Nanny Chicken Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 Help! Had chicken 4 weeks now, and they don't seem to be eating much of the pellets - at least nowhere near as much as we were told they would when thay were delivered. They do get treats in the evening. Were they not used to pellets or turning their 'noses' up hoping for something better? Worried they will starve or not lay eggs in protest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 Hi Another local hen keeper - great! A few people on here have posted that their hens don't seem to be eating as much as usual at the moment, & its thought it might be down to the later mornings & earlier nights kicking in. Shorter days - less time to eat If they were Omlet hens then they would have been used to pellets. You could maybe try cutting down on the evening treats to see if that helps, but to be honest so long as they look well & are laying eggs I wouldn't worry too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 Hi from me too When I first got my two they had been used to pellets so I bought a huge sack of them but I was also concerned as they didnt seem to be eating many - then I tried them on mash - they loved it! If you dont mind a bit of a mess (chooks tend to throw mash around a bit) it might be worth a try to see if they prefer it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 Hi and welcome to the forum. I bet your new girls have no problems eating treats or corn!!!! My lot ate more pellets once they started laying. Having said that, they've now gone the other way and are eating half as many pellets as they did in the Summer so I've put it down to shorter daylight hours as they are perfectly ok. (And of course with my lot, all treats of rice, mashed potato, mixed corn, in fact any treat...still disappears in a flash....) Maybe they might like pellets mixed with water turned into a kind of porridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted September 27, 2007 Share Posted September 27, 2007 My 2 will eat pellets but only if they have absolutely no other option. They were received from omlet by their previous owners last December and have just started their second bag of pellets. According to the dosage on the packaging, a 20kg bag of feed should last 2 chickens about 3 months (I think?) I bet all the nutrients in the pellets will have gone off by the time they can lower themselves to eat chicken food. They much prefer rummaging around in the garden for their food, or leftover mashed potato, breakfast cereal, cooked up peelings, etc. all seasoned with garlic, crushed eggshells and diatom!! The standard 130g of pellets per day is probably closer to what mine eat in a week, but they look fit and healthy so I'm not complaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanny Chicken Posted September 28, 2007 Author Share Posted September 28, 2007 Thanks so much for the replies to my queries, they were very helpful. It was good to know others have the same concerns. Anyway, tried pellets as a 'mash', and absolutely gobbled up! I'm happier now, and hope chickens are - can't wait for the first egg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
