Eating their coop!

[megmcghee]

We recently got 16 pullets. they are not laying any eggs yet but look almost full grown. - I call them my "teenager" flock! My chickens are literly eating their coop. We are feeding them 2x a day morning and night, in addition to that they are getting table scraps and garden greens. Are they missing something in their diet? We a really quiet new at this and I am at a loss of what to do!

 

[Pequena Bandada]

You mention feeding them twice a day... so that sounds like they're eating everything you give in the morning and have a period of time during the day when there's no food available? If that's the case... feed them more! Chickens self regulate so they know how much they need to eat. Therefore, it's not like feeding a dog where you give a cup of food in the morning and a cup at night. For chickens, it's best to put a few pounds of food in a feeder and refresh when it's gone. The food doesn't get stale in just a few days, so you can just leave the same food out and your chickens will eat all throughout the day.

Also, what type of chicken feed are you giving them? They should be on a grower type food until they lay their first eggs, and then you can switch them to layer.

 

[megmcghee]

We are actually giving them a layer feed right now, but I guess we will switch them to a growing feed. I just assumed that they would be ready to lay when we got them. thanks for the help

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

What is their coop made of? Good gracious!

 

[megmcghee]

The coop is made out of barn board and we painted it - red of course! - Maybe they think it is strawberries

 

[woodmort]

I'd wait until I see eggs before using layer food. As above , keep food in front of them 24/7(16 growing pullets will eat a lot) and they shouldn't need to literal eat themselves out of house and home.