Hen house corner

leonie_2

I've had a poorly hen last night and this morning :-( It seems she may have had something stuck in her throat that was fermenting (advice from the clever people on practical poultry) I had to give her warm olive oil and massage her throat whilst holding her upside down, she wasnt impressed i can tell you, and although nothing came up, I think it went down because she has perked up no end now and seems happy enough bless her.

Buuuuuut why im mentioning it is to say mine are such fussy eaters! I've read about hens going mad for bio yoghurt and pellets and I was advised to give my poorly one this, well I gave it to them all and they hated it! They took one little bit each and then spent five minutes wiping their beaks on the grass! They walked off and never went near it again!

They love sweetcorn but everything else ive given them as a treat has been chucked down and left. I've tried, cucumber, carrot, strawberries, cereals, crisps etc and they hate everything. I must have the fussiest eaters in the world!

SarahSaver how have yours been? Is it just me?

So what other guarenteed delights can I try??

lildxta

The browny hens are probably welsummers.

I have had hens and cocks for a few years now and i wouldnt advise black rocks or welsummers for a first time, due to some of them being a little flighty and although they do lay a lovley dark brown egg, they arnt the best of layers!!!

As for £15.00, thats a bit dear!!! (although i did sell one at market 2 years ago with 5 chicks and she made £50) ;.)

Erm... ya best bet is probably getting some hens from a local market or from a local farmer who has a few free range hans(not a breeder, because they often are dearer and often there hens can have diseases)

Magentasue

lildxta wrote:

The browny hens are probably welsummers.

I have had hens and cocks for a few years now and i wouldnt advise black rocks or welsummers for a first time, due to some of them being a little flighty

We're new to hen keeping and our Black Rocks have been fine, friendly and quite docile.

leonie wrote:

They love sweetcorn but everything else ive given them as a treat has been chucked down and left. I've tried, cucumber, carrot, strawberries, cereals, crisps etc and they hate everything. I must have the fussiest eaters in the world!

Yes, you must! Ours eat most things, favourites are:

Potato peelings cooked up with oats
apple cores
slugs
bits of cheese (not too much, too salty for them)
breadcrumbs
cooked pasta (leftovers)
cooked rice (ditto)
carrot peelings
nuts (hazelnuts left over from Christmas)
Cabbage leaves
lettuce trimmings
sweetcorn husks
melon and kiwi fruit peel - they don't eat it but they strip it clean, same for the sweetcorn.

Jay-Jay_4

leonie wrote:

They love sweetcorn but everything else ive given them as a treat has been chucked down and left. I've tried, cucumber, carrot, strawberries, cereals, crisps etc and they hate everything. I must have the fussiest eaters in the world!

SarahSaver how have yours been? Is it just me?

So what other guarenteed delights can I try??

:rotfl: you should make them sit at the table until they clear their plates

Have you tried peaches and tomatoes?

leonie_2

Right then from that list, tomatoes, they hated them, pushed them about with their nose and when the pips fell out, they walked off!

Cabbage leaves, took them out of my hand and threw them on the floor! honestly!

Apples and breadcrumbs, they just played with them for a bit before getting bored.

Rice, no they werent impressed, they had about two grains each and went off whinging at me!

All these things were scattered on the path and I had to go pick them all up, bloody fussy birds!

They do like tea and orange juice though, they are straight in our cups if we leave them. They love flies and ants and run a mile to catch daddy long legs!

Tomorrow we are having a sunday roast so I shall cook up all the peelings and add some oats, lets see what they think to that.

Jay-Jay_4

Have you tried spag bol? Mums hens went wild for that....must be because it looks like worms

Edit: Oh and melon....half a melon with the pips still in, or just the pips if you want the melon yourself .

Sarahsaver

mine loved these
cooked potato peelings
mashed potato
porridge
baby sweetcorn
cauliflower leaves
rice and beans
lettuce
I dont give mine anything with meat in - im not a veggie its just not normal for them to eat meat unless its a bug, slug or worm;)
They are fussy Leonie, just a process of trial and error til you get them sussed. My hens like to nibble my toes!

moggins

I wouldn't worry too much Leonie, I had a duck who would only eat tomatoes. He was always perfectly healthy though.

foreverskint

One question re chicken housing. We're thinking about having a couple of hens to stay, but so far al the housing seems to be really expensive. We're not too handy, so had anyone got any advice on cheaper alternatives, I don't want to spend too much at first.

Jay-Jay_4

Get a second hand shed and nail/screw in a couple of perches (2x2 bits of wood across the shed about a foot from the floor). Bed down with straw and place a couple of those shallow, wooden fruit crates at the back with straw in.