Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[chook-a-dee]

Hi,

This may seem like a stupid Q - but can chickens not like layers pellets? I have a couple of silkies and a sussex. I had a second sussex but she died earlier in the week . I saw the man I bought her from and he reckoned it was an injury given how she was and that there were some fireworks the night she turned bad. I mentioned one of my others had runny yellow poo but I'd been feeding them too much greens/corn. So I stopped feeding them treats for a couple of days but insured they had plenty of pellets. But theyve tipped loads of the pellets on the floor. Today they werent interested in me when I walked up to see them (maybe they're sulky) and one of the silkies in particular looked a bit quiet. I fed them some of my toast and then went and got a small handful of mixed grain which they went wild for. The sussex seems to like the pellets and is laying fine and I've tried mixing the pellets with milk (even gently warmed) but the silkies still show no interest. I'm going to order some flubevent incase they need worming but has anyone any advice on pellets? Should I try some different pellets? Some colleagues use the same suppliers and their chooks like it. Or am I just worrying too much and the silkies will eventually come around to the pellets or maybe I just feed them the treats and if they dont eat so many pellets then...? Just dont like the idea of them being hungry. The silkies are 17 weeks old now and I've had them since 12. Theyve not laid yet so cant use that as an indicator. Or maybe theyre a bit down as they're missing their friend. Any adivce welcome really really appreciated as while they are fine they dont seem so chirpy as normal and am worried that if the sussex died of something more sinister they might all get it.

Thanks very much.

[laurmurf]

Mine don't like pellets either!

It took me a while to work out what was happening as they were new to me and I'm new to chook-keeping. I even tried buying a different type of pellet, which seemed to work a bit but not as much as I'd hoped. Then another omleteer suggested layers' mash, which is essentially the pre-pressed pellets: I whizzed the pellets in the food processer til there was a mix of very small pellets and powder. They absolutely adore it now!

 

Why not try grinding/crushing/whizzing some pellets and seeing what they think?

[Egluntyne]

Try them with layers mash.

 

If you withhold the treats for a few days , they will eat the pellets.

[Egghead68]

Ours hate pellets, but I think they are spoiled. Through choice, they would live on hand-fed hand-peeled grapes with occasional sweetcorn and tuna.

[Janty]

Mine hate pellets too. They love the layers mash with bokashi from Wiggly Wigglers.

[sandyhas3chucks]

Ours hate pellets, but I think they are spoiled. Through choice, they would live on hand-fed hand-peeled grapes with occasional sweetcorn and tuna.

yes mine too, I leave them there so there is always something if they are really hungry, I make a mash out of them along with all the bits of layers that mine leave behind,

[Reikiranf]

Our did not seem to be keen on pellets and we only had to refill the grub once a week even when we didn't give them any treats

 

I bought some layers mash about a month ago and they seem to love it, as soon as the grub went into the run they ate and ate for ages Something we'd never seen them do with the pellets.

 

The result is that they have now gained weight and their eggs are getting bigger I'm very pleased about the weight gain as the vet said that Yum Yum was underweight and Lulu was even lighter than her prior to them getting the mash! We now refill the grub a few times a week.

[mostin]

I make my pellets into porridge by mixing them with hot water. They wolf them down then, and they get extra water to make all those lovely eggies.

 

When they are hungry they will eat the pellets dry, but we have to be careful not to over treat with corn as then they stop laying.

[frenchlayer]

Mine didn't like their new pellets, so I did what was suggested and mixed them with hot water, they have all gone today ! thank you

[sandyhas3chucks]

I always seem to do too much, (a mother hen sort of thing I expect)

Any sugestions as to how much I should do per chook? Also how long would it keep before going sour?

[mostin]

I give 2 desert spoons of porridge mix per chook.

 

In the mix I have pellets, bokashi bran, chicken spice, garlic powder, limestone flour and just a couple of dried meal worms.

 

The meal worms swell up with the hot water and it only takes a couple of them in the mix to really get your chooks interest.

[sandyhas3chucks]

oh that is a little amount

I think I am just too used to feeding dogs

you would split you sides at the amount I do

thanks

[mostin]

Well mine do have normal pellets available at all times as well but I have found that with that amount of porridge the bowl is just nicely emptied by the end of the day.

 

If there is a bit left I put it in the run when I close them in for the night. I don't shut my eglu door and the bowl is always clean when I bring the next days porridge up so they can have their 1st breakfast without me having to get up