How to make layers pellets more interesting?

[DJ_Chook]

Like most, I enjoy giving my girls some treats. Too much of the good stuff makes them fat, so I try to give them treats made from layers pellets.

But just how do you make layers pellets more interesting?

I make egg shell, poultry spice & pellet balls the size of walnuts. Or one large ball for them to peck at.

Sometimes I bake them and put them in one of those bird suet ball feeders and hang it in their pen.

I've made a giant flat pizza shape pellet cake for them

Baked sweetcorn & pellet party size sausages.

How do you 'do' your pellets?

DJ Chook

[lynda66]

mine have a bowl of pellets in their house for early brekkie... and for lunch about 12 and tea about 6 they get a mash with pellets as a base ... with bread, or cat biccies, or anything left over, even shredded wheat, meal worms, cat food, bird seed/millet or whatever is to hand mixed in with boiling water ... and by making it into a mash and not giving them too much, they eat it all rather than just picking the good bits out .... cat biccies are their fave and good for the extra protein for the eggs ... i try to give them healthy treats rather than corn .... though i do chuck em a bit of bird seed now and again .... and they love millet sprays

[MaureenHall]

cooked veggie peelings, mashed potato, mashed left-over veggies (ooops did I say that??? ), chopped up tomatoes, chopped up fruit, sultanas, raisins, currants. Just chuck in whatever's around and add a bit of poultry spice, and / or limestone flour or crushed egg shells

[lynda66]

oh and manky plums mine seem to prefer em when they are soggy just before they go mouldy but definitely their fave thing after meat .... it's good to have a market near ... they also get the market offcuts of caulis etc .... and any other past it's best fruit or veggies

[Emmylou]

cooked veggie peelings, mashed potato, mashed left-over veggies (ooops did I say that??? ), chopped up tomatoes, chopped up fruit, sultanas, raisins, currants. Just chuck in whatever's around and add a bit of poultry spice, and / or limestone flour or crushed egg shells

Are you mixing all this with pellets or meal?

[MaureenHall]

Are you mixing all this with pellets or meal?

Pellets and hot water, or the water the veggies or peelings were cooked in

[sheena]

oh and manky plums mine seem to prefer em when they are soggy just before they go mouldy but definitely their fave thing after meat .... it's good to have a market near ... they also get the market offcuts of caulis etc .... and any other past it's best fruit or veggies

Oh pants! I threw about 7 away this morning thinking the girl's weren't allowed to have them!!
Glad they can now, cos growing behind the wall of their run is a plum tree. Perhaps I need to train it to come over the wall? lol

[pipscariad]

'Tis a good job hens can't read - mine would go on a walk out if they saw what tasty delicacies you made yours!! My girls (down to 2, sadly, after last weeks demise of Heather , but due to soon be 4 once we find some more ), just get plain ole layers pellets, with 'goodies' in the evening. The thought of having to make layers pellets 'interesting' makes me feel quite faint - couldn't cope with another job to do! But good on you or being so creative

[OverWyreGrower]

'Tis a good job hens can't read - mine would go on a walk out if they saw what tasty delicacies you made yours!! My girls (down to 2, sadly, after last weeks demise of Heather , but due to soon be 4 once we find some more ), just get plain ole layers pellets, with 'goodies' in the evening. The thought of having to make layers pellets 'interesting' makes me feel quite faint - couldn't cope with another job to do! But good on you or being so creative

Same here! Layer pellets for the ducks and chickens in the morning, then when I get home they have a few handfuls of corn, little bits of bread, veggie bits etc.

[Flummery]

Mine seem to find it interesting enough already - they can certainly 'neck' large amounts!

[Snadger]

I get odd eggs that are either small,cracked or soft. I keep them to one side and when I have a few I mix them with the growers pellets I feed the 'younguns' with until it has a damp crumb texture........they love it!

[frias]

A little Marmite in hot water.

[lynda66]

A little Marmite in hot water.

*reports frias to the rspca for cruelty to chooks

[frias]

Ooops, hot water to disolve, then cool down.

[Nicos]

I think it's the marmite bit Lynda's referring to???