Are they refusing the pellet? or do they really eat that little?

[weeders n feeders]

I've switched mine to pellets also but I did it while I still had crumbles left. I feed them in an old iron trough raised above the ground. I have never seen any wasted food on the ground. So waste wasn't an issue. I fill half the trough with crumbles and half with pellets. Pellets are always gone first. But I have noticed they seem to be eating a little less by voume. They free range in the garden and yard all day and The only change in free range habitat is some decrease in the garden area as I have taken some of it back over for fall garden stuff so they have a bit less.
I'm thinking that the pellets are so compact they get more in a pellet than the same volume of crumbles. My other thought is since the pellets are tighter it make take a bit more to digest.

 

[FLchook]

Thanks for putting me at ease. I just worry over them so much

I'm sticking with the pellets that's for sure!

 

[hyzenthlay]

I'm so glad to come here and find this thread today, since I was about to post something similar.

I accidentally bought pellets last week for my 3 year old hens, who have always been on crumbles. I decided to go ahead and fill their automatic feeder with the pellets, but it hardly looked like they touched it, even after several days. They had access to some treats and free ranging, but not a ton. I figured they wouldn't starve themselves, but then they started losing bunches of feathers and stopped laying, and I freaked out and wondered if I've put them into some kind of unintentional forced molt starvation diet!?!?

I'm glad to hear several people saying that they will not starve themselves next to a feeder full of pellets. I hope you are right! I also see a lot of other people's birds are molting now, so maybe the timing is just a coincidence. If it still looks like they aren't eating this weekend, I may break down and go buy a bag of crumbles, though. I don't want them to go hungry!

 

[FLchook]

Yup... it's molting season again. Snuck up on me this year too. Started to worry when I was finding feathers everywhere, until it dawned on me what time of year it is.