Picky chicks won't eat unless it's treats now--what 2 do?

[4myHennyPenny]

My gals (now 9 1/2 weeks) have been getting treats of tomatoes, greens, eggs, etc. and they were still gobbling up their feed without a problem.

A couple of days ago, I gave them more veg than usual. The following day, they didn't touch their feed. I cleaned the shavings off of it, put some fresh feed on top. Still nothing. Yet, they acted like they were starving that evening when I dropped in a bean. (Worried that I'd "over-treated" them the day before, I didn't give them loads that day.) Today, they've eaten a little more of the feed, but it's usually been emptied at least once by now.

Is this anything to worry about? Should I restrict the amount of fresh veg I'm giving them to curb this? Or, just take advantage of all the fresh veg they want to eat right now and not worry about it if they go on eating strike in between. After all, at some point they will break down and eat the other feed if they're really hungry, right?

 

[wegotchickens]

I made mine eat feed, too, on the theory that veggies couldn't replace everything that was in the crumbles. Have you tried sprinkling crumbles on moist veggies, like tomatoes? Mine enjoy that a lot!

 

[buckbeak]

Do your chickens like wet food? When I take out fresh food and water every morning, there is ususally a little food left over from the day before. I ususally wet this with fresh water & spread it around in several little pile around the run. The chickens eat it right away. Then I leave dry for them for the rest of the day in addition to scraps. Could you try wetting it? Only do a little at a time, though, if it molds, that would be bad for the chickens.

 

[EboyDog]

It's so easy to spoil them but, if they don't eat the regular feed, you must remain firm; they will eat when they are hungrey enough. my teenager kid's will down the soda and treats when there's some around and ignore the good food, they aren't near anything similer to starving but they know as long as treats are around, they feel they don't need to eat the really good stuff!

Treats are good in moderation, just as with kids, too much only spoils them. Hold off on the treats and they will go back to the regular feed, I have spoiled mine the same way esp with my turkeys but they eat SO much however my guys got the point when they free range, they would just lay around with no desire to chase bugs and forage.

I have all but cut down on treats, by girls go nuts over apples and watermelon, I still give treats but I purposely give more to my laying hens and a crippled turkey who I'm nursing back to health (she can hardly walk and if not given special attention, she only get's the left overs including the feed crumbles).

Slow down on treats, enforce good behavior with treat rewards to those who deserve it, I have a roo that was picking on the turkeys and I have all most stopped such by purposly giving treats to the turkeys and letting him go without, after a couple of weeks, his behavior is MUCH better!

 

[nccatnip]

I only give treats in moderation once a day, in the afternoon. Do you free range? On the days my kids are out all day, they only eat a handful of crumbles. Funny thing is, sometimes when they are freeranging and come begging for treats, I will throw a handfull of crumbles out and they think they hit the motherlode.

 

[dlhunicorn]

my chicks get no treats until they are almost laying age (except for free choice live culture yogurt and the weeee bit of cooked oatmeal and wheatgermoil I mix in with their feed to make it clump together)...I do let them out to free range once they are around four weeks old...if it is hot they get a watermelon "bowl" filled with their feed (makes it moist and then I do not add the oatmeal when I do this)
My adult birds only get treats in the evening once I know they have eaten their feed and then only a wee bit.... (just call me meany)

 

[4myHennyPenny]

Great ideas. Sounds like the key may be to only give the treats once per day, perhaps in the evenings. No, my gals don't go for wet food, so that's out. But since I was gone for longer than usual today, my gals were more than happy to gobble up their feed again. I'll try starting from scratch again tomorrow: reg feed in a.m. plus treats in eve, but no extra treating from now on! Guess I was just getting carried away with the goodies from the garden.