Picky Chickens

[osbergfamily5]

Hi all! I've been a BYC browser for a while now, but this is my first post. I'm finding that our new flock of chickens, 2 mottled Java and 2 silver Wyandotte, all around 20 weeks of age, don't really care for chicken "snacks". I put some watermelon out for them this week and they wouldn't go near it! Our old flock would constantly fight over anything we put in the run for them to eat that wasn't their nomal feed. These guys are kind of lame. How do I get them interested in our kitchen scraps?

 

[ralph a]

Cut back on there feed . This will get them looking for something to eat .Your birds need to be taught what is food .That does not come from a feed store.They will love you later for it.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I disagree; they need to eat their primary feed, and over time will learn to love the goodies, in moderation. If your flock had some older birds, they would show the younglings about the treats. Your babies just need time to figure it out on their own. Mary

 

[Sutremaine]

We haven't had our chickens for very long, but they seem to prefer their scraps on the dry side. Their primary feed is fermented and served a little on the wet side to stop them shaking it off their beaks everywhere, so they get a lot of fluids when they eat.

If you want them to go for the watermelon, you could put an unthreatening piece in their food dish and sprinkle a bit of their normal food over it.

 

[osbergfamily5]

Thanks for the tips! So appreciate it!