Budgie Seed

[Farmz246]

Hi there,
I have 4 Red Stars that are about 32 weeks old. All four were eating well laying fine.
However last week, one of the four refuses to touch the feed we are using, the same brand of feed we have always used. The other three eat it quite happily. The three have continued laying everyday, but the one has stopped now for about a week.
She will eat porridge happily, and she will scratch around in the dirt and eat grubs and grass. She will even eat Budgie seed and grapes happily, but will not touch the pellet feed.

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[SueT]

Hi there,
I have 4 Red Stars that are about 32 weeks old. All four were eating well laying fine.
However last week, one of the four refuses to touch the feed we are using, the same brand of feed we have always used. The other three eat it quite happily. The three have continued laying everyday, but the one has stopped now for about a week.
She will eat porridge happily, and she will scratch around in the dirt and eat grubs and grass. She will even eat Budgie seed and grapes happily, but will not touch the pellet feed.

Any ideas or suggestions?

add some water to the feed and turn it into a mash.....

 

[EggSighted4Life]

She will even eat Budgie seed and grapes happily, but will not touch the pellet feed.

Lay off the treats... she ain't hungry enough. She is getting her calories elsewhere.

If she quit laying.. is she molting?

 

[chickens really]

Stop the snacks daily and she will eat.

 

[Farmz246]

add some water to the feed and turn it into a mash.....

Tried that. she pecked a bit at it, but nothing significant.

 

[Farmz246]

Lay off the treats... she ain't hungry enough. She is getting her calories elsewhere.

If she quit laying.. is she molting?

No treats. They all get feed in the morning, then roam around the yard eating grass, leaves, bugs. Then they get fed again in the evening before being shut up in the coops for the night.

Not molting.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

No treats.

I thought budgie seeds, porridge, and grapes were treats.

Several of my young layers have laid for weeks on end and then taken breaks in the past... so it's possible she just isn't going to be a consistent layer. Or has she found a new place to nest?

Maybe she is finding plenty of forage to sustain her. We do our best to provide the formulated ration... but definitely aren't on control of what they get on free range.

Is she still active, holding tail normal, and hanging out with the flock or whatever is normal for her personality?

 

[Peppercorngal]

I agree, bird seed and grapes are treats. Finding food while free ranging should not affect her laying. Hopefully she is not becoming an internal layer. If she doesn't lay for a month, check her belly and see if it feels like it's really full and puffy. That would not be good news. But maybe she is just being ornery!!

 

[paneubert]

I thought budgie seeds, porridge, and grapes were treats.

Agree. @Farmz246 , were the budgie seeds, porridge, and grapes just things you tried when she refused the pellets, or do you consider those to be "feed".

 

[Farmz246]

I thought budgie seeds, porridge, and grapes were treats.

Several of my young layers have laid for weeks on end and then taken breaks in the past... so it's possible she just isn't going to be a consistent layer. Or has she found a new place to nest?

Maybe she is finding plenty of forage to sustain her. We do our best to provide the formulated ration... but definitely aren't on control of what they get on free range.

Is she still active, holding tail normal, and hanging out with the flock or whatever is normal for her personality?

As a last ditch effort to get her to eat something, after her not really eating for about a week, I gave her some budgie seed.

She has always been quite timid around the other girls as she is a bit of a runt compared to the other three. They quite often chase her. She tends to be a bit of a loner. She is walking around, and scratching, but for the most part, she's staying still in shaded areas, and she seems to be slightly hunched (not fully extending her neck when compared to the others.)