Picky eaters or feed problem?

[nolotus]

I never thought that chickens could be picky eaters. I've been blaming my feeder [it's one of those metal boxes with two holes near the bottom for them to put their heads in - I checked and they can get their heads in just fine] but maybe they just got spoiled when I fed them sunflower seeds and then watermelon and frozen corn during our triple digit weather. They just are not eating much--of the feed, the grit or the oyster shell. If I throw a little bread, some salad greens or a handful of rice, it's a feeding frenzy so I thought "OMG, I'm starving my chickens!"

But when I throw out scratch or their feed, they pretty much ignore me. It eventually is gone but it could be the quail that fly into the chicken yard.
If they see some spilled birdseed from the feeders they are pretty interested. I've got 3 bags of organic feed they need to eat!

Will they eat it if they get hungry enough and I stop with the treats?
The feed smells fine to me but I wondered if the triple digit heat and it being stored outside could have made it "go bad" somehow.
They do not appear to be molting and are still laying.
Have I created pullet princesses?

 

[Folly's place]

Too many goodies are never good, so make a change there. How old is that feed, and what is it? Pictures of that feeder would be good too.
Mary

 

[nolotus]

Too many goodies are never good, so make a change there. How old is that feed, and what is it? Pictures of that feeder would be good too.
Mary

Thanks, Mary. Here's a picture of the feeder. It's a RentACoop feeder. I checked to see that they can easily eat out of it. The feed is Scratch & Peck Organic Poultry Layer. It's probably 6 or 7 months old. We used to let them out of the chicken yard in the late afternoon to hunt grasshoppers. I actually try to watch the "fun" stuff I give them. But I'll be even more vigilant.

 

[Folly's place]

That feed is actually pretty old, at least I think so.
We've never used a feeder like this; are the birds uncomfortable having to stick their heads in there? Then they can't see what's happening around them. Sounds scary to me!
Mary

 

[kerbotx]

That feed is pretty old, could be why they don't seem as interested in it. Have you tried giving it to them as a wet mash? You'd have to use a different feeder, of course, but it might be one way to get through it.

 

[nolotus]

Thanks, Kerbotx! I'm not familiar with wet mash. But I'm certainly willing to give that a try. Could you tell me how to go about making that? I was already considering changing to some other feeder anyhow.

 

[nolotus]

That feed is pretty old, could be why they don't seem as interested in it. Have you tried giving it to them as a wet mash? You'd have to use a different feeder, of course, but it might be one way to get through it.

That feed is actually pretty old, at least I think so.
We've never used a feeder like this; are the birds uncomfortable having to stick their heads in there? Then they can't see what's happening around them. Sounds scary to me!
Mary

Maybe that's part of the problem. I originally got that feeder to try and keep them from kicking bedding into the food. I was getting frustrated when I had to keep cleaning bedding out of the food. I expect there are better alternatives to keeping the food dish cleaner. It sounded like a good idea at the time

 

[WIchickMama]

The way I make wet mash is put some feed in a bowl-type container and add water til just covered. It will expand and then I add more water if needed into a thick hot cereal consistency. Sometimes I heat it up and sometimes I leave it cold.

Sounds old on the feed to me. I go thru a bag of feed in about 6 weeks for 8 chickens so I wouldn't ever have good that old.

 

[nolotus]

The way I make wet mash is put some feed in a bowl-type container and add water til just covered. It will expand and then I add more water if needed into a thick hot cereal consistency l. Sometimes I heat it up and sometimes I leave it cold.

Sounds old on the feed to me. I go thru a bag of feed in about 6 weeks for 8 chickens so I wouldn't ever have good that old.

Thank you! Looks like my days just got a little bit busier...

 

[kerbotx]

Same recipe here, feed + water, either a 1:2 ratio or 1:3, let it soak for a few minutes, or mix it up the night before. If too dry, add a little more water; if too soupy, add a little more feed, or just strain it. A lot of folks like to ferment their feed, especially with Scratch & Peck, but that takes 3 days for optimal ferment (max probiotics). Chickens can be picky boogers I serve the wet mash in those chick feeder troughs, with the tops removed - easy to clean.