THEY WONT EAT ANYTHING ELSE

[mrsherman38]

Ok my girls are 4 mths old and will not eat anything but chicken feed..i have tryed a few different things..they do chase bugs and look like they are eating grass...it this an age thing or just picky birds??

 

[tvtaber]

Could be anything, but all they really need in the chicken feed so don't worry! Greens are really good for them, but they may need to see something a few times before they realize they can eat it.

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

My 4 months old are eating about anything so I don't think it is an age thing!!

 

[PuffMommy]

the first time i gave mine yogurt they would have nothing to do with it. then i read on BYC to put chick crumbles on top and they inhaled it. now they eat everything i bring them. also, i use the same dish for treats and put it in the same place every time while saying "here, chick chick chick".

 

[KellyGwen]

Quote:
Thats just what I do! I have chicks as young as 6 weeks who come RUNNING now!

It's funny though... I was repairing the gray water pipe that runs under the run and brought in a bucket of gravel to cover the patched area before I covered it with dirt. The pipe was right next to their treat feeder!! The girls got ALL excited to see me with a bucket... then pecked the gravel and looked at me like I was nuts. (Don't worry, they had already had crumble-mash and oatmeal for breakfast!!)

Can anyone say SPOILED??

 

[JennsPeeps]

Quote:
I use yogurt to introduce new foods to my girls. I mix it in & give it to them. This morning I was mixing in some dry oatmeal I'd spilled last weekend and remarked to DBF: "the girls eat better than we do!"

 

[digitS']

I was noticing something about my 7 week-old pullets today. There are 7 Black Australorps and 3 Barred Rocks. (I'd originally thought that the BR were Black Sex-link cockerels since they came as a courtesy. Turns out, they are BR pullets . . . but I digress . . . .

)

For the last 3 weeks, they have had lettuce almost daily. I have a large garden and these are surplus - not bolted greens. This is good lettuce.

I usually spend a moment with them; holding the lettuce and the birds gather around, pulling it apart, while checking out my watch, fingernails, freckles, etc. The BR are as friendly as the Aussies but 2 didn't even bother to approach the lettuce. Six of the Aussies are doing the "bite/swallow" routine. The lone BR, standing right at my wrist, is doing the "bite/drop." She didn't eat one bite! (One Australorp decided that the most interesting thing at the moment was my hat . . .

)

Earlier in the day, I put a pan of left-over rice in the pen. It had been soaked in a little water to soften it. They are becoming familiar with this offering. It was chaos with charging black bodies; over others, under others, across the pan - grabbing mouthfuls as they could. Not a single Barred Rock threw herself into the frey.

I've had Barred Rocks before but not at the same time as the Australorps. I've also had Brahmas and they seem to really be something of a "breed apart" but I don't remember anything about food preference differences - not long term, anyway.

The pickiness of your birds could just be a breed thing, mrsherman. They'll likely come to appreciate a range of foods at some time in the future.

Steve

 

[BayCityBabe]

No way! Nothing else? Not lettuce? Or grapes? (yum.) Or watermelon - so juicy! Not cold, leftover pasta!
What have you tried? My 9 week old chicks are piggies; have eaten all of the above + boiled egg, yogurt and cabbage.
But no worries, your kids are fine. Mine are DEFINATELY eating scraps of these items. I save my super food-prep skills for the kids & the dog!

 

[coffeelady3]

I've noticed that when I'm cooking dinner, I always seem to make a little bit extra to pass on to the girls. I'm betting my dogs are feeling neglected!