chicken food not getting eaten

[mickeymousears]

No one (chickens or ducks) is eating the chicken food. Are we giving to many treats? Or do they not like the food? Does it matter if they don't eat it?


I'm a big believer in supplementing a properly formulated pelleted diet for my animals- so when I make dinner I make a plate for everyone however my tiel and buns still eat their formulated diet throughout the day and I don't think the chicken feed was ever touched I think my husband throws them rice and whatever else when he eats breakfast- which the other animals don't get - plus I give spontaneous treats to everyone through out the day and I try to make a special dinner of the formulated diet plus a few veggies mixed in for everyone. However if I know they've had a bunch of treats all day ill just feed the pellets for dinner.
So these rascally chickens- and ducks- beg for treats all day and then act like they're starving to death come dinner time but I don't think they've eaten their pellets all week and last night I only gave pellets so I guess they boycotted my dinner and went to bed hungry? So I was just going to put back the bowl of pellets for tonights dinner- but being the sucker that I am I felt bad and added some peas corn and sunflower seeds.

Their feed is nutrena nature wise layer feed 16% pellets and the bag is almost empty so if I need something different please let me know as ill be buying it soon. - this is the food the feed store recommended I hate to admit I am not familiar with poultry nutrition.

 

[HappyRoo]

I feed my Dogs some Table Scraps, now they won't touch their gravy train ?

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

You shouldn't feed them so many treats and "special" food that they don't eat their actual food. Table scraps and treats don't contain the right amount of nutrients and all that good stuff to provide a completely balanced diet. I would stop giving treats until they start eating their feed (it might take a few days but they won't starve themselves) then slowly start feeding a small amount treats again.

 

[mickeymousears]

My seemingly stupid question actually has a real question: first does it matter if they don't eat the pellets? And second my other animals still eat their pellets with all the treats so could they not like the pellets or am I the problem with the treats?

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
1) Yes it does matter if they don't eat the chicken food, unless you are feeding a complete and balanced diet in some other form.

2) I would say the treats, even if they didn't like the pellets they would still eat them if they only other option was to go hungry.

 

[mickeymousears]

Quote:
Thank you for a real answer!! Do you know the quality of that particular food? Is it well formulated or is it like the "gravey train" (as someone mentioned) of chicken food? And can you recommend a better food?

This is going to be a hard few days btw they are such good beggers!

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
Thank you for a real answer!! Do you know the quality of that particular food? Is it well formulated or is it like the "gravey train" (as someone mentioned) of chicken food? And can you recommend a better food?

This is going to be a hard few days btw they are such good beggers!

Your welcome

I don't know the quality of that feed, I've never seen it before. I'm from Canada so I don't know if they sell it up here.

 

[mickeymousears]

My duck is named hedwig btw

I LOVE JK personal story - rags to riches in an intelligent way that improved our lives (imho)

 

[KDK1]

I used to feed mine treats (salad, greens, veggies, fruit, etc.) in the morning right after they finished their BOSS and I found they didn't really bother with their pellets much for the rest of the day. Now they don't get their 'salad' till the evening and they're doing much better with their pellets.

 

[mickeymousears]

Oh that's a good compromise! I think my husband is going to be difficult to control- he's worse than I am and he usually has already started the treats before I'm even out of bed. the red chicken keeps hopping on our bed and making a nest out of his blanket and laying an egg there- I posted that issue on here and was told to lock her in the coop when she starts the laying dance. So yesterday I got home early to catch her in the act. Promptly locked her in the coop after a few min she was acting normal so I thought I jumped the gun and let her out. Turns out she tricked me I found her in the bed not ten min later went to put her in the coop and he stopped me saying "just let her do it one last time".