4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Chicken Boy]

Help!

 

My two new girls, both Rode Island Red/Black Rock crosses (I think), won't eat they're layer pellets.

 

They know where it is, and have had a nose, but just don't seem interested. When I first had them, I took them a treat in the afternoon when I went into the run to get them used to me and the kids. However, I've now stopped doing this in the hope that they'll start eating the pellets, but instead they appear to be starving themselves!

 

Any ideas how I can get round this rather self destructive behavior?

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

[Margaret]

Boot Camp

No treats and just leave them with the pelletts for a few days.

Very hard if a fairly new chicken mummy but I did learn the hard way..

Chickens like small children will not starve themselves, also if they arent laying yet, it does seem that they arent eating much, but as soon as they come into lay will eat loads more.

Hope this helps.

[Tweety]

Hi Dan,

 

How old are your girls? Perhaps they are used to eating layers mash rather than pellets, in which case I would buy a small bag of mash and mix the pellets in with it to get them used to the idea. You will also find that they eat a lot more when they start laying.

Hold back on the treats for now, as they may well be waiting for those instead of eating their pellets too!

[Chicken Boy]

My girls are over the 20 week mark, ones laying, one isn't (apart from the odd softshell) yet, not properly anyway.

 

I'll look at getting some mash, and will continue to withhold the treats.

 

Oh, and its chicken daddy...

[Margaret]

Oops...

Sorry Daddy

You could try whizzing some of the pelletts in the blender to make mash.

My girlies didnt eat much at the 20 week stage, remember being very worried, now 2 years later they hoover up everything, but still fickle about brands

[Redwing]

They wont eachmuch till they start laying

 

They wont starve themselves though so I'd continue with the tough love

[Reikiranf]

My girls have never eaten pellets not even the ones that came with them & the Eglu, they wouldn't even touch them when I stopped giving them treats & limited their freeranging

 

I've got one original omlet girl left and she's now eating pellets three years after I got her, how did I manage it? I got two new girls on Good Friday, and put pellets out for the new girls safe in the knowledge that the oldies wouldn't touch them

[Margaret]