My hens won't eat anything other than regular feed

[MrFluffyandGirls]

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?

Nothing wrong with a well balanced chicken feed. It's good they like it enough to turn their nose up at treats. I have a dog I wish would eat it's food plain without me having to dress it up.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I wish my dogs would quit eating the chicken feed.

 

[imnukensc]

Try this ,Hold back the feed for one day , the next day feed them in the mourning on watermelon and tomatoes cut up small pieces put it in your hand and let them come get it ! Let me know what happens .

Do not try this. It is a terrible idea.

Chickens, much like people, are reluctant to eat anything if they don't know what it is or are unfamiliar with it. Would you have been the first person to eat a raw oyster?

 

[CannedMonster]

Small pieces means the size of a pea or smaller. Mine were much more likely to try it if it was in tiny pieces. They seem to instinctively know when something is too big to swallow. One of them should eventually get brave enough to try it lol.

 

[CluckerFamily]

If that was the first time they saw it, they were unsure of it. Give it a try later.
The first time I let my first batch of chicks outside, they refused to jump off the plank onto the grass. It was entertaining watching them push each other off and then quickly jump back up. Once they got use to the grass, the grass didn't have a chance for survival!

 

[yakitori]

I remember when we first tossed water melon rinds (with some flesh attached) into the chicken run, my chickens wouldn't touch it. We decided to leave it in there and let them play/poop/sleep/whatever they fancied with it. I come back a few hours later, lo and behold, they were stripped down to the greens. Now whenever I want them to try something, I just toss it in there, they will generally warm up to it, and if not, oh well, future compost!

 

[Sonya9]

They are still chicks, not hens. Babies are particularly careful about ingesting new foods. It isn't just because they are picky it is a survival trait.

When raised naturally with a mother hen the chicks are very careful to ONLY eat new foods their mother verbally approved. Don't try to force them, they will eventually expand there diet but it isn't worth stressing them over and forcing them to eat it by with holding their chick feed would be cruel.

 

[Aapomp831]

That is completely normal for that age. My chickens never get into treats until they are integrated with the bigger birds and they see them going nuts for the treats. At 7 weeks, try some mealworms. My 7 week era just started experimenting with eating those (just not too much - one or two per bird due to their fat content and high protein. There is already a ton of protein in their finisher food.

 

[KarynVA]

My chickens, now 16 weeks old, also would not try people food 'treats' from the time I started offering them at around 8 weeks old. Now, they still don't get excited about fruits and veggies. I give them small bits of kale from the garden; tomatoes cut up; melon; strawberries; yogurt; chopped boiled egg; no interest. One thing they are okay with is plum. They will eat chunks of ripe plum but that's about it.

 

[Kellow1]

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?

Your chickens are very smart. All the extra you feed only serve to dilute the nutrients of the feed.