My chickens are hardly eating the layer pellets

[Islandlife]

I must be lucky cause my chickens scarf up anything. They eat layer pellets no problem along with BOSS, cracked corn, oyster shells. They do like treats and probably the only thing that I've removed from the coop next day is peppers. They're not overly fussy about eating peppers.

 

[7L Farm]

Laying pellets & some greens produce eggs. To many treats makes it hard to balance their protein intake. Free range is a plus they get green grass & bugs which are full of protein. Free ranged birds will save you money on the feed bill.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mine are the opposite of a lot of people's. They prefer the pellets over the crumbles, the chunks over the powder. They will pick out the pellets and larger chunks and leave the powder. But about once a week, I don't refill the pellets until they clean up the powder. I don't want the leftover feed they won't eat to get moldy. They don't starve. They will clean up the powder. When I have a mixed aged flock, I feed Grower or Starter in Crumbles form. If that is all they have, they all eat that. They may pick the larger chunks out and leave the powder until last, but they will eat it. You'd think that preference would change with the different generations, yet mine have been pretty consistent in preference.

Chicken feed is made into pellet form. Crumbles are crushed pellets. Mash is ground pellets. It's all the same stuff. It really doesn't matter which form they eat. The nutrition is the same. I think I get less wastage with pellets since mine clean it off the ground under the outside feeder. And they can find the pellets easier in the litter under the inside feeder.

If I take the same feed and put it in a new feeder, they think that is a great treat. If I spill some on the ground while filling the feeder, they think that is extra special. It is the same exact feed, yet they go nuts over it. Birdbrains!

The chicken feed is formulated to keep them healthy and provide what they need to lay efficiently if that is all they eat. It has the right mix of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, fiber, and all that to get the highest number of right sized eggs eggs at the least cost per egg. But like Sunny Side Up, I believe the eggs are better for us if they get some treats or, even better, free range over decent forage. You may not get quite as many eggs or the eggs may be a little bit smaller, but studies have proven they contain a wider variety of vitamins and minerals. I think the chickens are happier and healthier too. They get more exercise chasing those grasshoppers so they probably have less body fat and stronger hearts.

I don't worry about their protein content or them getting the perfect balance of nutrients if they free range. They will pretty much balance out the nutrients themselves, eating grass and weeds, grass and weed seeds, and the various creepy crawlies they can catch if the forage is decent. If you cannot free range but give them treats instead, I think you do need to be careful about upsetting that balance too much. It's not an exact science for us. If your treats are a pretty varied diet of greens, kitchem scraps, grains, and creepy crawlies, then you can give them more than if their only treat day in and day out is cabbage. I think they have a fairly wide tolerance for that balance as far as staying healthy and even laying eggs, but too much of a good thing is often not a good thing.

 

[Amethyste]

my birdies HATE crumbles but scarf up the pellets like there is no tomorrow. I did switch them to the Scratch and Peck crumble tho....they love that stuff

It isn't like the pellet crumbles...its more like whole grains and stuff so they eat that happily. They despise the powder left form the pellets and Scratch and Peck tho...but I make that into a hot breakfast when there is enough so they eat that in seconds

Treats are given liberally, but only the fruits and veggies. People food <leftovers and bread etc> only once or twice a week if that. Otherwise they would eat the treats and nothing but. They do get whole grain scratch every day for something to look for in the run, but its not a filler thing. It's more of a seek and search thing to keep them busy.

 

[hosspak]

I just switched my 10 week olds and 16 week olds to layer pellets, not cold turkey but mixed with crumble and whole grains. I find the pellets on the ground and it looks like they are going only for the grains and seeds. I had almost no waste with the crumble. I want to stick it out with the pellets. Any help, thanks.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I just switched my 10 week olds and 16 week olds to layer pellets, not cold turkey but mixed with crumble and whole grains. I find the pellets on the ground and it looks like they are going only for the grains and seeds. I had almost no waste with the crumble. I want to stick it out with the pellets. Any help, thanks.

Layer pellets should be used for hens that are around 20 weeks of age or laying.

They need to be on Grower feed until then, since the layer has too much calcium and can damage their kidneys. (Your 16 week olds I'd not worry so much about but the 10 week old ones really need to NOT be on the layer.

Save your pellets. You can put them in the freezer and take them out a little at a time to prevent mold from condensation when it is time to feed them.

 

[NewBostonChick]

My girls and roo did not like the pellets at first so I went back to layer mash and put a bowl of pellets out.. eventually they started to eat the layer pellets.. I have always had 2 containers to offer them ever since.. mash and pellets.. a little variety for the girls!! Plus their treats..

 

[Dwerker]

Mine won't eat the pellets if the rain makes them mushy but even with a rain hat, the feeder still gets wet - I'm amazed that chickens are such fussy eaters!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Mine won't eat the pellets if the rain makes them mushy but even with a rain hat, the feeder still gets wet - I'm amazed that chickens are such fussy eaters!

I have lost chickens to moldy feed before so I recommend a little shelter for your feeder. Here is a pic of one. I have even used a chick n hutch with the feed inside it (a ramp up to the door given) with plywood and plexiglass covering the sides and front except for the door area. Anything to keep it dry. Of course the rodents will get the feed at night if it isn't locked up. So now I keep the feed inside the coop, which works well.

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/Chicken_Shelter.html

You can even hang a tarp if you don't get high winds. Or make a little hoop over it (no high winds) if you don't want to keep it inside the coop.