Eating habits recently changed

[TheRichFish]

I have 10 chicks that are 15 days old. They were going through about five pounds of medicated chick starter in around six days, I was filling the feeder every 12 hours. The last three days, however, they haven't been eating nearly as much, only filled the feeder after around 48 hours. They seem healthy, scratching around looking for things, cheeping, drinking fine, I didn't change the location of the feeder or the brooder lamp. No treats, no grit yet. Should I be worried they are eating a lot less? I did switch food brands a few days before their feeding habits changed, any chance they just don't like the food as much? Could they just be eating more that is on the floor of the brooder? This is my first time raising chicks, so everything is new to me. Thank you.

 

[lazy gardener]

How old is the new feed? Check the mill date. If older than 6 weeks, it could be getting rancid. The other thought is that they may not be wasting as much. Check their crops. If their crops are full, they are probably doing fine.

 

[TheRichFish]

That food was four weeks old. I bought a different brand from a different feed dealer, and the chicks have been gobbling it up over the last few days.

 

[lazy gardener]

When I had an issue dealing with a bag of feed that they simply refused to eat, I let the feed store manager know, and she replaced it immediately.