Can you overfeed hens?

[chookmike]

I was taking the evening feed up the path at 4pm and it struck me that it was rather heavy. A mash had been made of pellets, corn/wheat and some chopped tomato and rice which I found in the back of the larder (cooked with no salt)

They devoured the lot and their crops were visibly swollen.

Cats walk away from food when full, dogs will eat until they vomit (I once read) and then start eating again.

How about hens? They never seem to leave anything and as they have dry pellets in the feeders 24/7 are they capable of eating too much for their crops?

Of course they can do this at will by simply over eating pellets but they love the evening treat and it seems to be a highlight for them.

I accept that our hens are pets and not just egg layers but are we being too generous? The treat is only pellets made into a warm mash so the same as all day, the corn to digest overnight for carbohydrate slow release energy, tomato (not every day)to keep the crop pH good and the rice more carbs and bits of white to run around finding and having a bit of fun. They are living in a bog at the moment so worms and bugs are non-existent and a little bit of chasing treats must be healthy, surely?

Anyway, my question is can you over feed chickens?

Cheers

Mike

[manda]

Well put it this way I let my chooks have free access to feed but then I don't feed them treats.
You do need to be careful what you do feed them as even if they don't visibly put on much weight they can pack on the fat internally around organs....so with everyday feed I don't think you can but with treats absolutely you can.

[Mo]

Mine have been let out for a half hours grass before bedtime. I noticed that they'd found the specky apples I'd put near the hedge for the birds. They were all having a good go at them, so I thought I'd need to throw some more for the fieldfares. But when I looked there were some left and they'd gone on to something else.
So maybe in a natural setting they wander about taking a bit of this and that, but in a muddy run they must be bored. Plus we train them to know that treats come once and if they wait they'll lose out. I found that with pellets. I used to throw it for them twice a day and they'd rush and eat them all - then if I used the hopper (e.g. when daughter was looking after them for a few days) they would still gobble because they thought they had to. But now I always use the hopper and I don't think they eat to excess. But they do pounce on any scraps I bring - not much because we don't waste food, and they only get our crumbs.

[lancashire lass]

Because it has been dark in an evening when I've got home from work, I've not really had chance to give the girls any treats. Last week I was just getting home about 10 minutes before they went to roost and of course they were all at the gate begging for treats even though their crops were already very full - so I'm inclined to agree with Mo that as the treats are not part of the normal feed, they will gobble them up as they appear.

[Skeksis]

Hi I dont think it is a problem although personally would knock the rice on the head and also I would pre soak the wheat or corn. Reason being they are stuffed to bursting and when the wheat and corn absorbs moisture in the crop it will swell quite a lot and I think this could be a bad thing. If the crop gets too swollen like any muscle it can lose muscle tone and not work as well. Just my opinion. Hth

[Chicken drumstick]

mine will do the same with treats mixed with mash and scoff all whats given , since friday i,ve stopped all treats as i,ve had the flu and the no treats have meant the pellets have gone down faster each day .

[kitla]

Our first hen, Rolypoly the Orpington, had surgery to repair a large hernia. It was
a difficult operation & the vet was unsure if he would be able to securely "close" her
up again. He managed it - but only after giving her liposuction because she was far too
fat! I was given a firm telling off for feeding her too many treats. They only had mealworms and corn but as they were our first hens we all wanted to feed them
After that we had to take turns so they only got one lot a day.
So the answer is definitely Yes, you can overfeed them with mealworms and corn etc!
but I don't think you can with pellets.

[chookmike]

Thanks all. As I said, the majority of their 'treat' is just mash and warm water and the rest just a few bits of colour which they go for. I do hear the logic of soaking the grain so that it expands before they eat it rather than in the crop - how many of us do that? Pellets expand too. Moderation, as always with diet, will be the answer - for us as well as them. Our lot are a bit light to my mind with quite sharply felt breastbones but they are layers of course so not like a table bird. They are all healthy and happy - even Bumble looks well and is the heaviest actually. Her bumble has shrunk again but her comb is pale and flaky - any ideas on that one? She is a darling and follows us like a puppy with her little peeps as she lost her clucks and bok-boks when her problem started.

Cheers

[manda]

You could give her a check over for mites...sometimes they can cause a flakey comb.

[Skeksis]

Hi Mike thanks.

The logic behind soaking grains and not pellets is that pellets are IMO not something hens will gorge on, unlike treats which they will. Hence I soak the grains and sometimes feed sprouted grains too, which are much better nutritionally.

As Manda said, check for mites, but it may just be the weather, I rub Olive Oil on my hens' combs in this weather as unlike vaseline or paraffin based substances, it still lets the skin breathe whilst moisturising at the same time. It keeps them lovely and soft and supple.

[chookmike]

Thanks again - what sort of mites, how big, what colour etc - how do we identify them and what is the treatment - surely ivermectin wouldn't work?

She does have a huge comb by the way - a big floppy hat like beret!

She is fine again at the moment - happy even, and the mud has gone away to a good extent.

Skeksis: may I ask why you say no to feeding cooked rice - it is just a grass like wheat, barley, oats etc although refined I admit. They eat pellets all day and just love something a little more varied before bedtime and we have had no crop problems.

Cheers

[Skeksis]

brown rice would be OK but white rice is just so refined and fairly low in nutritional value (I personally avoid white rice and only eat brown). It won't hurt the hens, it's just something I would not consider feeding. x

[Funky chicken]

I have been recomended not to feed my chickens rice because it is a good source for bacteria to thrive if stored in the warmth. The breeder who I buy my chickens from is horrified I give mine leftovers and always lectures me but I ignore him (although I don't give them rice).

[lancashire lass]

I have been recomended not to feed my chickens rice because it is a good source for bacteria to thrive if stored in the warmth

true, rice is a carbohydrate and in warm/humid conditions will encourage moulds and some bacteria to a degree but then that could be said for any food so I wouldn't have singled rice out as an exception.

as for leftovers ... DEFRA is watching

brown rice would be OK but white rice is just so refined and fairly low in nutritional value (I personally avoid white rice and only eat brown). It won't hurt the hens, it's just something I would not consider feeding. x

That is a bit of a misconception - cooked white rice is not totally deficient in nutrients and although there is some loss it is marginal, but there are also some gains (folates) from not having to digest the dietary fibre.

[HappyBob]

I feed layer pellets adlib and very seldom give treats, although I have recently been feeding a small amount of mixed corn late afternoon to help keep them warm at night.