HELP!!

[zebra2u]

I have 4 girls, about 5 weeks old, I started them out on non medicated chick starter and I asked my hubby to pick some up at the feed store on his way home from work tuesday, and it doesn't look like they are eating it. Just kicking it out of their feeder. It is a mess in there. Will they eat it? Or are they starving?
Thanks in advance!!!

 

[red horse ranch]

I have 4 girls, about 5 weeks old, I started them out on non medicated chick starter and I asked my hubby to pick some up at the feed store on his way home from work tuesday, and it doesn't look like they are eating it. Just kicking it out of their feeder. It is a mess in there. Will they eat it? Or are they starving?
Thanks in advance!!!

I never use the medicated feed to start chicks. But when you change food it should be done gradually, mixing it with what they are used to. If they have a lump on their chest that you can feel, then they are eating. If you can't feel the crop then they aren't getting much if any food. Are the granules bigger than what they had before? Does the food smell moldy or musty?
The reason they are kicking it out of the feeder is they are searching for the perfect bite. It's just the way chickens are!

 

[zebra2u]

OK!! Thank you, I was worried about them. They are so sweet I wouldn't want anything to happen to them.

 

[donrae]

Kicking food out of a feeder and scratching around on the ground are normal behaviors for chicks. It's much more natural for them to eat off the ground than from a feeder. But, from a waste management standpoint, it can be a pain. Do you have your feeder raised up high, so they can't scratch in it? I keep my feeders about level with their backs. It's okay if they have to stretch a little to reach the feed.

 

[zebra2u]

Awesome!! I am going to run out there and elevate that feeder!! Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice...would n't know what to do without you!!