My chickens won't eat anything but feed

[mamakelly]

My chickens are 10 weeks old. I've been trying to give them kitchen scraps, but they won't eat them. Don't chickens usually like fruits and vegis,LOL? I keep the feeder full all the time. Maybe I should take it out every once in a while?

 

[1_FnkyFrm]

What kind of table scraps are you trying to give them?

 

[mamakelly]

Yesterday I tried; bananna (left over from the toddler) carrots, lettuce, and celery. I was making a salad and tried to give them the scraps.

 

[nelgkel]

That is frustrating mamaKelly!! My 10 week olds eat EVERYTHING I give them to try! Raw goat milk yogurt, flaxseed, steel cut oats, corn on the cob, broccoli,sweet potatoe fries, watermelon, cabbage, lettuce, cheese, huge mealworms,crickets, love bugs,cooked rice, uncooked brown rice, afalfa hay,apples, bananas....basically anything leftover from the kitchen...I keep a ziploc bag in the freezer to freeze any leftovers so that they do not go bad and it helps cool them down when it especially hot. I found that if they did not like something I would take it out and reintroduce it a few hours later and leave it for a bit. A lot of times you have to introduce new food more than once before they try it. I have been giving mine treats since they were about 1 week old...also started introducing them to grit at the same time so they could digest the food. Keep trying, they are SO cute when they chase each other trying to get one anothers treats!!

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Thus far mine have eaten all table scraps that I've offered them and they

bananas...they get all the overripe ones...dish looks like it was licked clean. They ate all the apricots that had blemishes that I did not want to freeze and they clean up the blackeyed pea shells. So far I have not found anything they will NOT eat...including my fingers!

 

[chuckzoo]

At what age did you start introducing treats?

I started at 3 weeks and mine like most things. You may have to leave it in the bowl for a little while for them to get used to it and sample it but they will come around.

 

[nelgkel]

just thought of something else...sprinkle some of their crumbles on top of the banana...that will help them not be so hesitant about it ...

 

[emrys]

Some chickens like stuff others won't touch. Mine wouldn't touch a strawberry but snarf down tomatoes. They had to sneak up on the blueberries to be sure it wasn't something dangerous. If they are used to a feeder set up high they may not know to look down for food. Mine were afraid of yogurt till I sprinked some of their food on top. If one of them every starts pecking at the new stuff the others will join in. Chickens don't seem really good at trying new things. Slow learners, but once they get the idea they will clean up.

 

[mamakelly]

They have always been picky little things. At 2 weeks I tried introducing vegi scraps and they ran to the other end of the brooder and hid in the corner until I took the scraps out. That's a good idea to sprinkle feed over the treats. I"ll have to try that.

 

[newTexan2chickens]

mine won't eat squash or eggplant but the cherries I threw into the compost heap were delicious to them! They also love tomatoes.... dang rooster grabbed one off the vine!