Old flock of laying hens has decided to be super picky. (They also stopped laying)

[Worriesandwonders]

Hello! I have an older flock of laying hens that has decided they want to only eat seeds and treats. I have no clue what happened.

It all started when they abruptly stopped eating their typical layer pelleted feed. I thought maybe they had just gotten sick of it after all these years, so I bought a bag of cracked corn and seed mixture. Now, they have decided to only eat the sunflower seeds and oats out of this mixture. They want nothing to do with the corn (which is the base of the feed).

I have no clue what to do because they just will not touch pellets or corn. I've tried just leaving the corn and pellets in their pan for a few days in hopes they would get hungry enough and eat it, but no, they just starved for 2 days.

Any ideas on a feed I could try or something I could do?
Sidenote: I'm pretty sure it's just old age, but they all stopped laying about 4 months ago, and now only one out of five chickens is laying. Are they missing something in their diet?

 

[Chookchicken]

Some chickens just aren’t fussed on cracked corn. I buy my chickens free range seed, it has cracked corn. They don’t eat it though they just pick out the sunflower seeds and then their done, until later when they come back mortified that the sparrows ate it. Though my chickens love fresh corn. Fresh corn is good for chickens, as long as your not in America. I’d say your chickens aren’t eating the pellets because they don’t need all that calcium. I am not an expert on this stuff, it’s purely from my own experience. But I still hope that it helps you in someway.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You could try a feed with more protein, such as grower, an all flock or flock raiser, etc. But I would cut out all treats (and yes that includes the corn) and offer nothing but the pellets or crumble, in order to force them to eat it.

 

[GRB73]

Hello! I have an older flock of laying hens that has decided they want to only eat seeds and treats. I have no clue what happened.

It all started when they abruptly stopped eating their typical layer pelleted feed. I thought maybe they had just gotten sick of it after all these years, so I bought a bag of cracked corn and seed mixture. Now, they have decided to only eat the sunflower seeds and oats out of this mixture. They want nothing to do with the corn (which is the base of the feed).

I have no clue what to do because they just will not touch pellets or corn. I've tried just leaving the corn and pellets in their pan for a few days in hopes they would get hungry enough and eat it, but no, they just starved for 2 days.

Any ideas on a feed I could try or something I could do?
Sidenote: I'm pretty sure it's just old age, but they all stopped laying about 4 months ago, and now only one out of five chickens is laying. Are they missing something in their diet

 

[GRB73]

Maybe it is a texture issue? My 5 yo hens prefer layer crumbles to pellets. I read somewhere that crumbles are easier for older hens to eat. Also, could their current feed be old or moldy? Maybe this is why they are ignoring it?

Remember too, even though they are older, they still need a good feed for well -rounded nutrition. If they are not laying regularly, they don't need the calcium in the layer feed. Offer them All Flock formula with oyster shells on the side. Or Flock Raiser, which has higher protein than layer feed. Keep the shells on the side should they feel they need extra calcium.
Note of caution, my girls had problems with Purina's high protein Flock Raiser (20% protein) formula. It gave them loose, stinky poos. Now we are back to the layer crumbles because I can't find an All Flock in crumble formula that is affordable. Manna Pro is the only brand of All Flock crumble I could find, but it was $14 for an 8 pound bag. Outrageous. My "Golden Girls" are still laying a few times a week so the extra calcium in the layer feed isn't an issue just yet.

 

[MissE]

You may have had a bag of bad feed.

Kids will eat mac and cheese, pizza, and candy over healthy food, too. Doesn't mean it's good for them. I would suggest a new bag of feed and stop all treats. They will eat if they are hungry. If you only give them healthy choices, they will only eat healthy food.