They don't like it. What do I do

[Barry Natchitoches]

16 weeks is the best time to switch the girls over, but I have found that I have to switch them gradually.


I begin at week 14 to mix a little bit of layer feed into the little ones crumbles. For the first week, it's just a few layer pellets in a lot of crumble. In week 15, I increase the percentage of layer pellets to about 20% or so. Then in week 16, I increase it to 50% layer pellets, 50% baby crumbles. Later in week 16, I increase that to about 75% layer pellets. At week 17, I'm up to 90% layer pellets, then up to 100% layer pellets.


So basically, I transition them over about a three week period.


The method works just fine.

 

[Gray Ghost]

I switch my layer ration frequently backand forth between layer pellets and what the feed store calls "layer mash" which is ground grains. Depends on what was cheapest that month. The hens are not picky. They eat what they are given. Otherwise they would go hungry and they like that even less than change.

GG

 

[mkearsley]

I know that with larger livestock (cattle/sheep/goats) the sooner you can introduce them to a variety of food, the more likely they are to try other new things. All babies are scared of new things, so if they learn early that new stuff is yummy & fun, they stick with that attitude their whole life, plus they teach their babies to try new things. Now, I don't know when or if you should feed chicks anything other than their crumbles, but, depending on what the "pros" here say, I'd try giving them a variety of food & treats. Although, when I got my chicks, they were on chick starter until I ran out of the 20-lb bag! (probably too long), but I also put them outside on nice days in a cage so they'd try the grass & any bugs they could find. Once they were big enough to stay in a pen (they were wiry & slipped out of the coop several times

they had all the grass & weeds & bugs they could eat, plus a handful or two of crumbles. It was much harder to teach my 10-month-old hens to actually eat something other than their crumbles, since they were hatchery raised. But now I try to give them as much different "treats" as possible from crawdads (crayfish) to pumpkins to greens and yogurt.

 

[jomoncon]

I glad I read all these comments. Hopefully, when my 8 little 12-week old RIRs are ready to switch over to layer pellet, I won't have too much trouble after following these great suggestions.

 

[terrilhb]

All the information helps so much. I appreciate it very much. I do not know what I would do without them.