Chucks have stopped eating their feed

[HelenR]

My hens have stopped eating their feed and I don’t know why. They had stopped eating their pellets and I had not changed their brand , so I moved to mixed corn which they ate well but since they have gone into moult they have stopped eating anything from their feeders, they wander round the garden and eat the grass but nothing else really even if I give them treats, meal worm they don’t really eat them but a few pecks . I have put Vitamins in their water to try and help.l am very worried, does anyone know why this could be or can help me? Is there enough in the grass for them? They are behaving out of sorts

 

[DobieLover]

My hens have stopped eating their feed and I don’t know why. They had stopped eating their pellets and I had not changed their brand , so I moved to mixed corn which they ate well but since they have gone into moult they have stopped eating anything from their feeders, they wander round the garden and eat the grass but nothing else really even if I give them treats, meal worm they don’t really eat them but a few pecks . I have put Vitamins in their water to try and help.l am very worried, does anyone know why this could be or can help me? Is there enough in the grass for them? They are behaving out of sorts

How old are your birds?
What were you feeding them originally that they stopped eating? How did you store it?

 

[HelenR]

How old are your birds?
What were you feeding them originally that they stopped eating? How did you store it?

They are 1 and half years old, they had layers pellets and then mixed corn, their food is stored in the bag it came in, in my porch so no damp or vermin to get in. Really strange they have moulted really heavily also, I have lost one too, sadly at the same time, she had been to vets not 100% sure what she had but lost a lot of weight. The vet feels they possibly gone off food as they are moulting and have grass to eat

 

[rosemarythyme]

Any mill date on the feed bag? Does it look and smell like you'd normally expect? Wondering if you happened to get an old bag or one that spoiled somewhere between milling and your house.

Molting can cause them to act a bit off but they shouldn't be drastically different.

 

[HelenR]

It just gives me a batch number and best before which is 01/02/21 , smells ok . Do you think maybe try a different bag and see if that is the problem maybe?

 

[RojoMarz]

Maybe take some feed and put enough water on it to make a mash (I feed mash out of a pie plate.) Everything thinks they are getting a treat when I do this.

They also think they are getting treats when I let them eat their feed from my hand.

 

[CluckerFamily]

My flock eats less feed in the free ranging months and they eat more feed in the winter months because they aren't allowed to free range.
Do you provide a free choice of grit? Have you tried crumble feed of the same brand?

 

[HelenR]

Maybe take some feed and put enough water on it to make a mash (I feed mash out of a pie plate.) Everything thinks they are getting a treat when I do this.

They also think they are getting treats when I let them eat their feed from my hand.

Funnily enough they will eat from my hand rather than the floor ! So can try that see if will help. They have really worried me, I know it’s prob silly but only have 5 and since I have had to work from home due to c19 since April they have been my friends more than ever so pets not chucks at bottom of garden, I know to a lot it is silly . The vet is questionable if the one I lost was due to Mereks disease so not much hope for them if right really but without an autopsy they can’t be sure so I am paranoid now and watching them every day and prob spoilt them a bit oops

 

[HelenR]

My flock eats less feed in the free ranging months and they eat more feed in the winter months because they aren't allowed to free range.
Do you provide a free choice of grit? Have you tried crumble feed of the same brand?

There is grit and I put oyster shells in their food too but it is odd as through summer I watched half the wild birds eating it and they are not touching it either
I was wondering about trying crumble feed so I will give that a go and see what happens , thank u

 

[rosemarythyme]

There is grit and I put oyster shells in their food too but it is odd as through summer I watched half the wild birds eating it and they are not touching it either
I was wondering about trying crumble feed so I will give that a go and see what happens , thank u

Birds often prefer crumble over pellets so that's a good idea.

Best to not mix in oyster shell with feed, as different birds need different amounts of calcium, so optimally you want them to be able to pick out what they need from a separate container.