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Several of my chickens suffered from what appeared to be compacted crops – that is to say their crops were always full but the birds got very weak and died . It was only when I did the post mortems that I found that they were nothing but skin and bones . The food in their crops was packed solid but there was very little in gizzard or stomach . I had been feeding them what I thought was all the right stuff , and plenty of it ( oats , barley , maize , whole wheat – and they helped themselves from the pig and sheep troughs ) . I thought I had killed them by overfeeding but a mate recently suggested that the problem was that the oats and barley were the rolled type , with insufficient roughage to pass thru their system . Any thoughts ?

phil · Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:50 pm Post subject:

I feed my birds three rolled barley to one soya,which is roughly eighteen percent protien,mixed with a little vegitable oil,i've had no problems with impacted crops.
just a thought did they have plenty of water.

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

I have stopped feeding my chooks on barley. Apparently they do not digest it very well due to lacking a certain enzime in their gut. I dont know where this info came from but I have replaced the barley with rolled oats. Hope this helps.
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keithrawlins · Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 152 Location: banbridge

they need planty of grit to help keep there crops clear

roiphil · Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 118 Location: Co. Limerick

I read in a book that long grass can block up the crop if the bird eats any (enough) the crop then looks full but the birds are not getting any feed
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roiphil · Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 118 Location: Co. Limerick

Camile · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:34 pm Post subject:

Hello,

I've been feeding my chickens with barley, wheat and oats for the last 3 years without any problems at all. I had some soya in the winter for extra protein ..

I used to feed them rolled but now feed them whole because it still has all the goodness in them .. but I can only find the whole one for the last few months .. and still never had such a problem before.

and your hens are free ranging so should find the grit themselves ...

I have heard that feeding too much barley at once can cause some sort of watery belly but don't know if that's true.

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

My egg layers are Ross hybrids and they get free range layers pellets add lib, fed from a hopper. In the morning I throw flaked maize and rolled oats in their run to give them something to rootle at. If the hopper is empty and I am not quick enough to replenish it. The quantity of eggs dropes drematicaly. I want to mix my own feed this year to get away from this all this GM stuff Confused

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Guest · Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:57 pm Post subject:

I feed mine. oats and flaked maize with some minerals added.

around their water and into some of the holes that appear anywhere there is hens I put a type of stone which around here is called 1 inch down ie limestone of one inch and down to dust. this gives them calcium for their shells grit for there food and gets rid of some of the holes.

patmk · Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 9:00 pm Post subject:

that was me above just in case somebody wants to give out to me

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