I have 6 red stars that I got at TSC about 6 weeks ago. So far, they have actuially proven more sociable than my last patch of Barred Rocks. However, unlike my garbage disposal Rocks that ate everything I tossed in to their run, these gals don't go much for table scraps.
I tossed in some caterpillars, they stared at them. I tossed in some cracked corn. They gave me a pitiful look as though to say, "I thought you were going to FEED us something." When I put a watermelon rind in the run, they all hid from it. I am NOT JOKING.
If I toss some bread crumbs in, they will peck at them a bit. They will eat shredded lettuce--I grow buttercrunch lettuce in a small planter and pull up a head for them every day and tear it up as I walk over, I'm not actually buying shredded lettuce for them. They will also eat earthworms and june bugs.
Does anyone else have chickens this fussy? Did you get them to overcome this at all?
They are in a 4 x 5 coop with a hexagonal run about 12ft diamter. There is some grass, sand and pine needles in the run. I keep a waterer and feeder in the coop with another waterer outside. I also put a handful of grit outside the coop every few days or so in case they don't find the sand in the run adequate. They are still on 20% grower ration. Other than a few attempts to give them cracked corn, they don't get scratch yet.
I tossed in some caterpillars, they stared at them. I tossed in some cracked corn. They gave me a pitiful look as though to say, "I thought you were going to FEED us something." When I put a watermelon rind in the run, they all hid from it. I am NOT JOKING.
If I toss some bread crumbs in, they will peck at them a bit. They will eat shredded lettuce--I grow buttercrunch lettuce in a small planter and pull up a head for them every day and tear it up as I walk over, I'm not actually buying shredded lettuce for them. They will also eat earthworms and june bugs.
Does anyone else have chickens this fussy? Did you get them to overcome this at all?
They are in a 4 x 5 coop with a hexagonal run about 12ft diamter. There is some grass, sand and pine needles in the run. I keep a waterer and feeder in the coop with another waterer outside. I also put a handful of grit outside the coop every few days or so in case they don't find the sand in the run adequate. They are still on 20% grower ration. Other than a few attempts to give them cracked corn, they don't get scratch yet.
