My 3 chickens will not eat from feeders or do not know where to find the feeder

[hmmm]

I have theee chickens that will start laying eggs in Jan 2017. The chickens have a coop with shelter and a run. I was keping the feed u der the shelter but the chickens did not touch it. I put it in the run ate somebut,would not eat it all. The chickens seam to always be pecking on the ground in themrun. I put a Feed container up in the coop and after 2 days they dont seem to touch it. I knoticed if I throw it on ground or,hand feed they will eat it. Is it possable the chickens,do not know it is up in the coop near nesting boxes? Is,it possable they are getting enough bugs on the 6 ft long by 4 foot wide run? I do not u derstand why they are not eating the pellets from feeder. I give egg shells at time .. I assume they get grit from the dirt. I give them grass and other vegitation
at times but to me it seems they just peck at the ground And I am not sure how they seem to be growing so well. If hungry emough will they go to the inside of their coop to find food .. do I throw it on ground... Do I keep it outside and hope it,doesnot rain. Any tips advice of what type of feeders or what to do would be appreciated. I am also plannimg onletting the forage startin i Jan

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How old are they?
What kind of feed are you giving?
Why are you feeding egg shells to chickens that have yet to start laying?
Very unlikely they would get enough nourishment from such a small run.

 

[hmmm]

18 weeks, Organic nature best pellets, egg shells for grit. They are very healthy looking .

 

[lazy gardener]

What is the mill date of this feed? Why are you saying they will not lay until January, if they are 18 weeks old now? I find it disturbing that they are not eating their feed. IMO, there must be something wrong with the feed. Are you in the US?

 

[blackdog043]

18 weeks, Organic nature best pellets, egg shells for grit. They are very healthy looking .

They may not like pellets, try grinding them up or smashing to smaller pieces. Do you know what the mill date is, on the feed? Egg shells can be used for calcium, when they start laying. You should have poultry grit available for them. They should start laying around 24 weeks give or take a few weeks.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi3woaspJnVAhUDaT4KHbPQBl8QjRwIBw&url=http://blog.chickenwaterer.com/2013/06/do-your-chickens-need-grit.html&psig=AFQjCNECuT3HBYWrql1uackb1GGIhDMbeQ&ust=1500689006199779

 

[hmmm]

The date is fine... They eat the pellets and like them they just do not eat from the feeder.. when it is the shelter of the coop. If I put it in the run they will not be interested but if I put it on the ground they will eat it. I do not like to put it on ground because I do not want it to get moldy.

 

[blackdog043]

Can you post a picture of you feeder? Your right, putting it on the ground is not good and you shouldn't have to.

 

[hmmm]

it is like this but with Mason jars

 

[hmmm]

Today I shook it and stuck some grass in it with the pellets and they plucked the grass out and did eat out of the feeder but when I leave it in the shelter part of the coop they do not seem to touch it. I never see them in the nesting shelter part of the coop except at night when they go to bed ..During the day they are always in the run.They are big and healthy looking.

 

[dunnmom]

I would guess they don't like the pellets, also. Took mine awhile to warm up to the pellets, but they'd waste a lot by knocking it on the ground and not cleaning it up. I got to where I'd skip feeding them a day so they'd clean up their mess. Now I feed them soaked pellets and they gobble it down, no waste. I only give them as much as they will have eaten by mid-afternoon. Cut my feed bill in half, and they are maintaining healthy weight.