my chickens wont eat treats

[SC_Hugh]

Chickens do fine on just good quality feed, water and exercise. It is us that want to see them get excited for treats (like ourselves).

My chickens are 12 and 14 weeks: 3 of them eat red grapes cut in half, but one needs to eat them cut in 1/4's. Your chickens should be tempted by sliced up red grapes. Also, room temp watermelon, not frozen. Dig up some small worms or buy them at the store, that will get them excited to see you.

Hope that helps,

Hugh

 

[switters]

I came here to post essentially the same question, although with a slight twist.

Our 12-day old chicks are literally terrified of us. When we open our brooder and put our hands in to pick them up, they scatter like crazy. We're very gentle when we hold them and always have been, and once we do get them into our hands they seem to settle down and even enjoy it.

Someone suggested feeding them treats each time we hold them to "train" them to like us, but so far it has been impossible to feed them anything at all. I've tried putting bread crumbs, yogurt, mashed up fresh greens, fruit, etc. in a small dish into the brooder. They don't touch it. I've tried feeding these same items from my hand. Not interested.

It seems these chicks don't recognize anything as food except what is in their chick feeder. Maybe I should start putting some treats in there so they'll develop a taste for them and recognize them. Then I can try giving the treats from my hand or a separate dish.

We really want our chickens to be accustomed to and comfortable with us. What can we do?

 

[hrmalexandra]

To get my girls to eat treats I usually rolled them in chicken pellets first - imagine a piece of melon with their regular food stuck to it. As they pecked off the food they realized that what was underneath was tasty too.

As for the chicks - mine were also really skittish, you have to be patient on the picking them up thing. Once they learn to like foods, put them in your hand and put the hand flat on the floor and don't move at all when they eat. Slowly but surely!

 

[2DogsFarm]

FINALLY! I can post something useful on here

I can hardly take the credit, as another BYC'er posted that they use raisins as treats & let me tell ya, for my girls this was THE ANSWER.
I got them at 9wks old and while they would eat their crumbles from my hand and some greens, Heaven Forbid the Hand of Death moved toward them empty!!!

I tried other BYC-approved treats:
Cheerios, Strawberries...no dice
Cauliflower got me the Stinkeye
Cutup grapes - yummy, but still only from the bowl or grab from my hand and ruuuuuuunnnnnn awaaaaaaaay!!!

The raisins changed their tune.
After only 2 weeks of Raisin Therapy, I now have one who runs to me and practically pats me down for a raisin and the others aren't far behind her.
4 of the 5 will greedily take raisins from my hand and even jump into my lap for the goods.
(the 5th is a Houdan and I'm starting to think her elevator doesn't reach all the way to the penthouse, if ya know what I mean...)
These 4 are definitely friendlier since determining I am The Source of Raisins - allowing the occasional pat on the back and not screaming bloodymurder when picked up.

Try it...they like it!

 

[Rhody chics]

Please tell me Roaches in the feed bin is not common as one lady said she found. EWWWWW lol