Chicken Food

Love to have animals around? Perhaps you're being plagued by them? All your tips here...

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Arnie
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Hi Everyone :D

Can anyone tell me why my hens don't like barley :shock: I feed them a mixture of layer's pellets, mixed corn, and barley. they always leave the barley :?

Any thoughts :oops:

Regards

Arnie :wink:
I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
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Hens are no different to us, and have preferences, mine love lettuce, greens especially with any wildlife still on them, corn on the cob, squishy tomatoes, strawberries, melon and cucumber - seeds first then the flesh!
Sit down before a fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconcieved notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.
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alan refail
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Hi Arnie

I feed my hens on 1 part mixed corn to 4 parts layers pellets twice a day. The corn contains mostly whole wheat with smaller proportions of cracked maize and sunflower seeds. The hens eat, in order of preference, sunflower seeds, maize, wheat, pellets. Anything left is only pellets, which the ducks finish off at bedtime. I have no experience of feeding barley. All I can say is: if yours won't eat barley, don't feed barley.
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
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Arnie
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Hi Everyone,

Isn't this typical I have fussy bloody hens :evil: :lol: Now what to do with 2 large bags of barley.

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Arnie :wink:
I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
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1 make malt.
2 brew beer.
3 enjoy. :D
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Arnie
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Hi Peter,

Like that :lol: :lol: waste not want not :D looks like a vist to google :lol:

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Arnie :wink:
I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
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John
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You could try not giving them a choice. Give them their usual feed in the morning but try just the barley as a scratch feed in the evening. If they really don't like it there is no way of persuading them to eat it.

John
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alan refail
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Arnie

Just out of interest, why did you feed barley as well as mixed corn and pellets?
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
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Arnie
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Hi Alan

Just to bulk out there feed :) I did a favour for a friend (as you do) and a couple of weeks later he turned up with 2 bags of barley and not wanting to appear rude I accepted them. I have mate who's son's a gamekeeper so it will not go to waste, as he rears a small number of pheasant :lol:

Regards

Arnie :wink:
I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
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Johnboy
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Hi Arnie,
Barley is generally rolled like Oats before being offered to any livestock.
I very much doubt that you have the facility to roll some but try putting some in something like a coffee grinder and give it just a couple of short presses on the button to break the surface and see if they will take to it then.
JB.
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Arnie
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Hi Johnboy :)

Nice one, I will give that a try and get back to you :lol:

Regards

Arnie :wink:
I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
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