My chicks wont eat their feed...

[Shikens!]

I have eight 5 week olds and one 8 week old.

They are not eating their medicated starter. They live outside in my coop.

Here is some background info.

I have been feeding them out of the same 50lb bag of food since I got them. About 3 days ago I noticed they weren't going through as much food as normal. They peck through it but they weren't eating loads of it like they normally did. Today their food looked untouched. I have been feeling thier crops throughout the day and they have been consistently empty.

I panicked and gave them some egg yolk and fresh corn and they ate it like CRAZY. I do not give them treats all the time so they are not not eating their feed because they are full or anything like that.

I also noticed they have not been crowding around their waterer like normal. I see them drink off and on but no where near as often as they used to.

The only thing I have done differently is I got Oxine AH and have misted their coop with the watered down solution. I dont think this has anything to do with it but I am trying not to leave anything out.

A few of the 5 week olds have been holding their beaks open very slightly. They have AC so they are not too hot. I don't know what's wrong but this aint good...

 

[CapricornFarm]

Sometimes when it is hot, you need to add water to the feed in a separate bowl, this encourages them to absorb more water and eat their feed. You could try it. Hope it helps.

 

[ninabeast]

Is it possible the food has gone off, somehow? I know chickens aren't too smart about what they eat, but maybe they know something's wrong? Is it an old bag maybe?

 

[fluffandpuffchicks]

old feed maybe? my chicks who are 8 weeks dont eat as much, but they crowd their water and food. They eat alot but not as much. Mine are fine... Good luck finding out why

 

[yinepu]

My birds have never liked medicated feed. I have had to feed it occasionally when the feedstore was out of un-medicated.. I don't know if they didn't like the taste or the smell (they would eat it for a few days then as much as quit).
To me it smells funny.. but I'm not a chicken so..

 

[Wildflower_VA]

The fact that they ate the egg yolk and fresh corn like CRAZY probably doesn't have anything to do with actually being hungry. My chicks never slowed down on eating their feed, but you give them boiled eggs and corn in any form and they go crazy like they haven't eaten in days. It does still sound like there is something "off" about the feed which they don't like. Chicks eat less when it is really hot, so July heat could cause them to eat less.

 

[Shikens!]

Well, there is no way I can use non- medicated. My soil is ridden with cocci and I am finally done saving lives for like 5 minutes. So there is no way I'm switching. I just went out and bought a brand new bag of food even though half of my old one is left. We will see if they eat any...

My coop has AC so they are not hot.

 

[Shikens!]

Ok I think I need some serious help.

Last night I locked them in the coop with a full feeder of the brand new food. They have an AC set at 82 degrees. I left them in the coop until 10AM so I could see how they would eat. The feeder is basically untouched. There are little divots in the feed under each hole in the feeder but it just looks like they played in the food not ate it. Their crops are 100% EMPTY. I cannot even feel where a crop is supposed to be! I also gave them their first scratch and they just played with it and didnt eat it.

So, I let them into the run threw some scratch and gave them a bowl of the new food mixed with water as suggested. I will go out there in a hour or so and see if any is gone. I"m really worried. I put the bowl of food down and 3 of them didnt even bother to stop sunning themselves and come check it out.

They are acting totally normal other than not eating. Not acting weak or anything... yet...

Please help me!