chickens don't seem to be eating their food

[Jasperina]

Recently I switched my nearly 5 month old chickens from their starter crumbles to pellets, on the advice of the guy at the feed store. They don't seem to be eating it. I put it in a pan so I could see how much they were eating, and I would guess they are eating no more than 1/4 cup per day total. There are 5 of them. I do give them things like leftover greens, fruit, etc. They are foraging around their run and yard too, but I am worried that they won't be getting the correct amount of protein if they're not eating the pellets. Are there more experienced people who would have any words of wisdom about this?

 

[ChickyBoy417]

Well if you made a sudden change it will take time for them to get used to it. You should get a bag of chick starter and mix a little of of the grower feed. Gradually put less of the starter feed and more of the grower feed until its all grower feed.

 

[galanie]

Most are pretty resistant to the pellets at first. I leave that food there for days and days and give them nothing else. When they get hungry enough, they'll start eating it. I wouldnt' suggest putting crumbles in with it, that'll only prolong the resistance.

 

[Jasperina]

Thanks. Glad to know it's not an unusual occurrence. I wonder if they are resistant because the pellets don't seem palatable to them or they are just resistant to change?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

There are soooo many folks on here who find their hens resistant to pellets!

Sorry mine never gave me trouble when I used to buy pellets.

 

[KansasKate]

I did mix the crumbles with the pellets at first, as I was transitioning them. Then tapered. It worked well for me. I didn't include much of the crumbles, proportionally.

 

[Jasperina]

Today I mixed the pellets with some kefir-soaked oats, a favorite treat of theirs, along with some leftover blackberries. They were much more interested in eating today. I was glad to hear that other people have had this issue and it resolved itself. Thanks for your input.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Sounds like it's going good!