Help

[lorraine]

Hi, can anyone help? I have a long list i'm afraid - here goes, I have just got 2 hens and a thingyeral no idea what kind though, they are approx 5 weeks old and the guy I got them from said to feed them budgie seed and this other stuff which I have forgotten the name, is this it? Looks a bit like bran. Dont they need anything else? I've never kept chickens before so any advice would be great, he also said they would be about 12 months old before my boy starts to wake the street up and before the girls start to lay. Can I give them any scraps at this age? ie veg cuttings? and lastly for now do they get bored? Ive been looking for days on the internet but not getting anywhere.
Thanks Lorraine

[johnnyc2]

Hi Lorraine,
I am no expert but that dont sound good to me to be feeding budgie food,my wife recently hatched some eggs for a school project and fed them on chick mash until they were about six weeks old until they were sent to their new homes,we took two of them and i have fed them on layers mash since i got them and they seem to love it.
i dont see a problem with feeding scraps mine are now about twelve weeks old and are living happily with my other hens eating everything they do.
hens will generally start laying at between 18-24 weeks old depending on breed
we have a -c o c k e r e l- ;D and have been told that he will get his voice at around six months old.
i dont think they will get bored just let them do their own thing wondering around the garden.
hope this helps,
John.

[dee]

hi. ive had my chickens now for 7months. i fed them on chick mash to start with, then its come in pellet form, then they need to be put on layers pellets. i also give mine mixed corn, veg etc - they love cucumber!! they will also need to be given the correct grit once they are old enough, this helps digestion. my thingyeral started crowing at 6months old, i bought him as a hen, and was shocked when we found out he was a thingyeral, we had to rehome him due to living in a built up area. my hen started laying at 5months old