why won't my hens eat worms?

[Taylor]

i spent 2 hrs digging worms for my hens. they wouldn't even touch them.

then a couple of weeks later i dug somemore worms and offered them to the hens and they wouldn't even think about eating them. what's wrong with them????????

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Chickens are goofy. mine did that at first, until the turkey snatched some up, then the chickens went nuts over them. Guess they just didn't know it was food, but you would think...

 

[Tala]

earth worms? the big kind?
Mine don't really care for them. They like the skinny YOUNG red wriggler worms though!

They're just picky about the weirdest stuff I guess!

 

[flakey chick]

Only the biggest of my bantams eats the big earth worms. The next largest did give it the old college try once she saw how much the other hen liked them, but she just couldn't bring herself to swallow it (bless her heart). She will go after the skinier ones in a flash.

My first chick died trying to choke one down.

 

[Coopcoop]

It may depend on how much protein they have in their diet and their current needs. Mine will devour worms and other insects at times and just sit and watch them with no interest at others...

Give them another shot in a couple of weeks, you may find a completely different reaction...

With love and light,

Miko

 

[SunnyDawn]

IDK, mine go bananas for them. I buy them from the bait shop (not many worms in the soil here) and dole them out 1 or 2 at a time just to watch them go nuts and shred the poor little things in seconds!!! They fight over the worms and chase each other all over the yard trying to snatch a piece away. It's hilarious!

 

[snowflake]

send them over here, our ground is frozen solid and my chicks fight over them, come running any time I am working in the garden. My birds are not fussy though I haven't found much they wont eat!

 

[1stepcloser]

Mine won't eat them either. They also are repulsed by slugs.

 

[Imp]

Maybe you need to show them how?

Most birds are afraid of new things, colors, shapes etc. Just keep offering and eventually they'll be worm gobblers.

Imp

 

[wildorchid053]

we can't keep up with their demand for worms.. they get so bossy about it they are on top of the pitchfork even before we can flip the dirt.. talk about wearing your arms out.. you can see how much soil has been dug up looking for their worms