Almost 6 weeks and suddenly eating a lot less. Is this normal?

[bawkbawkbawk]

My four girls will be 6 weeks old tomorrow.

I'm just a bit concerned because they seem to be eating a LOT less feed. Usually I have to fill the feeder up every day and it just doesn't seem to be going as fast yesterday and today.

We started acquainting them with the coop; put them in there in the morning yesterday with access to the run. We put the food on a countertop with a ladder for them to go up to get to it. They use the ladder in their run all the time, but they didn't seem interested in the one in the coop.

Their appetite seemed fine when I offered them meal worms yesterday, so I don't think they're sick. Do they just slow down in growth at this point?

 

[Chicken Ninja]

You just switched your chickens into the coop/run? Eating less food at this point is nothing to be concerned about.

Chickens love to scratch at the ground and eat just about anything they find. Because they are now allowed to do this, they will eat less of the food that you provide. Free range chickens are the same concept: they eat other things so need less chicken feed.

Sounds like you have nothing to worry about. They are just getting used to being in a new area and eating all sorts of new treats and food.

 

[Jenski]

First of all, kudos to you for paying close attention to how much your chicks eat. Attention like that is going to serve you well in the long run, as you will tend to catch problems before they start. Good job!

I agree with Ninja, it is probably nothing to worry about. However, I would pull up a chair and watch them for awhile just to be sure. When I move my chicks I sit and watch to make sure everyone visits or at least notices the food and water sources in their new place.

Otherwise, the chicks now have lots more to do and explore, so their habits will tend to change. Keep up the good work, and enjoy your chicks! Please keep us posted and let us know how things go.

 

[Chickenmaven]

You might try putting the food closer to the ground. "Up on a counter" sounds like a trek.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Yeah, it is a trek. I'm trying to train them to operate at waist height because I'm limited due to back problems/nerve damage. I can't access them at ground level so am hoping to train them to come up to where I can handle them. Is that expecting too much? Here's a picture of what we've built for them - we put them there in the am with food and water hoping they'll catch on:

Do you think this will work? Are they too young to get it? We have a five-foot ladder in their run that they roost on throughout the day and two of the four will come up to the four-ft rung to get meal worms from me, so I know they're technically capable of doing it...