My spoiled chickens just aren't excitd about their crumble... How to change that??

[chfriedmam]

Ok, so I used to feed Scratch and Peck, sometimes moist, sometimes fermented, sometimes with yogurt-you get the picture.

I want to switch to a crumble for economic reasons, but also bc it is too much work to have to always wet/ferment so they eat all the nutrient-rich powder

I tried Purina and Nutrena feeds, they really avoided them. So now I am trying Kalmbach Flock Maker. They will eat it, but they don't run to get it like the Scratch and Peck. I feel bad. Should I feel bad? Should I feed them ONLY Flock Maker and ad lib calcium as tough love so they will just learn to eat it? Should I mix in some Scratch and Peck? I'm worried they will just eat around the crumble if I do that.

What would you do, experienced chicken keepers?

PS I have 29 chickens right now, all ages, 1 being a rooster.

 

[LizzzyJo]

It’s hard to swap, but it makes total sense in your case. You have to remove all other food for maybe even 2 weeks or so. They will begin to be happy with the crumble soon. After that you can use scratch n peck as a treat to be fed not at meal times.

 

[chfriedmam]

T

It’s hard to swap, but it makes total sense in your case. You have to remove all other food for maybe even 2 weeks or so. They will begin to be happy with the crumble soon. After that you can use scratch n peck as a treat to be fed not at meal times.

Ty, I was thinking that was the case, but I still feel bad sometimes. The kalmbach is nice tho!!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

They certainly won't starve themselves. Provide the feed and they will eat it. No treats, just feed and it will become the best thing they've ever tasted by the end of the second day.

 

[chfriedmam]

They certainly won't starve themselves. Provide the feed and they will eat it. No treats, just feed and it will become the best thing they've ever tasted by the end of the second day.

Well it might take a LITTLE longer, but I’ll do it

 

[3KillerBs]

No healthy animal will starve itself in the presence of food.

Put the crumble into the feeder and walk away, they'll eat when they're hungry.

IMO, it's a bad idea to rely on treat foods as "boredom busters" or to make feeding time into the highlight of an animal's day. Much better to provide an enriched environment with plenty of opportunities to engage in natural behaviors.

For chickens that means plenty of space, plenty of clutter in the run, the ability to forage, dustbathe, perch, scratch, etc.