A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (26 page)

Flint Hen Grit

Crushed Oyster Shell

Mixed Hen Grit

Free-range chickens pick up stones from the soil, but if chickens are confined or have limited free-range, they will need a container of grit in their run. Keep this topped up so they can help themselves. You’ll find flint grit (often called ‘insoluble grit’) at the feed suppliers.

Some feeds may contain grit but it’s unlikely to be enough for domestic chickens, especially if they are fed grain.

Soluble grit usually consists of oyster shell and is a dietary supplement, adding extra calcium for strong eggshells. Feeds usually contain sufficient calcium, but if you provide a hopper of soluble grit, the hens will take what they need.

Alternatively you can buy a mixture of the two types of grit, which should cater for all eventualities.

Providing Green Food and Grass

Chickens love to eat grass and eating green foods makes their egg-yolks naturally golden. Short grass is better than long as it is more nutritious and long stems can cause digestive problems.

If access to grass is impossible, you should hang up some greens in the run. Hanging up vegetables prevents them from being trampled and provides entertainment for the chickens too. Try to vary what you feed – broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, sprouts, swede and sweetcorn will all be enjoyed (lettuce sometimes causes digestive upsets and an excess of cabbage may result in diarrhoea).

You could also pick wild plants such as dandelions and chickweed. Even young nettles will be appreciated, especially if they have some insects clinging to the stalks. Make sure any plants you gather haven’t been polluted by cars, pesticides or dogs.

Don’t leave leftover greens to fester – clear them up each evening.

Some people grow trays of grass for their chickens – if you cover the trays with mesh the chickens can’t scratch out the compost, and you can re-use it for the next sowing.

Chickens love to eat grass

Feeding Grain

If you scatter some grain in the afternoon, the chickens will have a great time foraging for it and the warmth it generates will keep them cosy at night. Feed about one handful per hen.

Chickens prefer grain to their layers’ feed so keep it for an afternoon treat. Whole wheat is ideal as a regular feed but mixed corn is the chickens’ favourite, especially the maize it contains. This makes it a useful aid to taming and it’s a warming feed for a winter’s night – but in hot weather its ‘heating’ qualities may lead to aggression amongst the flock. Some of the grains in mixed corn may be too large for tiny bantams to manage easily.

Cleaned Feed Wheat

Feed grain as an afternoon treat

Adding Supplements

Supplements can provide a useful boost when chickens are challenged by stress or sickness. Chickens living in a pen may need some extra support too.

There are a variety of supplements available, but apple cider vinegar (ACV) is widely used. Research has shown that it has many benefits, including bolstering the immune and digestive systems. It also helps chickens cope with stress (which can weaken their immune systems), and it contains several vitamins and minerals.

Make sure you buy unpasteurized ACV from a feed store or health shop – the type sold for cooking is pasteurized, which kills the friendly bacteria.