Tools of the trade

Now you have thought about which hens to get you now should be thinking about what else do I need besides a coop? The obvious things are a feeders, drinkers, and food.

Food wise:

It can be hard to determine how much a chicken will eat, and there are several factors to be considered including are they growing, are they laying, and how active are they. However, on average a fully grown chicken will eat approximation 120g of layers pellets a day. To help your chicken have a healthy and balance diet you can feed them treats including pasta, rice, lettuce, and sweetcorn, but to maximum egg production you're better of feeding your chickens treats in the evening. By doing so your chickens will fill up on the layers pellets in the morning rather than the treats which aren't as nutritious as layers pellets or mash.

Rough Estimates:

The table below if a rough guide for how long a 20kg bag of layers pellets will last, using the estimate that one fully grown chicken will consume 120g of layers pellets a day.

Grit:

You may notice that your chickens pick up small stones and rocks this is because they don't have any teeth to break down the food, and the grid acts like teeth to break up what ever they have consumed. If your chickens are roaming about in a large area they should get plenty of grit for digesting their food naturally, but if they are in a confined area you may need to provide grit.

NEVER FEED YOUR CHICKEN:

Alcohol.

Anything Mouldy.

Avocado as this contains a fatty acid called persin, which can by fatal to birds.

Chocolate.

Leaves from tomatoes, and peppers.

Tobacco.

Other Essential Items

Other than food some other essential items are: corn, and this provides your hens with a delicious treat in the afternoon; grit, to help digestion and the quality of their eggs; parasite power, this is to help any prevent any parasite problems you may get. Red mite is explained in more detail later on in this guide.