Picky eaters

[Svalur]

I feed a scratch grain blend to my laying hens, but they only eat the black seeds, which I think are sunflower seeds. Everything else they don't touch. This seems very wasteful to me. I have tried leaving them for a day with the rejected seeds and pellets but they still won't eat them. If I fed them only sunflower seeds, would this give them a balanced diet? f not, is there an alternative feed that I can buy which they would be more likely to eat? They have a 6X2m enclosure to scratch around in as well (5 hens), and also get kitchen scraps. I

 

[Fred's Hens]

I would recommend you feed them a complete feed formulated especially for laying hens. Here in the US, this is called Layer or Laying mash. This should be fed to provide 80-90 percent of their caloric intake. Table scraps are fine as is some scratch grains, but their main staple needs to be complete feed formula. Layer feed provides for their dietary needs and will give you the best chance of having good egg production and overall good hen health.

 

[Svalur]

Update on this: I switched to Premium Top Layer Mash and although it is 5 dollars more expensive, it is well worth it as it lasts over a month, whereas the scratch was only lasting a week! They eat it all, and they don't waste any.