They don't seem to like treats

[nuchickontheblock]

I'm real new to having chickens and have tried many of the great suggestions for fruits/veggies etc. My chickens don't seem too interested in what I offer. Do they need to acquire a taste for something? What's the best way to introduce some variety in their diet? Should I continue to offer the same thing for a few days; and then try something different for a few days? I've been kind of mixing it up. A couple of days ago I offered apple pieces which they wouldn't eat, so then yesterday I offered strawberries that they didn't eat, so today I offer them cooked corn on the cob (broken into a few pieces), which they also wouldn't eat. They do go out into a pen that has some grass and dandelions and they eat their regular feed OK and drinking water. And there are definitely lots of poops, so I'm not really worried about their nourishment. I just would like to supplement them a bit.
Thanks for any advice.

 

[allieloveschickens]

How old are your chickens? I have three week old chicks and they also aren't very interested in most of their treats. They do LOVE spinach and green garden worms though, you might try that. I have also tried strawberries, banana, and oatmeal- none of which got them very excited, though if I leave it in their pen they will eat it through out the day, just with very little excitement. It may be they will aquire new tastes gradually.

 

[flgardengirl]

When mine were little most of them weren't all that interested in any treats except boiled egg yolks and cornbread. They wouldn't touch yogurt chopped up fruit or veggies or anything. As they got older they have decided they like most things.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

My chickens are 8 months old, but I got them from a fellow who had a couple of hundred chickens, so I'm not sure how many treats they ever got. I did get them some meal worms today at a local pet store. You would have thought they had died and gone to heaven -- they were so excited and eating up a storm.

 

[bigdaddyabc]

If you would like some great ideas for treats, you should search for the thread I started last week titled "and the understatement award goes to". It is 4 pages or so of treats, treats, and more treats.

 

[elmo]

A mother hen will show her chicks what to eat by pecking at it herself and making her special clucking sound to them. When chicks hear that cluck, they come running and dive in!

Without a mother hen, though, chicks are unsure about what's food and what's not. You can help them along by "pecking" at the new food with your finger and try to make a clucking sound as you do this (or not..if it seems too silly). All it takes is for one chick to be brave enough to try something and then they'll all pile on.

 

[Blesser]

Try grapes, I halve mine and throw them on the ground and they gobble them right up. My chickens prefer green grapes.
My chickens won't eat strawberries but will go wild for blueberries and raspberries so keep experimenting with different treats.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Chicks need chick-size grit to grind up most treats - unless they are allowed to range on the ground outside where they can pick up & eat small gravel pieces. However, they do not need grit to digest their starter feed or scrambled egg.