Flock raiser vs making own feed combination

[Bayoucrazy]

I have 3 young chickens that have been laying for a couple of months. They have a nice sized run and I also let them out into my backyard to free range. I have Purina flock raiser pellets that are in the feeders but they don’t seem to eat it. They scatter it all about but that seems to be it. I feed them all the salad and veggie scraps as well as sprinkling out corn and black sunflower seeds and scratch grains. Should I be giving them something else? When I put out the veggies and scratch grain (or mealworms as treat) they act like they are starving! But I always have flock raiser food in their bowls.
Would it be better to make a huge batch of a combination of what they like to eat??

 

[Kiki]

By feeding your flock so many treats you are not doing them any favors. You are taking away from them getting a balanced diet which will cause problems sooner or later.

Stick to the pellets or crumble only for daily food. It is a complete balanced diet.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Try cutting out the treats completely, they have no reason to eat their feed because the extras are far tastier. Once they're reliably eating their feed you can start reintroducing small amounts of treats.

You could also consider wetting the pellets to make them more palatable or even trying crumble, if there's a similar crumble product, as many chickens don't like pellets.

THIS!!!! Why eat their "food" when they can eat "candy" all day instead? My "rule" with ANY animal is, "if you don't eat your FOOD, you get NOTHING else"!

 

[NatJ]

you could do a mix of sunflower seeds, the poultry food, and some oyster grit in it, ( maybe a few mealworms, ) and see how that goes.

I would not mix them, because chickens tend to pick through for the parts they want, and throw out & waste the parts they don't feel like eating right then.

I also let them out into my backyard to free range. I have Purina flock raiser pellets that are in the feeders but they don’t seem to eat it. They scatter it all about but that seems to be it. I feed them all the salad and veggie scraps as well as sprinkling out corn and black sunflower seeds and scratch grains. Should I be giving them something else? When I put out the veggies and scratch grain (or mealworms as treat) they act like they are starving! But I always have flock raiser food in their bowls.

I would completely quit the corn, the sunflower seeds, the scratch grains, and the mealworms for now.

You could try serving some of the flock raiser pellets wet: put some in a bowl (maybe start with 1/2 cup for the 3 chickens to share), add enough water to cover it, and give it to the chickens. The pellets will soak up the water and get all mushy, and most chickens like it better that way. It's safe for them to eat as much as they want, as often as you feel like feeding it to them, but don't leave extra sitting around to freeze (winter) or spoil (summer.)

Continue to leave the dry pellets available. If they get more than a certain amount hungry, they will eat them. But do check on occasion, to make sure the pellets in the feeder haven't grown mold, or gotten wet and then dried together into a hard lump, or anything else that would make them unable to eat it.

If they are normal sized chickens, three hens should probably eat at least 2 cups of the Flock Raiser every day, and possibly as high as 4 cups in some conditions, like extra-cold weather. (I'm talking about dry measurements-- it gets bigger when wet.) That's not an exact amount, just an estimate. Much less is probably not enough, much more probably means a lot being wasted on the ground or eaten by pests.

I would probably continue the free ranging and the salad/vegetable scraps, but it might even be useful to stop those for a while, until the chickens get in the habit of eating their flock raiser feed.

 

[casportpony]

I have Purina flock raiser pellets that are in the feeders but they don’t seem to eat it. They scatter it all about but that seems to be it.

Maybe try soaking the pellets and making a mash for them.

Would it be better to make a huge batch of a combination of what they like to eat??

Poultry need a balanced feed that contains the correct ratio of protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, so I suggest sticking with your Flock Raiser and since they are laying, make sure they have access to a bowl of oyster shell too.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Try cutting out the treats completely, they have no reason to eat their feed because the extras are far tastier. Once they're reliably eating their feed you can start reintroducing small amounts of treats.

You could also consider wetting the pellets to make them more palatable or even trying crumble, if there's a similar crumble product, as many chickens don't like pellets.

 

[Bayoucrazy]

I did the fermented with the pellets and they love it!! It’s a pain in the ass to do but I signed up for it lol

 

[Bayoucrazy]

Yes and they eat it but prefer the fermented

 

[little chick-y baby mama]

you could do a mix of sunflower seeds, the poultry food, and some oyster grit in it, ( maybe a few mealworms, ) and see how that goes.

 

[NatJ]

I did the fermented with the pellets and they love it!! It’s a pain in the ass to do but I signed up for it lol

I'm glad to hear you've found a way to get them to eat the pellets!

Did you also try serving the pellets just wet, instead of fermented?