My hens won't eat anything other than regular feed

[HONOMO]

I'm a backyard chicken newbie. I have two hens around 7 and 10 weeks old. I have them on the grower feed. I've read that chickens love watermelon on hot days, so I put a slice of watermelon in there, and they didn't even touch it. I also read that they like tomatoes and I threw some in there as well. The hens also completely ignored those.

Any thoughts?

 

[sourland]

Chickens dislike change and generally are reluctant to try new foods. Give them time, and offer small pieces of watermelon or tomato.

 

[Pullet Press]

I'm a backyard chicken newbie. I have two hens around 7 and 10 weeks old. I have them on the grower feed. I've read that chickens love watermelon on hot days, so I put a slice of watermelon in there, and they didn't even touch it. I also read that they like tomatoes and I threw some in there as well. The hens also completely ignored those.

Any thoughts?

They didn't touch the watermelon or tomatoes?! *acts surprised, which I genuinely am* I have no idea why they aren't eating the fruit and veggies. My chooks will kill to have good watermelon. Was it ripe? Did the tomatoes have their stems on? They are poisonous and can kill your birds.

 

[black_cat]

Did they not touch it at all to the point of it just sitting there for days, or did they just not go ham on it at first but slowly eat it throughout a day? It might be better to feed from your hand because they'll get the idea that it means treats. Maybe put some food on it so that they try to peck the food and get some yummy watermelon instead?

 

[HONOMO]

Chickens dislike change and generally are reluctant to try new foods. Give them time, and offer small pieces of watermelon or tomato.

The tomatoes were cut in half. And the watermelon was sliced on the end and not in little pieces. I'll try smaller pieces some time.

 

[HONOMO]

They didn't touch the watermelon or tomatoes?! *acts surprised, which I genuinely am* I have no idea why they aren't eating the fruit and veggies. My chooks will kill to have good watermelon. Was it ripe? Did the tomatoes have their stems on? They are poisonous and can kill your birds.

Watermelon was ripe. I removed the tomato stems. Might need to try smaller pieces.

 

[HONOMO]

Did they not touch it at all to the point of it just sitting there for days, or did they just not go ham on it at first but slowly eat it throughout a day? It might be better to feed from your hand because they'll get the idea that it means treats. Maybe put some food on it so that they try to peck the food and get some yummy watermelon instead?

To my knowledge, they didn't even touch it. Ignored it entirely. That's a good idea. I'll try holding food in my hand. I haven't tried feeding them from my hands at all yet.

 

[black_cat]

To my knowledge, they didn't even touch it. Ignored it entirely. That's a good idea. I'll try holding food in my hand. I haven't tried feeding them from my hands at all yet.

Whenever I have ANYTHING in my hand they think it's a treat. They're even just interested with my fingers.

 

[Pullet Press]

Whenever I have ANYTHING in my hand they think it's a treat. They're even just interested with my fingers.

Exactly. Even the moles on my arms they peck at. Maybe they think that we're just walking smorgasboards. (excuse my horrendous spelling)

 

[SueT]

You should be grateful they love their feed! So many people have issues with chickens rejecting feed. Remember, foods other than regular feed dilute the nutrition needed for growth and egg production, so preferring feed is a good thing.