- Nutritious feed – do your research
If you are keeping hens for eggs, then investing in the best quality feed is really important. With laying hens, a layer pellet or mash should be fed from up to four weeks before the onset of laying. Make sure the balance is right between protein and fibre – which is important to keep your hens full and provide good bacteria in the gut. Also consider the size of your chickens, as smaller hens and bantams will require a short-cut pellet to aid their digestion.
Farmgate Layers Pellets and Mash are our two flagship diets within the Farmgate range, both containing all the calcium they need, so there is no additional requirement for ingredients such as oystershell or limestone grit – unless you wish to give a little occasionally to satisfy their curiosity and instinct.
We also have Farmgate Super Omega Mash, a uniquely manufactured product containing LINTEC – an extruded linseed product rich in omega 3 oil. All our diets are fully balanced and contain the same optimum levels of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D3 that are required for shell quality, bone strength, consistent yolk colouring along with ‘egg’cellent egg production and size!
There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your flock running towards you as you carry their nutritious breakfast.
- Hens are for life, not just lockdown!
Chickens do take a lot of work so make sure that you will have the time for them once life gets back on track too. They need daily feeding and water, a clean coop, protection from predators and lots of general care like all our animals.
Once you are all set up and enjoying being a new hen-keeper, you will quickly reap the rewards and fall in love with your chickens. Creating a home for your new chickens will be something you can continue to enjoy with your family and holding a freshly laid egg, still warm from its bed of straw really is nature’s perfect takeaway.