Chickens wont eat anything but commercial feed

[hcurrie7]

I cannot get my chickens to eat anything but commercial feed. I want them to eat natural foods. So I have given them scraps from veggies, bread, homemade veggie soup. They peck at them a couple of times then just ignore them. They did seem to like the soup a little more. I am guessing because it was soft. They also dont seem to catch many bugs or eat the grass.
Otherwise they are healthy, happy and active.
I have 2 silkies They are 13 weeks
The rest are Americanas I believe 2 larger ones and 3 bantams. They are 10 weeks old.

 

[Clackclack]

First off, you could try to get really good commercial feed to feel better about feeding them with that. Try soft bananas, avocado, yoghurt, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pepitas, chopped up nuts, wheat berries. I bet you a nickel they will like some of those. Can't blame them for not liking chicken soup (just kidding).

 

[upthecreek]

I cannot get my chickens to eat anything but commercial feed. I want them to eat natural foods. So I have given them scraps from veggies, bread, homemade veggie soup. They peck at them a couple of times then just ignore them. They did seem to like the soup a little more. I am guessing because it was soft. They also dont seem to catch many bugs or eat the grass.
Otherwise they are healthy, happy and active.
I have 2 silkies They are 13 weeks
The rest are Americanas I believe 2 larger ones and 3 bantams. They are 10 weeks old.

What brand/kind of commercial feed are you using ? sounds like you may have the good stuff .

Shannon

 

[hcurrie7]

I never fed them Chicken soup. I said veggie soup. I tried sunflower seeds they dont like them either. I will check on feed. I got them on the second stage starter feed because they are young.

 

[hcurrie7]

LOL The name is Dumor. It is a finisher. It is the second stage for starter feed. I got it at tractor supply.

 

[my sunwolf]

Just leave the treats out there for them, sometimes mine won't eat certain treats when I'm watching

My hens didn't like anything goopy, at first... then they discovered yogurt, avocado. I start chicks out on oatmeal, and they're a little grossed out at the texture at first, but once they get a few bites tend to go nuts. Just give them some time to get used to treats.

p.s. My chickens LOVE chicken soup, it's one of their favorite foods. Try some meat scraps of any kind as a treat, I bet you they'll like those.

 

[hcurrie7]

UPDATE!!
I just tricked my peeps. I had some left over cottage cheese and tomatoes so I mixed it with their feed. They are eating it now. They even carrying the tomatoes around and eating the feed off them. SIGH! So maybe this is the trick. i just mix everything with the feed. Still going to look for a nutritional feed. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

[deserthomestead]

Over time, you could gradually decrease the amount of feed mixed with the "real food" until they realize that the real food is tasty too! My chicks won't eat plain yogurt, but they gobble it up if I use it to make mash with their feed.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

If you are only going to feed them "natural" foods then it is incumbent on you to be sure they are consuming a nutritionally balanced diet the way they would have been done eating the commercially formulated ration. At 10-13 weeks old they are young teenagers and thus still actively growing and developing. Uncorrected nutritional deficiencies for long periods of time can have permanent consequences.