Need help raising two chickens. Lots to ask!

[silverwarrior]

So I have had these two chicks for oneand a half month. I keep them in a chicken cage pretty large and spacious. I keep sand on the floor because one of the chicks got sick when I used pine shavings.
Now I don't know what to feed them. I raised them by feeding spinach, pearl millet( very common in my country) and cooked rice. Now they don't eat ri CE or spinach or pearl millet and these are the only things other people here feed their chickens. What should I feed them that can be commonly found. The chickens have also lost weight.
Furthermore, can you identify the chicken type from the pic? I am keeping chickens for a first time and I don't know which of them is rooster or hen. This is also a problem as I can't keep roosters in my neighbourhood. Can you identify them? I can upload more pics if you want.

 

[CookieChicken03]

They look like pullets, so you should go to your local farming store or something like that (Tractor Supply), and buy some food for them. Feeding them that and table scraps (everything but citrus and dairy) should keep them very happy.

As for the breed, I don't recognize them. They kinda looked like Seremas to me though...But don't trust me I'm not a chicken expert.

Good luck!

 

[MikeTheGardener]

So I have had these two chicks for oneand a half month. I keep them in a chicken cage pretty large and spacious. I keep sand on the floor because one of the chicks got sick when I used pine shavings.
Now I don't know what to feed them. I raised them by feeding spinach, pearl millet( very common in my country) and cooked rice. Now they don't eat ri CE or spinach or pearl millet and these are the only things other people here feed their chickens. What should I feed them that can be commonly found. The chickens have also lost weight.
Furthermore, can you identify the chicken type from the pic? I am keeping chickens for a first time and I don't know which of them is rooster or hen. This is also a problem as I can't keep roosters in my neighbourhood. Can you identify them? I can upload more pics if you want.

I dont know what country you are in, but I would recommend that you pick up a feed specifically for chickens. Here in NJ I go to Tractor Supply and pick up an organic variety, that I also mix with cracked corn. My girls are happy and healthy and I get 4 to 6 eggs per day from 6 birds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The one on the left is definitely a cockerel. At that age, with that size and color of the comb and wattles, the posture, and the heavy legs there just isn’t any doubt. The other is a pullet.

I’m surprised they stopped eating that food. That just doesn’t sound right. Are they getting grit? That’s small pieces of rock they use in their gizzard to grind up their food since they don’t have teeth. They have probably been using sand for that but they may have grown large enough the sand particle size is now just too small. If they have access to the ground they normally find their own but if they are confined away from the ground you may need to find some for them. What you are looking for are small pieces of rock between the size of sand and green peas. Since they are losing weight as well as not eating it’s possible they can no longer digest their food. Their digestive tract may be plugged inside. The first thing I’d try is grit.

I don’t have any other real options for what to feed them. I think it is something else. You can always feed them table scraps or such, but they should be eating what you are offering them.

Good luck!

 

[silverwarrior]

I dont know what country you are in, but I would recommend that you pick up a feed specifically for chickens.  Here in NJ I go to Tractor Supply and pick up an organic variety, that I also mix with cracked corn.  My girls are happy and healthy and I get 4 to 6 eggs per day from 6 birds.

I found a lot of bird shops in the market and they all have chicken feed for little chicks and laying hens. I bought some and tried, the chickens love it. What do you mean by cracked corn? Is it that light yellow corn powder that my chicks finish in two seconds. They like it so much they don't stop pecking until their stomachs protrude more than their necks.