My pullets don't like eating

[AnimalGeek23]

Hi all--
So I have 7 8-week old B.O pullets at the moment, and I realized that they don't like the treats I give them. I've tried giving them strawberries, watermelon, apples, seeds, and yogurt, all of which they seem to acknowledge but turn away from. I've even tried hand-feeding it in hopes of them liking the treats. I also give them about a day or so: they eat some of it, but they aren't too interested. I was wondering what other treats I can try giving them? Maybe they're too young to like anything--they eat the chick feed only when they're hungry. The only thing they seem to be interested in is grass and worms they dig up occasionally.

Another reason I want to try giving them treats is to get them to know me. I've heard chickens tend to be food driven, so I was planning on using the treats to lure them back in the coop at dusk.
Thanks!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Are you providing chick grit in addition to their chick feed? It's important to provide grit before offering treats, but you probably know that. Having said that, have you tried dried meal worms? Mine went nuts for that right away. Other treats were always a learning experience, so offer them a little at a time and let them get used to them as they will. Remember, treats are to chickens as cake and ice cream are to kids. A little bit goes a long way!

 

[MLG1900]

They are still very young. If you want a treat, try meal worms. They will go crazy for them.

 

[K0k0shka]

I have 8-week-old Orps, too, and they LOVE scratch! Eat it out of my hand. They also love it when I take the powderized feed at the bottom of the bag or feeder, which gets left behind after they eat the larger crumbles, and mix it with water to form a damp, clumpy mash. They don’t like the dry powder but love the mash! It’s a treat without being a treat. They regard it as gold and come running for it, but you’re not actually feeding them anything new or different, so no limitations (unlike scratch, which should be restricted).

 

[Waxmoon]

I give mine ground up rolled oats, meal worms crushed up, fruit, ECT with small rocks(for grit). I learned from my first chicks that if what you're giving them is to large they won't eat it. Maybe also trying cut up in dice size peices for your chicks when giving treats.

 

[sueschef]

I've given whole blueberries and they seemed very confused, so then crushed them and rolled it in their feed. They really like it that way, I guess to them it's too smooth and doesn't look edible. The same could be done with watermelon but in not really mashed small pieces, in their water.

 

[SilkieMitch]

I’ve been having the same trouble with my 13 week old Silkies! They love their growers crumble but have zero interest in treats. They will eat mealworms but don’t exactly rush for them. Any other treats get left untouched! I guess they haven’t figured out what may be yummy yet, but they sure like scavenging for worms in the grass!

 

[Scott204]

My chickens go crazy for oatmeal. The cut oats that come in the large can, not the packaged stuff.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Hi all--
So I have 7 8-week old B.O pullets at the moment, and I realized that they don't like the treats I give them. I've tried giving them strawberries, watermelon, apples, seeds, and yogurt, all of which they seem to acknowledge but turn away from. I've even tried hand-feeding it in hopes of them liking the treats. I also give them about a day or so: they eat some of it, but they aren't too interested. I was wondering what other treats I can try giving them? Maybe they're too young to like anything--they eat the chick feed only when they're hungry. The only thing they seem to be interested in is grass and worms they dig up occasionally.

Another reason I want to try giving them treats is to get them to know me. I've heard chickens tend to be food driven, so I was planning on using the treats to lure them back in the coop at dusk.
Thanks!

Give them the treats that they like. Worms. Get some mealworms and even some crickets. My babies went bananas over crickets. When you’re a chicken, bugs are a yummy treat.

 

[NatJ]

They also love it when I take the powderized feed at the bottom of the bag or feeder, which gets left behind after they eat the larger crumbles, and mix it with water to form a damp, clumpy mash. They don’t like the dry powder but love the mash!

I agree, this works great! You get all the fun of serving a treat, they get the fun of eating something else, no worries about messing up their nutrition. (And it's a lot cheaper than mealworms )

Of course, if you run out of dusty bits, you can just get crumbles or pellets wet.