chickens refuse to eat crumbles

[maurice]

Hi; I have about forty hens (plus a few roosters). Lately, with the cooler weather coming in, I've noticed they are leaving lots of their crumble feed, though they still get excited about the scratch. I know the scratch alone is not good for them.
They are confined in a large space, so I have to water the earth to get grubs and other goodies to come up for them. But this is a new problem and I cannot imagine it's good for them not to eat the crumbles. There is nothing wrong with the
feed that I can see. Anyone out there got a clue what I can do about this?
Thanks

 

[vsmenagerie]

You could try adding a little water to the crumbles, to make it more of a mash. I would cut out the scratch until they are eating the crumbles though. I feed mine a mash, and ran out. Had my uncle grab me a bag of feed on the way home, totally different then what they have been getting, and they didnt much like it. But they ate it, just took them a little longer during the day. I also cut down on the treats I was giving them, to be sure they ate the feed.

 

[Arielle]

Are your girls producing fewer eggs?? 'tis the season for fewer eggs from most flocks.

My girls eat according to the production rate: the higher the number of eggs in a week the more feed they eat, the fewer the eggs as daylight decreases, the less feed. BUt always room for whole corn, oats and boss! THey love the bugs always, earthworms too when heavy laying, but not otherwise. THey seem to eat what they need.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I've noticed they are leaving lots of their crumble feed, though they still get excited about the scratch

Stop giving them scratch, and they will eat the crumbles.
Scratch is just cheap filler grain anyway, and isn't "needed" for anything at all​