Aren't chickens supposed to LIKE worms?

[fopzuu]

My chickens don't eat worms! I can't believe it. We will even bring worms right over to them and- nope...they're not interested. Anyone else have worm hatin' chickens?

 

[Matt A NC]

If you are talking night crawlers or fishing worms, then yes most of my birds won't touch them. There are a few that will follow me around in the garden eating every worm that is dug up. That was when the ground wasn't so dry.

Matt

 

[fopzuu]

I dunno..I guess I'm just thinking about plan ol' earthworms...We had different hens last summer who followed us all day while we were digging a ditch and ate a ton of worms. It was hilarious watching them feast! But the chickens we have now just don't have a taste for worms.

 

[HenniePennie]

My girls eat slugs and boy do we have an abundance of them. My brothers chickens would not eat slugs. My girls also eat worms. I think it is just a matter of the individual taste as to what chickens eat and what they will not eat. My girls go nuts over melon seeds and the melon too.

 

[redoak]

My buff orpingtons don't like worms either. One of my wife's friends is planning on starting a worm farm to help feed his chickens. I hope his chickens like worms

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I think a lot of the things chickens eat, they learn to eat. We've seen many young chickens learning to eat worms. They're attracted to the movement by instinct, try to eat it, but seem startled at the feel of it and drop it. Eventually, after a few tries, they do get it down. Usually, if you have at least one eating a new food, it makes the others want to eat it. The chicks we raised last year went through this and now I've seen them out in the rain, hunting worms coming up out of their flooded burrows.

Eating a new food, like a fruit or vegetable, in front of a parrot is a time tested way to teach them to eat it. As for chickens and worms, well, they had to figure that out by themselves!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

My hens didn't seem to like them AT FIRST...but as soon as they got their first taste OH MY they were fighting over them...it was SOO funny watching them have a tug of war over that worm. Playing keep away. They love the thin worms i get right out of the ground...not the big fat ones.

 

[farmgirlie1031]

Quote:
That's wierd. My buff orpingtons love worms and with all this rain we have been having they have been finding tons of them and chasing each other around arguing over them.

 

[ibpboo]

I didn't know some chickens won't eat worms. My DH just brought me two baby chicks from the store, and after reading this thread I got some worms out of my bin (very tiny ones) and gave them to my new babies, they ate them! phewwww!!

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Ours don't like them much but will usually eat them after slinging them around a bunch.

However....they will take your hand off for mealworms.