I'm a newbie from Toowoomba Queensland

Eleni Martin

Hatching
5 Years
Nov 23, 2014
4
0
7
Toowoomba
I have 2 girls a bufd Wyandotte and a light Sussex. They are both the same age, nearly 4 months old. They won't eat any scraps? What can I do? Any ideas would be great. Thanks.
 
Welcome to BYC
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They may just be weary, because it's unfamiliar to them, but sometimes chickens will avoid certain food instinctively, because they know it's bad for them. Here are some safe treats you can feed them: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens
 
Thanks for your advice Sumi. I have had chickens before, but not this young, and they ate everything and looked forward to their scraps. Should I put the scraps in another container away from their crumble. I also gave them some geass clippings and they haven't even touched it. Its just weird. I have them in an old shed, and they have a small area to run around and dust in. I have to shut the doors at night as im in town and im worried about cats. The girls, Susie and Dottie are small hens.
 
I cleaned out their chook pen, gave them new hay etc. and all the scraps were strewn everywhere all dried up. I had to pick them all up as I didn't want any vermin or themto get sick from rotten food. Oh, what to do?
 


I had to show my youngsters that strange foodstuffs would not eat them. They were even scared of bread! These chicks weren't afraid of me, and once I started flicking the food around the predator instinct took over.

Give them time and they'll figure it out.






 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Yes, young birds can be leary to eat new foods. In their minds, anything new could kill them. So it takes them time to try different things. But eventually they will eat EVERYTHING that falls to the floor, so you have to watch out for that in the future!! LOL

Enjoy your new babies and welcome to our flock!
 
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Glad you joined us!

It is not unusual for chickens to not like scraps, although I think it is more common than not. Some of my chickens love certain scraps (tomatoes, grass clippings, etc.), but won't touch other foods (particularly hard or strong flavored ones). Many of my birds won't eat scraps at all.

Generally, the sooner you start introducing birds to scraps, the more likely they will be to eat them. I'd keep offering your chicks a variety of scraps. Eventually, they should get the idea and at least eat some of them. Often times, it only takes one courageous bite to change a single bird's mind, and then all the others latch on.

Good luck!
 

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