my bantam chickens (5 months) don't like their feed

[Grammypammy]

my bantams don't like the pellet feed we are giving all my chickens. we put a little corn in with it and they only like the corn. What tricks do you all try? I am wondering if we would buy the more powdered form and add wter to it to make a mash if they would eat better? they love to be free ranged during the day when it is their turn- i don't let all my chickens out in the yard (they all have pens attached to their coops that they still have fresh growing grass) because when they are all out they think it is fun to go up and poop all over my deck! back to the bantams, they are healthy- nobody is looking weak or starved, but they just waste their pellet food. all the over chickens eat it without any problem, so there has been nothing wrong with the feed we have been purchasing from the Tractor Supply store.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Do the pellets appear to big for them? If so, they may be hesitant to eat them. You say that they are wasting the feed; are they scooping at the feed with their beaks, spilling it? This is called "billing out", and chickens do it because they are trying to find something better beneath the feed, and because its (I suppose), fun. My chickens do this A LOT, so I solved the problem partially by raising the feeders. This makes them unable to dig their beaks in really deep, so it cuts back on the wasting of the feed.

I think that moistening the feed would help. My birds really like wet feed. If you give birds moist feed, though, make sure to change if often. Otherwise, it may become moldy, or spoiled.

 

[Grammypammy]

i THINK THAT IS PROBABLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING, IT ENDS UP ASLL SPILLED OUT ON THE GROUND. THEN WHEN THE PEN IS MOVED THE OTHERS COME AND EAT WHAT HAS BEEN WASTED. WE DON'T WANT THEM LIVING ON JUST CORN AND THE BUGS THEY CATCH, SO I THINK WE WILL TRY TO MOISTEN IT FOR THEM. WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT IT GOING BAD ON THEM TOO EASILY WHEN WET. SO YOU THINK IF IT WERE RAISED HIGHER THEY MIGHT EAT IT BETTER? OR JUST NOT DUMP IT OUT?

 

[Grammypammy]

I DON'T THINK THE PELLET ARE TOO BIG- THEY EAT PIECES OF ZUCCHINI, WATERMELON, BUGS, WORMS- WHATEVER THE HECK THEY WANT- BUT NOT THE FEED. KIND OF LIKE A KID WITH LIVER ON HIS PLATE.

 

[Wyandottes7]

i THINK THAT IS PROBABLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING, IT ENDS UP ASLL SPILLED OUT ON THE GROUND. THEN WHEN THE PEN IS MOVED THE OTHERS COME AND EAT WHAT HAS BEEN WASTED. WE DON'T WANT THEM LIVING ON JUST CORN AND THE BUGS THEY CATCH, SO I THINK WE WILL TRY TO MOISTEN IT FOR THEM. WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT IT GOING BAD ON THEM TOO EASILY WHEN WET. SO YOU THINK IF IT WERE RAISED HIGHER THEY MIGHT EAT IT BETTER? OR JUST NOT DUMP IT OUT?

If it were raised higher, I don't think there would be any change in the amount that they ate. The only difference would be that they wouldn't spill as much.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I have a mixed flock of standards and bantams and I feed crumble, not mash but crumble. I have used pellets in the past but even the big girls hated them and the bantams hated them even more. I had more waste with pellets because they shoveled it out of the feeder looking for something else and they didn't pick it up. Switched back to crumbles and everybody is happy. I have very minimal waste, my feeder sits on a square piece of wood and what little gets spilled is mostly cleaned up. Some people swear by pellets, others by crumble. Feed whatever is easiest for you, least waste and makes your birds happy!

 

[donrae]

Quit feeding them the corn. They're like little kids and the corn is their candy. They're passing up the good food for the candy is all. Trust me, no bird is going to starve itself to death when feed is available. Raise the feeder, or just let them eat what they spill off the ground--that's way more normal for a chicken than eating from a feeder--and don't feed them more until they clean up what's there.

 

[samanthaburns]

Our barred rocks didn't like the pellets they waste over half of it. We went back to feeding them the crumbles and eat it all up

 

[sssharon]

So has anyone tried grinding their pellets in a blender? I did that because I was going to give it away and then I thought why not grind it up myself. I also put corn in it and I did notice they picked it out. They didn't like the corn when it was whole either. My Leghorns are really picky. They don't even go crazy for nightcrawlers like I thought they would or most birds do anyway. The only thing they love is bread. They will practically attack you for bread. Interesting bunch.