WHAT TO FEED MY VERY FUSSY ISA BROWNS !!

[mareeirene]

Hello everyone , i have two Isa Brown chickens they are about 8 months old and they are so fussy with their food , everyone told me that chooks will eat anything , not mine i'm afraid . They don't like dry pellets , got to wet them , they don't like carrots , strawberries , peas , celery , buckwheat leaves , nastursian leaves , carrot tops ,parsley , they do like silverbeet , beetroot leaves , corn , cucumber , watermelon gives them diarrhoea , cooked rice and they pick out the grains they like in the expensive grain mix , i was giving them silverbeet every day , i grew a bed of it for them but then i was getting soft eggs and read about the calcium absorption problems with silverbeet , so only give it to them every few days now , my question is , is this normal , thanks

 

[Nyla]

Try giving them layer crumble with cracked corn mixed in. My girls were very fussy until I tried layer crumble with cracked corn. And they lay eggs everyday non stop.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would just put out a ration, either a grower, layer, or all flock. They don't need all that extra stuff. They won't starve themselves. If they continue to refuse the ration than try changes brands or types, there could be something wrong or off with your current brand.

 

[blackdog043]

Not all chickens like pellets, did you change to them recently? You could put some in a bag and crush them to make a crumble and see if they eat it. If so buy crumble. They don't all like everything given, as treats. Mine don't like everything I throw to them and sometimes their just apprehensive, to try something new.

 

[mareeirene]

Thanks everyone , i have tried different brands of pellets , this brand i have now they loved it at first then went a bit fussy on it until i wet it , i'll have a look for a layer crumble and i have cracked corn and see how that goes and not worry to much about all the other stuff .

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

All chickens prefer moistened feed. Dry feed they won't eat much of, so maybe it just appears they aren't eating it but they are.

Chickens will always fill up on the goodies first, so giving them later in the day will help.

I personally wouldn't mix corn into the ration as the birds will pick through it to eat the corn and many times a lot gets wasted as they spoon it out of the feeder.

Best to treat corn like a treat and throw a handful out on the ground for scratching and pecking later in the day.

 

[mareeirene]

All chickens prefer moistened feed. Dry feed they won't eat much of, so maybe it just appears they aren't eating it but they are.

Chickens will always fill up on the goodies first, so giving them later in the day will help.

I personally wouldn't mix corn into the ration as the birds will pick through it to eat the corn and many times a lot gets wasted as they spoon it out of the feeder.

Best to treat corn like a treat and throw a handful out on the ground for scratching and pecking later in the day.

 

[mareeirene]

Thankyou oldhenlikesdogs , this is my first experience at owning chickens , quite a challenge for starters , and totally different from what i expected lol , i decided to give chickens a go being a gardener and it seemed the next step in recycling etc , they are certainly funny creatures and thank heavens for forums like this so i can ask questions and know they won't die on me for lack of attention , one of them ( Sansa ) is smaller than the other one ( Arya ) and she seems to have more of a attitude and inclined to go on strike when it comes to laying a egg , the other one is a great chook and just as gardening is a learning process so to is owning two brown chooks ...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm still learning about gardening and chickens even after many years of both being serious interests of mine. I plan to keep on learning to the end. There's plenty of different ways to do both gardening and chickens. You need to find what works best for your situation, and birds.

I always read everything, than apply what makes sense to me. If it doesn't work, than I try something else until I find what's best.

If your interest is to feed less purchased feeds than you can certainly do that as long as it's balanced. Chickens have survived for decades on scraps. I like providing a good ration, and than I allow my chickens to forage all they want and they get any leftovers. My feed consumption goes up and down throughout the year.

Chickens are a great hobby, and they are a great joy to have around. They are optimistic creatures, with individual personalities.

 

[Naser]

Give them pellets and leave them, they will eat pellets, if you give them treats they will not eat pellets, I can guarantee they will not starve themselves