What do Sulmtalers actually eat?

[JnK1]

Seriously.

We've had no success with food that our Polish happily devour, and if it's not chick crumb they turn their beaks up like snooty toffs.
What do they eat?
They are completely disinterested in mealworms, nibble at tuna but decide it's not caviar and waddle off, and seem a bit scared of melon and other fruit that we thought they'd like.

At least they're becoming a bit friendlier.....



.....very sleepy.....



....but it's pretty nice the way they cover each other with spread wings.





Although, they do still look really shifty every so often. Like they are plotting something.

 

[GitaBooks]

They're really cute!

My chickens take a while to except new foods as well (bread, insects, ect). Keep trying, make the "momma hen" food call and they will come over to investigate. You can let them eat chick starter as long as you add a source of calcium when they begin laying.

Best of luck!

 

[JnK1]

Cheers for the advice.

They seem to be really scared of change more than anything, so we shall leave it a while longer, then try them on more exciting foods. We'll have a dig in the garden for some worms, that should hopefully interest them slightly more.

What delicacies do your flock go crazy for?

 

[GitaBooks]

Mine adore scrambled eggs, watermelon and bread most of all, but they also love noodles, squash, worms and slugs, beetles, cat kibble, and oatmeal.


Here is a plate of treats to introduce my chicks to (before this they had only had treats of bread and their own starter/grower)
There is some clover, dandelion and grass chopped up to introduce them to forage, scrambled eggs mixed with wet cat food, some dry oatmeal, and some wheat bread


They were scared of it at first, than cleaned up the plate. Sometimes it helps to let them go hungry a few hours before. It can also help to mix new food with the old.

 

[JnK1]

Many thanks for that. We may even try our Polish on that, even though they seem hell bent on devouring anything within reach.

The fussy Sulmtalers have taken to tuna, it just looks like they don't have the voracious appetites that the Polish do. They are nearly 3 weeks old now, so we plan on doing a bit of digging and seeing if we can source any worms for them, and if not shall go pick up some live mealworms. we shall see if that tempts them between bouts of sleeping...