My chickens only want pasta

[EggSighted4Life]

They aren't eating their crumble as much and have even escaped from the run looking for more. I've tried withholding it but they get upset and don't settle until I give them some. It was supposed to be a treat but now it is becoming a staple. Is there anything I can do to re-train them to eat just their crumble and not depend so much on the treat without starving them?

Wanted to make sure... that you know my previous statements were what I would say to a friend I cared about.

NO ridicule intended. Feeding treats is fun! It friendly's up our birds quick. We all do our best until we learn something new and you were ALREADY here looking for help!

 

[RodNTN]

Don't give them any treats and they'll eat what they need

 

[Lazy Farmer]

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[room onthebroom]

I agree. Treats are a fun time to bond with your birds. Treat time is my favorite part of the day, but I also agree treats should be limited to healthy stuff like scrambled or boiled eggs, meal worms, fruit, vegi's, etc...

That being said, take a quick look at their crumbles & see if theres other reasons they wont eat them. I've had bins/bags of food that were getting more sun exposure than I thought they were. The condensation from the sun made the crumbles moldy. Moldy food can be deadly for chickens & the slight green color can be hard to see if you're not looking for it.

Probably your chickens are just spoiled (but check the food just in case) heaven knows I'd eat pasta all day too if I could!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

heaven knows I'd eat pasta all day too if I could!

Right?! Yummy.

Great suggestion.

 

[wobit]

I love stepping out the back door and seeing the girls come running so fast that one once actually wiped out and rolled trying to take the corner too tight. It's great that I have an easy way to tempt them back into the run after free ranging. I enjoy having them want to be near me. I like that the leftovers from dinner aren't going to waste. I totally get wanting to feed them yummy treats. But just as everyone else said, I keep in <10% total intake so they will eat their balanced layer feed.

Right now I'm trying to train the next flock of 16 pullets to want to come, so twice a day I take a pinch of "scratch" treat feed (a literal pinch, it's a half teaspoonish) and call out to them and scatter it.

Hens are very highly trainable and food motivated, with a few treats they will very quickly catch on to your pattern. Apparently they are often used to train dog trainers! https://www.legacycanine.com/chicken-workshops Take advantage of their smarts and reserve your treat time for something really fun.

 

[room onthebroom]

Me too. When I yell, "PrettyPrettyPrettyPretty" the funniest race in town is on.

 

[rita2paul]

my girls are the same i started to treat them with pasta and they stand and shout for more, when they see me they go mad running as fast as they can to get to me first, they get corn and grapes, the grape i use for adding fluvenet a wormer, they go nuts for grapes. so like you i have cut back on the pasta.

 

[room onthebroom]

Ok. confession time. The first chickens I ever had... I didnt know better & created a flock of monsters with shredded cheese. Those birds would come up a flight of stairs & go thru the dog door multiple times a day trying to guilt me into giving them some. It was a nightmare & I knew it wasn't good for them, but I was such a sucker for those funny girls. After that flock died off (probably from clogged arteries... J/K!) we stopped giving the girls such naughty snacks. I can tell you my subsequent flocks have been just as happy to see me as the cheese addicts were, but are so much heathier.

PS. Try to give them watermelon. I've never known a chicken who hasn't completely freaked out about getting watermelon.

 

[TieTie]

Chickens won't starve if you leave them with crumble, eventually they'll eat what they have available

To make it easier try wetting the feed they might like that

Thank you. I appreciate your kind reply.