a_l_p wrote:

I like to do _some_ scatter feeding because it's like "real life" for
the chooks, having to really look for their food.

We do it with evening wheat
But then ours are mostly fully free ranging anyway -- so they are doing
their own "real life" <grin

I also like to give them scraps and garden weeds,

Our ducks get teh weeds from our plant nursery and garden
Working on the premise that some might take hold so defends against the
ducks activity in the pens and the fact that they are better at eating the
slugs etc !!

--

regards
Jill Bowis

Pure bred utility chickens and ducks
Housing; Equipment, Books, Videos, Gifts
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine nursery
Working Holidays in Scotland
http://www.kintaline.co.uk

I've got a couple of white leghorns that are about three years old
now. They have been fantastic layers (from the little I know) usually
giving me an egg each for 13 out of 14 days, or thereabouts. They
have oyster shell separately and I put a sprinkling of cooked
eggshell in their layers pellets. Since one of them moulted this
year she has laid shell-less eggs which of course have promptly been
eaten by the other birds. I'm assuming that she has worked so hard
some of her 'bits' are getting a bit worn out (I sympathise!!!). Do
you think this is right.

They are free range so get lots of other
natural 'treats' from the garden too. The second white leghorn has
only just moulted so I am waiting to see what she produces when she
starts laying again. The other two birds are white sussex and have
produced beautiful deep yellow yolked eggs with good quality brown
shells but now they are about 5 years old they only manage and egg or
two a fortnight, if I'm lucky, but they are worth waiting for.