what is wrong with chickens!!!

[cream puff]

Today in the chook yard, I picked up a piece of wood and there were a bunch of fat juicy worms under it, so I tossed a worm to my Australorp hen who was following me. SHE PECKED AT THE WORM AND THEN WALKED AWAY FROM IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what is wrong with my chickens? why don't they all fight over a worm? Are they spoiled? have I been to easy on them? did they not get enough affection as chicks? Did they get too much????

It's the end of the world isn't it? this is one of the signs.

 

[Alexandra33]

There's nothing wrong with your girls, actually.

Just like people, they have their own particular tastes, and it may just be that your Australorp doesn't really care for worms. It has nothing to do with the way they were raised, or that they may be "spoiled." Some chickens can be a little persnickety when it comes to certain foods. For example, one time I gave my girls some refried beans and cheese in a bowl on the ground, and when all the others were devouring it ravenously, my Black Sumatra walked up, tasted it daintily, shook her head in disgust, and then ran as far away from it as possible.

-Alex

 

[azygous]

Like children, chickens have to be taught to eat certain things. Usually, the broody hen will take her new chicks outside sometime after the first week and show them what is good and safe to eat. Without her, chicks, like human babies, can sometimes be very reluctant to try new foods.

So, you need to assume the role of broody hen and show your chickens what are good things to eat. It helps if you eat it first.

Hey, just kidding! But you need to find a worm, point and peck at it with a finger, and make a big, terrific deal out of it, and then they'll soon get the message. After a bit, whenever they see you grab the shovel or rake, they'll instantly be underfoot waiting for worms to be exposed.

 

[austrolover1]

Some of my chickens are the same way! Most of my BA's would go CRAZY for a worm, but some only like the beetles and stuff like that...

 

[Sutremaine]

Ours used to enjoy small earthworms and would even peck holes in the larger ones, but they don't care any more. I think they'd eat them if they felt that the worms had something they weren't getting elsewhere.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't encourage worm eating anymore after reading they are an intermediate host for some parasitic worms.

 

[Shadow920]

my chickens have their favorites. they like most beetles, mealworms and earthworms, most caterpillars, bees, and crickets and grasshoppers. i also give them different grubs. they aren't too picky with bugs. they are more picky with scraps, seeming to prefer soft stuff like melons and tomatoes to hard stuff like potatoes and peppers. just don't give your birds avocado. it will kill them! i lost two Rocks after i gave them avocado shells.