chickens wont eat pellets?

[pawtraitart]

We do give them treats Sometimes so are wondering if they are just spoilt & fussy now! ?

LOL....yeah, they are training you.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Don't worry. They won't go hungry. They're opting to eat other things as they're foraging and that's GOOD news. They will eat pellets - and most anything else - if they're not getting enough to eat via foraging. If you're giving them leftovers or scratch, they're filling up on that.

Adding water is a good idea. I ferment my feed and they love that. I'd personally not do the grinding as that defeats the purpose of pellets, which normally has less waste. I'd be afraid of turning a good amount of it to unusable dust not to mention I the time involved in the grinding.

When I introduced pellets, I gave it to them and gave them nothing else but water until I could see they'd begun to eat them. Chickens may not like change but they'll not let themselves go hungry.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I will second using a fermented feed-- many good benefits, especially if you need to change brand names . . .

Hi all, we have fed our bantams "Dobson & Horrell" layers pellets from day one. We changed brands to "small holder range" natural free range layer pellets but they wouldn't Eat them! We have gone back to original brand but they won't eat those now either! Any suggestions? ?

For obvious reasons, changing textures and brands need to have some over lap with the last of the old bag.

I introduce different foods when chicks as they will be less picking than my older hens that did not get the exposure to trying different foods.

As for going hungry-- if the crop is not full the eggs will stop. THey will eat far less than needed to priduce eggs, and they will grow slower if eating less than the optimum amount.

I have also noticed that my chickens prefer the natural materials like grasses, grains that are whole or cracked, and bread, and leftovers over their pellets now. THe chicks get treats anytime I have a bit of something for them; the layers get treats only later in the day after eating their pellets.

 

[Twinkkitten]

Can you please explain how to ferment the feed? I decided not to break my coffee grinder lol. My girls have plenty of bugs and lizards. I have a big compost pile we fill with fruit and veggie leftovers from a catering company. I get one egg per day from each birdie and don't want thst to stop.

 

[foreverlearning]

Take enough feed for a few days to a week and put it in a 5 gallon bucket. Add twice as much water and a glug of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, stir. Loosely cover with lid or towel. After an hour stir and add more water as needed. You want it to look like loose oatmeal the first day then after that you can have it like regular oatmeal for ease of scooping. Make sure you stir it at least once a day. When it is fermented it should smell like a slight sweet after vomit smell. If you get a white/grey bubbly film on top just stir it in that is a sign of a great fermentation. When you take feed out add more feed and water as needed. If you do it this way you will not need anymore up/acv.

 

[Twinkkitten]

Thanks! Will do this and post pics and results.

 

[Arielle]

The birds may turn their nose at this too, but be patient, they will eventually in into it. If there is a lul in eggs, they will resume production when they up their feed intake.

 

[chiknhurder]

I will definitely try to soak them in hot water. And try the coffee grinder. Thanks for all the advice. They did finally eat some pellets today but they are not happy! I still have a couple handfuls of laying crumbles, I throw that and they go nuts.

Just ferment them. Place them in 1/2 or one gallon canning jars with lids and cover the feed with de-chlorinated water. If you're using tap water, let it set out for 24 hours to give the chlorine time to evaporate out. If you need to make more, use a 5 gallon bucket but be sure it's made of food grade plastic. The best source I've found for these buckets is the local supermarket if they have a bakery. They buy their icing in 5 gallon buckets and throw them away when they're empty. My store gave me a dozen of them with lids.

Make sure the pellets stay submerged and add water if necessary as the grains swell. Stir daily and in 3 to 4 days you'll have fermented grains/pellets. Here's a good article on the how's and why's of fermentation.

http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/

 

[Twinkkitten]

Thanks! Sounds easy enough. I only have 4 chickens and a turkey so one bucket should be plenty. Today my girls tore apart a lizard. They graze. I have a huge yard and always seem to be eating something.

 

[chiknhurder]

Thanks! Sounds easy enough. I only have 4 chickens and a turkey so one bucket should be plenty. Today my girls tore apart a lizard. They graze. I have a huge yard and always seem to be eating something.

We have a lot of tree frogs that my chickens get along with the occasional snake.