Flock with no appetite?

[eyralis]

hi!

I have a flock of bantam Faverolles who are really picky eaters, in fact seem completely uninterested in chicken feed. I've tried them on:
- Purina Layena Omega3
- Scratch n peck
- FM Browns

No success so far! They ignore the food and keep foraging around.

Has anyone ever had an issue of low appetite? Which feed do chickens most love?

Thanks!
Olivia

 

[21hens-incharge]

Some bantams are to small to easily swallow pellets.

Can you try making a wet mash for them? It is just regular feed with water added and allowed to sit about 15 minutes before feeding. It should be like thick oatmeal.

Still wouldn't explain them ignoring the scratch n peck.

My Brahmas actually stay in the coop eager for me to scoop out the wet mash every morning. They know there are treats in the run but wait for the mash.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

What kind of treats/supplements are you offering? How old are they?

My birds like crumble and hate pellets. And changing feeds can be a stresser for chickens who are creatures of habit. So I would decided which one YOU like the nutritional value, price, availability, and ingredients and stick with it.

Maybe your forage is very rich with bugs and such? And I do find the appetite can change from day to day and definitely seasonally. Sometimes my birds go crazy for red wigglers and other times ignore them. Also note, the expected consumption level on the package would be for a full sized hen. A bantam should eat much less. So you could always weigh your feed and see if they are consuming enough and just doesn't seem like it. Plus you could weigh your girls and see how they compare to the standard for their breed. My birds eat WAY less feed when they have forage available. But on days it's raining and they don't wanna go out, maybe double the previous day.

I feed Purina Flock Raiser crumbles with oyster shell on the side. Not a single one of my birds refuses to eat it.

How big is their forage area. Is it lush or dry? Anyone else giving treats you don't know about? As long as treats aren't the problem, I probably wouldn't worry about it... assuming there isn't blocked crop or anything and they are acting normal, not sick.

 

[Chickassan]

Favs are really forage driven,mine only eat offered food a few hours before roost time and even after food they continue to forage until they can't see to do it.

 

[theoldchick]

Are they showing any other signs of illness? Discharge from eyes or nostrils? Sneezing wheezing, croupy sounding cackling?