confused

[mommarx]

i was given 4 chickens back in early april. i have no idea how old they are exactly, i'm figuring about 16 weeks. they are road island reds ( i think). i have been reading posts about how folks are giving their chickens veggies and other stuff for a treat. i have given mine lettuce, green beans, cucumbers ( fresh out of my garden), also cracked corn and sunflower seeds. they are not interested it seems in any of it. i do however have a bale of hay in their enclosure that i turn over every few days and they have a party eating the bugs that gather under it. do some chickens only like insects? if so what can i give them besides mealy worms which seem a bit on the costly side ( $40.00 per 1000). also should i be changing them over to layena at this point? also even though i have 3 different perches for them in the enclosure they always go into the "egg house" ( i don't know the technical term for it lol) to sleep at night. i thought i read somewhere that they shouldn't sleep where they are going to lay. i am excited about starting this adventure but i am worried i am not doing things correctly. any answers would be greatly appreciated.

 

[HEChicken]

Chicks raised by broody hens have her to teach them what is good to eat and what isn't and at a few days old will try anything she tells them is good. Chicks raised in brooders (by people) don't have the benefit of knowing what is good and bad and are unwilling to experiment. Keep offering them kitchen scraps. At some point one of the braver ones will try something and as soon as one does, the others will be willing to as well. Before you know it, they'll be running to see what you have for them every time you appear.

Sixteen weeks is about the age I usually switch over to layer pellets. There isn't a hard and fast rule - I just wait until the bag of feed runs out, then the next time I get layer pellets. If they are 15 weeks they start early. If 18 weeks, they start late.

Its funny how they like to sleep in the nest boxes, isn't it? If I were you, I would block them off at night, to encourage them to sleep on the roosts. Then, open them up again during the day so they can explore them in preparation for laying.

 

[mommarx]

thank you sooooooo much for the info, i will take all of your advise