Our girls won't eat layer pellets and act like they are starving all the time

[JoeB35]

No, it's not.

Corn is the base of the vast majority of chicken feeds out there - it's no more "candy" than sunflower seeds, millet, or any other grain. Feeding chickens nothing but corn is a bad idea, but that's true of pretty much anything.

What the writer meant was that corn is a treat. Sunflower also. Fed by itself, chickens love it. Cut out the treat and they will eat their whole foods.

 

[greggooo]

We have 3 Chickens that refuse to eat layer pellets. We do spoil them with scraps and plenty of corn but only because they seam to be hungry all the time. We have tried reducing the corn but they still do not touch the pellets.

The other thing is they screech really loudly until we feed them. This means that they wake us and the neighbours up in the morning with their call for food. Does anyone have any tips and does it matter that they won't have the corn?

Having the same issue right now. It's our first winter and I kept reading that you should give them some scratch and cracked corn before bed to help them keep themselves warm. Now, they hold out for it! The act like they are starving. I do warm oatmeal in the am, and have been giving treats like carrots, sunflower seeds, but now, I NEED them to eat their feed. I have been trying to just give them feed and nothing else until I see that they eat it, but they are stubborn!

Any tricks to help them run to their feed first again?

 

[greggooo]

I had the same issue with my 6 hens when I got them from a friend. they didn't want the good expensive layer food I switched them to (like people, they want junk food) so I was thinking maybe they just weren't hungry cuz they were free ranging and I thought they might be eating a lot of my compost heap.. well, when they started feeling scrawny, I set out to figure out a way to get them to eat their pellets.. I tried mixing fruits and veggies in, they cherry picked it. I tried a lot of stuff and then I thought, maybe it looks boring, cuz they go for the colorful treats, so I added some natural food coloring to the food by mixing food coloring in a little water and pouring it over the food. I used red, blue, and purple and they ate SO MUCH!!! I did that for 3 days and realized it was a LOT of extra work and decided to try giving them wet uncolored pellets because I noticed they peck at dry food but wouldn't gulp it like they did damp pellets... VOILA!!! it wasn't the lack of color, it was that they didn't like the pellets dry!! so now, I give them a big scoop of pellets and fill the bowl (til its level with top of pellets) with hot water and wait 5 mins for it to absorb it. they are eating the entire amount every day, they are fat, and they aren't screaming all day anymore

I'll have to try this!

 

[lynettebarrow]

Stop all treats - they will be eating the pellets within the day.

My chickens are spoiled and will not eat there pellets I have locked them in there coop now going on day two and they still are not eating or laying eggs I understand not eating mo eggs how long should I stay strong

 

[RoosterML]

My chickens are spoiled and will not eat there pellets I have locked them in there coop now going on day two and they still are not eating or laying eggs I understand not eating mo eggs how long should I stay strong

They will eat, you have created monsters

 

[Ascholten]

They are not going to starve.
Make sure you got calcium too, like ground shell in case they are also having digestive issues, ie no grit in the gizzard. Make it as easy as possible for them to eat the food YOU want them to eat.

They may throw their little fits, dig up stuff in the dirt, eat every blade of grass within beaks reach but eventually they WILL eat what you give them. Let the tantrum go, they need to learn.

Aaron

 

[NKadi]

We have 3 Chickens that refuse to eat layer pellets. We do spoil them with scraps and plenty of corn but only because they seam to be hungry all the time. We have tried reducing the corn but they still do not touch the pellets.

The other thing is they screech really loudly until we feed them. This means that they wake us and the neighbours up in the morning with their call for food. Does anyone have any tips and does it matter that they won't have the corn?

Switched to pellets after my 9 chicken have been nit picking to thru layer feed and scattering most of it feed on the ground around their feeder. I switched to pellets, topped off the feeder and surprisingly it stayed intact for the whole complete week. A couple of days after I filled it up I noticed that not only they haven't touched the pellets, but they started scarping and eating some of the previously scattered layer feed of the ground, that they wouldn't originally eat. I decided to ignore their rejection to pellets and let the whole week go by without caving in, hoping they'd starve and settle for what's available, it never happened. They just do not want pellets. I guess I gotta look for a third alternative. Any recommendations on a type of feed that laying hens tend to generally favor??

 

[saysfaa]

To decrease the scattering, try raising the feeder to about back height or only a little lower. Or a different shaped feeder.

For the rest: Try wetting either feed. You could ferment it but just getting it wet is enough to make the ground feed harder to sort through or the pellets less strange.

How wet doesn't matter much - wet enough for the vitamin/mineral dust to stick to the ground feed particles or the pelleted feed to start falling apart. And not so wet that they can't "eat" it. About like oatmeal.

If you don't want to feed soaked feed for long, go with the pellets. I think they will eat them as dry pellets once they start eating them at all. Maybe feed them gradually drier.

 

[Ascholten]

If they are picking the others out of the ground, that tells me there is still sufficient food around that they don't NEED to eat the new ones yet. Starvation is a powerful motivator !
I put mine in a bowl and fill it with water just until the water level starts showing at the top of the food in the bowl. Then let it set a minute or two for the water to soak in and then put it in there for them. You may try this with your pellets see if they eat them then.

Maybe they don't like smaller pellets because they are hard, the birds think they are gizzard rocks and they don't need them?? Not sure but the water is worth a try and then slowly decrease the water you use to wean them onto the pellets or just keep putting water into them. Either way works.

Aaron