Chooks refusing everything

[Lynn Cardwell]

I have two Speckeldies and live in UK. They are about a year old. Lately they have been refusing to eat their layers mash. I buy it loose every week. Have tried offering pellets - NO NO NO refuse. Have offered another brand of mash, same result. They are hungry, brest bones are sharp, and they are kicking up a fuss every time I appear, and am getting desperate as to what to give them. They free range although the ground is pretty sparse, and I offer fermented feed, but that's not acceptable now either. Desperate, cause they are right against the house and are banging on the patio doors all day!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Lynn Cardwell Welcome To BYC

Both of them are refusing to eat?
I'm not familiar with buying loose feed, but is it possible that what you are getting is old, out of date or possibly rancid/moldy? It's unusual that they would suddenly refuse the type of feed that they have been eating for the last year, unless something is wrong with it.

Is there any way you can purchase of bag of feed that has a milled date - look for one that was packaged within the last 4-6wks.

Check to make sure their crops are functioning properly - full at night/empty in the morning. If you have a vet, have them test some fresh droppings for worms.

 

[tacothechicken]

Have you tried mixing other foods into thier mash to make it more enticing? Like blackberries or strawberrys or raw egg? Id also take them to a vet if there is a possibility of some sort of parasite and to find causation of not eating, sometimes our hens get bored so we mix in some goat feed and egg and berries to give them incentive but they wont starve themselves. Goodluck

 

[Lynn Cardwell]

Hi @Lynn Cardwell Welcome To BYC

Both of them are refusing to eat?
I'm not familiar with buying loose feed, but is it possible that what you are getting is old, out of date or possibly rancid/moldy? It's unusual that they would suddenly refuse the type of feed that they have been eating for the last year, unless something is wrong with it.

Is there any way you can purchase of bag of feed that has a milled date - look for one that was packaged within the last 4-6wks.

Check to make sure their crops are functioning properly - full at night/empty in the morning. If you have a vet, have them test some fresh droppings for worms.

Thanks for this Wyorp Rock, I think you may be right about the date of the feed. It is sold in bins at the pet franchise of the garden centre, so without access to the bag it comes from, I have no idea how old it is. Anyhow, tomorrow I shall go abd complain and ask to see the bag although no doubt it will have been discarded. I have to say they have never ben very keen on this mash but there's no way they will eat anything else on offer - little blighters.

 

[Lynn Cardwell]

Have you tried mixing other foods into thier mash to make it more enticing? Like blackberries or strawberrys or raw egg? Id also take them to a vet if there is a possibility of some sort of parasite and to find causation of not eating, sometimes our hens get bored so we mix in some goat feed and egg and berries to give them incentive but they wont starve themselves. Goodluck

Yes, I've tried mixing pellets into the mash but they sink to the bottom of the trough and are not touched. I don't have a goat, berries are not ripe here in the hedgerows and are expensive in the shops. There are no worms because I examine the droppings that are firm, dark and white as they should be, nothing runny, and the birds are perky enough. But I will check on the mash that I am buying as Wyorp Rock has suggested. I'll update again when problem is resolved

 

[Lynn Cardwell]

And another thing, if I give them too much fancy stuff, they'll never go back to ordinary chicken feed! I wouldn't if I was a chickenm would you?

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Mix the feed with water, to the consistency of thick oatmeal and they will gobble it up. Silly birds think its special when its wet.

Good luck

Gary

 

[barred2rock]

Mix the feed with water, to the consistency of thick oatmeal and they will gobble it up. Silly birds think its special when its wet.

Good luck

Gary

I donno, mine get fermented feed on a daily basis, they think dry is something special.

 

[lazy gardener]

Lynn, Can you buy your feed somewhere else? I believe you are being sold rancid feed. I once had a similar problem with my birds. They were literally starving to death. Would not touch the feed, no matter how it was served up. The thing was, the mill date on this bag was ok. I called the store manager, and they replaced that bag, no questions asked. I bought a higher protein replacement bag b/c they had lost so much condition, and they immediately started eating well.

 

[Lynn Cardwell]

Lynn, Can you buy your feed somewhere else? I believe you are being sold rancid feed. I once had a similar problem with my birds. They were literally starving to death. Would not touch the feed, no matter how it was served up. The thing was, the mill date on this bag was ok. I called the store manager, and they replaced that bag, no questions asked. I bought a higher protein replacement bag b/c they had lost so much condition, and they immediately started eating well.