shoram Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 (edited) HI! this is my first post. we have had our 2 girls for about 8 weeks. they have had kitchen s"Ooops, word censored!"s every afternoon and have totally stopped eating layers pellets...should I worry? Eggs not great: about 1 a day between them. They get V excited every time I go out there and seem to be holding out for s"Ooops, word censored!"s. should I go "cold turkey" and give nothing till they start eating pellets again, or change the pellets?? Feeling Clueless and need help from you clever lot Edited August 1, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChirpyChirpyCheepCheep Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Welcome to the forum shoram Sorry, don't know the answer to your problem, but someone will be here in a minute or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clootie Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Oh I wouldn't give them cold turkey...... kidding You're probably spoiling them a bit too much too soon !! Ooops, by the way, hello and welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 Hello and welcome to the forum. Harden your heart and withhold treats for a few days. Kitchen s"Ooops, word censored!"s alone are not good enough nutritionally speaking for laying hens. When they are back onto the pellets you could risk just a very few s"Ooops, word censored!"s in the late afternoon. They soon learn how to manipulate you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted August 1, 2008 Share Posted August 1, 2008 I agree. Once they get the message that there is nothing else going, they will start eating their pellets again. As Egluntine says, they are manipulative little devils and you have to be firm. Welcome to the forum and try not to worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoram Posted August 1, 2008 Author Share Posted August 1, 2008 Thanks lots..am feeling better already..although Peps and Ginger are FURIOUS!!! Back soon, I'm sure, with more trivial troubles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted August 2, 2008 Share Posted August 2, 2008 Welcome to the forum, Shoram . I agree with the advice above - you've got to be cruel to be kind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Hi There, My two speckeldys have always refused to eat pellets or mash. They have a large run and forage and eat lot of grass plus they get sunflower seeds, a little grain and the odd apple. I mentioned this to our vet and he said not to worry. So long as the hens are getting protein and nutrients from greenery they should be fine. He also said that hens are particularly good at balancing thier nutritional needs. If they need the protein they will start eating the pellets - perhaps you will notice a difference in Winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Hi and welcome to the forum from me. I find too many s"Ooops, word censored!"s/treats mean less eggs. So I restrict the amount they have. Sounds like your lot are holding out for their s"Ooops, word censored!"s and ignoring the pellets. I personally would go "cold turkey" and cut s"Ooops, word censored!"s out all together. If they won't eat their pellets, add a pint of warm water, the pellets go grainy and my chooks love them. Unfortunately this does spoil the chooks as well and I now find mine prefer "pellet porridge" to dry pellets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Chuck Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 HI! this is my first post. we have had our 2 girls for about 8 weeks. they have had kitchen s"Ooops, word censored!"s every afternoon and have totally stopped eating layers pellets...should I worry? Eggs not great: about 1 a day between them. They get V excited every time I go out there and seem to be holding out for s"Ooops, word censored!"s. should I go "cold turkey" and give nothing till they start eating pellets again, or change the pellets?? Feeling Clueless and need help from you clever lot Hi I've had my 3 girls for 9 weeks now and one of them, Saffie, would not eat pellets or mash and wasn't laying. So no treats for any of them but in the afternoon I would provide a medium sized bowl of layers mash mixed into a porridge with probiotic yoghurt and water. They all thought it was a treat and eagerly tucked into it (especially the non-layer, Saffie) and by the end of the day it was all gone. 4 days later Saffie came into lay and there has been no turning back. Hope this helps. It is all trial and error anyway to find out what works for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...