New chickens won't eat layer feed

[twentynine]

Quote:
Do what you want, but i would not mix corn in with the pellets. The chickens in their search for the tasty morsals of corn will scatter the pellets and waste. What i do is keep pellets/crumbles infront of them all day, then give them a bit of corn as a treat. I have ten chickens, I give them about 1 cup of cracked or whole corn.

 

[Judy]

I'd gradually get the corn out of the pellets. They're going to eat corn first and pellets only if they have to. Just give corn as a treat, separately, in small amounts. Agree that they'll eat pellets when hungry enough.

 

[Cindlady]

Well, I didn't but allot of corn in, just enough so they would peck in the feeder. They didn't even go by it when I gave them just pellets. Today I gave them just pellets in the feeder and just sprinkled a bit of corn outside. Tonight it looked like at least some of the pellets were gone.

 

[Five Dog Farm]

I would't give them any scratch or corn. Let them figure out that the pellets are the main source of food before they get treats. Many people give scratch to cut feed costs. Around here scratch and feed run about the same price. So I only give it a couple times a week as a treat. Last fall we got 4 RIRs from a friend. They were on crumbles when we got them. We feed pellets here. The didn't seem to care.

 

[PapaChaz]

Quote:
They won't touch a pellet with my beak, but I bet they would with their beaks if they were hungry.

So right, they will not starve. Those chickens will eat pellets and Lord only knows what else.

so right, they will not starve. those chickens will eat pellets and Lord knows EVERYTHING else; fixed it for ya,

 

[Cindlady]

They seem to be catching on. Slow, but at least they seem to be getting enough.... only 1 week left until I introduce them to the rest of the flock.

Thanks all!