Switching from crumble to pellets

[NY Coturnix]

My poults are currently 7 and a half weeks old. I have 8 heritage BR and 6 BB 3 W and 3 B. I have about 1/3 of a bag left of the 30% starter crumble and decided rather than buy another bag of that it was time to go to the next step and get a grower 22%. It's pellets so I thought I'd try it last night to see how they'd do. They went right at it for about 20 seconds and then walked away which was very out of the norm. Normally they eat like pigs when I fill the food. I went back out an hour or so later and they hadn't really touched it. I got the idea of mixing it with the crumble and that seemed to do the trick. This morning there was a little more than the normal left in the food bin but not anything ridiculous.

I guess my question is should I have stayed with the crumble a little longer or should I just keep mixing until the starter crumble is gone and they'll figure it out.

 

[R2elk]

My poults are currently 7 and a half weeks old. I have 8 heritage BR and 6 BB 3 W and 3 B. I have about 1/3 of a bag left of the 30% starter crumble and decided rather than buy another bag of that it was time to go to the next step and get a grower 22%. It's pellets so I thought I'd try it last night to see how they'd do. They went right at it for about 20 seconds and then walked away which was very out of the norm. Normally they eat like pigs when I fill the food. I went back out an hour or so later and they hadn't really touched it. I got the idea of mixing it with the crumble and that seemed to do the trick. This morning there was a little more than the normal left in the food bin but not anything ridiculous.

I guess my question is should I have stayed with the crumble a little longer or should I just keep mixing until the starter crumble is gone and they'll figure it out.

Switching when you did was fine. It is normal to see that reaction when switching feeds whether it is a different shape (crumbles to pellets) or a different brand. The grower that I use is 24% protein and is even finer than the starter crumbles.

Mine don't go on pellets until they are getting adult feed.

Good luck.

 

[Vacman]

The hens I have were switched over from crumbles to pellets. This never became an issue. Neither was switching from a water dish to the nipple dispenser to keep the water cleaner. I have new chicks that haven't been introduced to the hens yet, so I guess I may start thinking about this issue now. Hens and chicks will copy each other's actions so I don't think it will be an issue, but I may start mixing their crumbles with pellets now.

 

[Huntmaster]

My poults are currently 7 and a half weeks old. I have 8 heritage BR and 6 BB 3 W and 3 B. I have about 1/3 of a bag left of the 30% starter crumble and decided rather than buy another bag of that it was time to go to the next step and get a grower 22%. It's pellets so I thought I'd try it last night to see how they'd do. They went right at it for about 20 seconds and then walked away which was very out of the norm. Normally they eat like pigs when I fill the food. I went back out an hour or so later and they hadn't really touched it. I got the idea of mixing it with the crumble and that seemed to do the trick. This morning there was a little more than the normal left in the food bin but not anything ridiculous.

I guess my question is should I have stayed with the crumble a little longer or should I just keep mixing until the starter crumble is gone and they'll figure it out.

Always a good idea to mix new feed with old feed slowly changing over to new. Easier change on there systems.

 

[NY Coturnix]

Thank everyone.

 

[R2elk]

Always a good idea to mix new feed with old feed slowly changing over to new. Easier change on there systems.

That is fine as long as the old feed isn't medicated. Never mix medicated feed with non-medicated feed.

 

[Huntmaster]

That is fine as long as the old feed isn't medicated. Never mix medicated feed with non-medicated feed.

Thanks for that info I have never used medicated feed