BOSS was rejected and now sprouting

[ima57boomer]

Ok...I am a new chicken owner. I bought 10 baby chicks on March 18 and have been devouring this site, gleaning chicken-owner knowledge and applying it to my small flock. I had to buy a bag of chicken feed at the local farm store and saw the black oil sunflower seeds in a nice bag. I had read that chickens love these, and it's such a great treat and a nice tool for training. I paid the $10 dollars for the bag and couldn't wait to get home and treat my girls. I tossed some out and you'd have thought I was trying to drop poison bombs on them. They didn't touch them and now I have sunflower sprouts. Actually, they're now about 2 feet tall. Do I have weird chickens, or will they come around and start eating these? I've wasted $10 in worse ways, I suppose, but I was disappointed that they didn't like them.

 

[FarmerJohn3285]

I've got 10 birds about the same age as yours. I usually keep a bag of BOSS on hand year-round for song birds and the chickens. My older birds LOVE IT!!! The younger ones didn't have any interest....I'm sure they will come around eventually. I don't think you should look too far into it.

 

[ninabeast]

I had a similar experience. Were yours shelled? I find my girls (2 months) like them if they're shelled, but can't handle them (yet) with the shells on. Sometimes I think something has to be bite-sized at first for them to recognise it as food. I'm saving mine for later.

 

[Noymira]

It sounds like your might be a bit young for the BOSS, keep trying as they get older! My hens and older pullets LOVE the seeds! I haven't tried with my 7 week olds, I figured the shells would be too hard for them.

 

[ima57boomer]

thanks everyone. I will keep trying. At $10 a bag, maybe I'm lucky they don't like them yet. If what's sprouted grow and produce seed heads, then I'll have plenty, for sure.

 

[Beekissed]

My chickens always loved BOSS and I would start the chicks out at 1 week on BOSS. Mama hen loved showing the chicks how to scratch and find the black "bugs" in the bedding. Maybe because mine were started on BOSS while still young and their moms showed them to be desirable?

At least your area birds will get the benefit of your sprouted seeds when they reach maturity...watch those yellow finches!

 

[Marshchick]

And enjoy the lovely sunflowers when they bloom! I think for $10 you got yourself a bonus, a lovely sunflower garden and future BOSS for your flock!