets since it is nutritionally balanced with the calcium and other important nutrients. You can give the mixed grain and corn as a treat still though.

 

[priss]

Layer pellets. I have some layers mash which I bought without much idea what to do with it!! ( I thought it was something to do with when they start laying eggs which they won't be doing until spring I don't think) Is layers mash the same as layer pellets? And does it have anything to do with laying eggs or is it just layering food?
Sorry for bein so dumb about it!

 

[geebs]

Barley isn't good for chickens. They lack the enzyme necessary to digest it. If the feed has enhanced barley then it should be fine. If will contain an ingredian listed as transgenic malt. . I would worry about the feed if it doesn't contain that as it can reduce their size and health by making their food conversion less than what it should be you will see it in thier poop... yellow mustard-like stool... Very sticky and nonhygenic. I don't know if that is what you are feeding (chickens)... I don't know the effect for other fowl.

 

[priss]

It just says barley...I think I have seen yellow in their poop at some point but it's mainly good and green from all the veg! I will keep an eye on it though!

Thanks for the info! x

 

[BarkerChickens]

Quote:
Oh, I didn't catch that they aren't laying yet. When they start laying, give them layer feed. Layer Mash and Layers Pellets are the same as far as nutrition. The difference is that mash is powdery and pellets are little compressed bits that look like, well...pellets. Pellets usually get wasted less since they can't scatter it around as much, but it really a matter of preference. If the aren't laying, I'd recommend getting starter feed or grower/maintenance feed. They come in mash, crumbles and pellets, but ultimately, they are all based on the needs for a growing bird that isn't laying. The layer feed has the extra nutrition that gets lost during the the laying process.

 

[priss]

Grower/maintenance feed. I will have a look for it next time I'm in the pet store! I wish the store had things labelled better for beginners! What kind of store has a big bucket with duck pellets written on the side and not what they are or how to feed them. Unfortunately it's the only shop that caters for ducks on the island!!

 

[Duck_feeder]

Quote:
Be careful with the spinach. Despite being high in calcium spinach is high in oxalate which prevents the absorption of calcium. This can be potentially lethal to egg laying birds if their shells don't form properly and they get egg bound. A little spinach once in a while shouldn't be a problem, but I make sure they have plenty of calcium in their diet to counteract the oxalate.

Beet greens are high in oxalate also, so they should be given in moderation also. Most foods with oxalate are perfectly safe - spinach just has a very high content compared to most other foods.