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Mindy1
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Location: Caringbah South
Registered: May 2010
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Chooks - Fussy Eaters/ Featherless Chests Posted 616 days ago My two Isa Browns were bald on the front of their necks when I rescued them from their previous owner. I thought it was from being locked in a small cage and reaching through the wire but as I have them free ranging in my garden this cannot be the case. While they have grown new feathers and are in better condition they still have bear patches down their necks/chests which are sometimes quite red. I have not seen them pecking either themselves or each other. Is this normal?
The other problem I have is with their food. Initially I bought a 20kilo bag of 'scratch mix' with which I filled the small hopper I had bought for them. They would empty it very quickly and the floor of their coop would be covered with the seed they did not want and this in turn attracted pigeons and other birds as I leave the coop open during the day. Next I filled the hopper with layer pellets and just scattered the 'scratch mix' on the ground - which they ate in no time flat! I was never sure just who ate the pellets. So while buying supplies at PetBarn another customer told me not to put the seed on the ground as they would be eating too much dirt, so I just put the daily supply in the hopper with some layer pellets. I have just bought a 25 kilo bay of layer pellets, a different brand and my girls will not even look at them. I've tried mixing them with some water and they were not very impressed. What is the correct diet and quantity? For the past month they only lay every second day - I assume this is due to the colder weather. Any suggestions?
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tracy73
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RE: Chooks - Fussy Eaters/ Featherless Chests Posted 612 days ago hi there, usually at this time of year the chooks will go off there lay for a while while there loosing their feathers.
im currently looking after 7 chooks and when they slowed down a friend suggested that i put a little cayne pepper in ther food 2 speed up there matabilisim -i use 1/2 a tsp in there feed of which 1/2 i scatter on the ground-strangly they realy like it. My egg count is averaging 4 a day from 5 hens.
Dont know about the missing feathers, maybe there like us in the way that if we damage the hair folical enough the hair wont grow back. Have you also checked them for mites?
Laying chook mix's have every thing in them that your girls need, unlike most other animals chooks wont over eat they just eat what they need. With them roaming in your garden thell be getting nice and healthy again.
Not too sure about the too much dirt comment, chickens need some kind of grit in there diets to help them digest there food its the equivalent of teeth breaking down the food but in there gut. Also alot of ther natral food is eather in or on the ground.
Just a thought about your garden. Rubarb and mint are toxic to chickens andd they wull eat it. unfortunatly i had a helpful friend feed my chooks while i was away, and because ive depleated most of my veg garden she thought she would give them a treat of lots of rubarb leaves... 24 hours later i beried one young hen and had freekishly soft shells (the membrain was all that was holding them together) for the next week from the others.
I hope this helps
Good on ya for giving your hens a better life!!!!! |
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Mindy1
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RE: Chooks - Fussy Eaters/ Featherless Chests Posted 604 days ago Thanks Tracy73,
I spoke to the 'chook' girl at my local Petcare 2000 about the missing feathers and bald necks. She told me the hens must be pecking each other and to worry if there is blood or pulled feathers as I would have a 'feather puller' which I should get rid of. I have heard Don mention that Isa Browns can be canibilistic and it looks like this is the case with mine. |
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