antuk99 Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 Not sure if this is the right place to put this but here goes:- I keep roughly about 90 hens i started small but you know how it goes parents wanted eggs then friends then i discovered poultry auctions then i got some ex-batts (ex battery hens) & if you saw the state of them you would'nt touch a egg from a supermarket firstly they could'nt stand ,no feathers claws were about 2" long there combs on their heads were transluscant they looked like living dead well to cut a long story short i've been gettin food from the local stores & they are costin m about £20+ a week now there must be a better way of gettin bulk so do any of you guys any ideas to throw into the pot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Sick Old Man Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 I always use these folk for feed as its top stuff, not the cheapest but very good quality http://www.marriagefeeds.co.uk/poultry_feeds.htm A very good and very cheap way to feed them up as a supliment to good quality feed is veg Have a chat to your green grocer and ask if you can have all the brassica off cuts, cabbage, kale, broccoli, even gone off salad bits they will hoover the lot up, the fowls love it, I tie it up in bunches and hang it in there run. Any spare meat you have will do, I run a rabbit through the mincer and they will clean it up in no time. They will eat any natrual product, no packaged food though, salt is not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 i've got about 20 hens and a couple of cocks, the way i keep costs down is to run a cock with about 3 hens in their own run collect the eggs, incubate them, bring them on from chicks and eat them when they are big enough. I also swap the oven ready birds for veg and other meat from other small holders. This means i don't have to buy meat or veg very often and that saves a fortune. The cock is a Silver Grey Dorking a really good eating bird, cross them with just about anything and you will have the best roast chicken ever. I buy my feed from Cornwall Farmers a farm supply shop down here and pay about £5.50 or £6.00 for mixed corn a 25kg sack, but i do buy in bulk with my pig food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 Buy wheat from your local farmer and get cut maize in bulk from your local feed supplier. Mix the maize in 25% and the hens will be happy as larry! Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 I pay £6.95 for 20kgs Dodson & Horrell layers mash at local animal feed place and mine go nuts for it.Theres less wastage though when feeding pellets so this might be an option if you're not already. Something else to consider is to contact a commercial battery hen owner and see if they will sell you some.They have mash delivered by the pallet load and would imagine they pay peanuts for it.I would say though that given we have had a terrible wet summer-poultry feed prices will rise shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antuk99 Posted September 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2008 Cheers lads some good advice there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browning Posted September 19, 2008 Report Share Posted September 19, 2008 Buy wheat from your local farmer and get cut maize in bulk from your local feed supplier. Mix the maize in 25% and the hens will be happy as larry! Mark. Spot on Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russuk Posted September 19, 2008 Report Share Posted September 19, 2008 We get ours, along with our pig and turkey feed from either Cornwall Farmers or Mole Valley. They seem happy enough on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickshot Posted September 21, 2008 Report Share Posted September 21, 2008 Buy wheat from your local farmer and get cut maize in bulk from your local feed supplier. Mix the maize in 25% and the hens will be happy as larry! Mark. Careful Not To Feed Maize In "Summer" As It Will Put Fat On The Birds And When They Are In The Sun Leads To Them Over Heating And Eventually Dying. I pay £6.95 for 20kgs Dodson & Horrell layers mash at local animal feed place and mine go nuts for it.Theres less wastage though when feeding pellets so this might be an option if you're not already. Something else to consider is to contact a commercial battery hen owner and see if they will sell you some.They have mash delivered by the pallet load and would imagine they pay peanuts for it.I would say though that given we have had a terrible wet summer-poultry feed prices will rise shortly. Dodson And Horrell Is A Very Expensive Feed, Especially If You Want To Feed Alot Of Birds. After The Wet Summer, Animal Feed Prices Will Go Down As There Will Be More Wheat Of A Lower Quality Going To Waste, Which Will Go Straight Into Animal And Poultry Feed! QS I Buy Mine Direct From A Local Farmer, I Give Him Bags And Bins, And He Fills Them Up And Tells Me When They Are Ready To Collect. It Means I Get It Alot Cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 My Grandad used to get us to find sprigs of "fat hen", a hedge herb, and always said it helped keep the hens in "canny fettle" Picture here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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