Favorite All Flock feed?

[JPadronMiami]

I am not sure this is the right forum to post to but I have a question - my flock just transitioned to all flock crumbles from chick starter as we had a little one in the mix for a bit. Now NO ONE is eating the all flock crumbles, they look at it like it has poison in it! I splurged and got the extra expensive organic one too! Any thoughts?

We have 11 hens, 1 rooster, 1 rooster 'pullet', (his son), and an older bantam girl who just broods all day anyway....

Yes you absolutely, resolutely, do in fact have the correct forum!! Welcome!....I gradually transition my young ones at 14 weeks from chick starter to layer feed except i use the layer pellets, i add a small portion of chicken scratch as well, these 2 combined should be a small percentage of the overall chick starter ration given. I found with my flock that they naturally pick out the larger pieces, yet they are still consuming some of the chick starter as well. My chickens just wont eat crumble...at any age ... at any stage, I also tend to add in as treats the herbs I eventually use to deworm them and help support their immune system. Grow the herbs at home if you can, "less expensive", and fresher than store bought. Hope this helps!

 

[JPadronMiami]

Thank you! I did do that and it seems as tho they hate what I am giving them now

did this. It took forever, but now the eat the pellets.

I also mixed the old with the new in jars, gradually increasing the proportion of the new feed, and then added water as if I were going to ferment. But I fed it before fermentation - just damp. (Of course, the pellets were a soggy mess, but they still had the whole grains in there.) I think that helped get them used to the new taste. Who knows?

I use the the non medicated Purina chick starter, high protein, at about up until 14 to 15 weeks i gradually add in small portions of the the Kalmbach Henhouse Reserve, eventually from 17 weeks on i also add in a gradual amount of the Purina Flock Raiser which is 20% protein, until they are weaned off of the chick starter, I maintain them thereafter on the Kalmbach Henhouse Reserve and the Purina Flock Raiser with good results, occasionally during the molt I add in some mealy worms, crickets and black soldier fly larvae,...my flock consists of mainly heritage breeds, they mature a little later, egg laying begins little later compared to the newer modern or commercial type poultry. How are you folks dealing with the heat wave and humidity in your areas?, my birds free range during the day and come back to their runs and coops later in the evening for their evening rations. Only feed them what they will eat in about 15 minutes so as not to leave feed out in the bins for those pesky rats, so my rat population is not as bad as it was before I adopted this method.