Hens just waiting for feed and not foraging.

[VanUnamed]

Hello,
Lately, it has been spring, i haveover 2,000 sqm of land that's a mix of trees, wild fruit trees, pasture, good ground. So i tried to send my hens there, (land is fuly fenced) , nothing. they would go back to the run to sit down and wait for commercial feed. I then started to put some feed around where i wanted them to forage, it worked for a bit, then now I can see them walk back and forth in front of the gate waiting for feed again. It's all winter I am waiting to have them eat a natural diet and cut down on commercial feed. Here where i live commercial feed isn't really a thing as people leave chickens to forage all spring and summer, I can't see why they behave like this. egg number is not important of course.

 

[Timothy Menezes]

Chickens are very much creatures of habit. Just leave their door open so they can adjust to having access to the open land.

Also, they are programmed to lay eggs in the coup. If you close the door, then they just stress about not being able to get to where they lay their eggs. It doesn't matter to them whether you want the eggs or not, they still need to lay the eggs.

 

[Henriettamom919]

To could try treat encouragement. Lure them out with some tasty bit of whatever they really like and then sit out there with them while they eat it. Mine like oats, flax seed, cut watermelon and raw sunflower seeds.

Give them a tiny bit for a few days in a row and park a lawn chair out there with them. They'll eventually catch on, regardless, but this might speed it up.

 

[VanUnamed]

Oh, for the eggs... they carved a nest into a bush. I always find eggs there.

 

[VanUnamed]

thanks for the advice, i sprayed feed in patches that are half grass half dirt, now they scratch all day and no feed is left. I also watched them scratch, but there isn't much in the soil at least now they are out there fertilizing instad of stinking up the run. thanks