Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[dogmad]

Hi,

 

I have had my chickens a couple of weeks now and have settled in well. However I am keeeping them in a run with bark in and so they don't have access to any greenery. Every day I am providing them with treats of various veg but they are not interested. I have tried something new everyday in the hope of finding something that they like.

 

The only thing they have destroyed are any potted plant I have put in, including a mini herb garden which was dying off anyway and some grasses.

 

What have you done to get you chucks interested in eating their greens?!

 

Thanks

 

Debbie

[Looney]

Maybe they just need to work out that veg is edible...? Hope they get the hang of it.

 

Mine love broccoli and sweetcorn. In fact they'll eat most green stuff, and enjoy running around with a tomato or a plum trying to stop the other one getting at it. I have to pierce the skin a bit first so they can get their beaks into it.They won't touch carrots (cooked or uncooked!) though.

[Old Speckled Hen]

Try dandelion leaves. Tie them to the mesh of the run rather than putting them on the floor. That way your chooks can tear off a decent beakfull.

You could try just plain grass, but again tie it up so they can tear morsels off.

[Steph101]

They will eventually, I'm sure. Mine weren't interested in treats at all to begin with, and now we can't go out to the back garden without being mugged!

Mine like most things, tbh. They have access to greens all day long as they forage on grass, and I believe this makes a huge difference to the eggs ( they take on a deep orangey sunset colour). If they're not on grass, hang stuff up in the run like kale, spinach, cabbage. Ours get lettuce, rocket, watercress, and all sorts of salad leftovers (never avacado though, as this is toxic to chickens)

[chelsea]

mine also werent interested in veg to begin with. If your hens arent laying yet they do tend to eat less and be fussy. However once they are POL they eat for England.

 

Sometimes when introducing veg - eg corn on the cob its best to break a few bits off for them at first so they know what it is....once they peck at it they realise it tastes nice and they soon tuck in!

[Sandychick]

Mine wouldn't eat green stuff to start with. Try boiling something like cabbage to make it softer. This worked with mine to get them interested to start with. Now they just go mad for anything green