ellasflock Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Hi Everyone, So my chickens have decided that they only want to eat corn. I give them a daily mix and fill their feeder with oyster shell grit which I grind up so they actually eat it because otherwise it is too big, and a little bit of corn because usually I would give them corn in the morning if they were free ranging but because they are not, I mix it in with the pellets and grit. I give more pellets than anything else because that is what it advices you to do. my chickens have decided to completely avoid their pellets and only eat the corn and so I thought I would grind the pellets a bit more to make them smaller but still they want to eat corn. I have taken corn away today but they still seem to not eat a lot of the pellets, and pick at them every so often which is not what they used to do. does anyone have any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Don’t mix the corn in with pellets. They will always dig through their feeder for the last tiny bit of corn, before resorting to eating pellets. I feed mine a small amount of mixed corn/seed/grain mix in the morning in the Omlet pecky feeder. And after that they’ll have to go for the pellets, which they do. Mixing it in with pellets, will just make them spill loads of food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Take the corn away and stick with the pellets. Chicken won't starve themselves, they pick out the corn as its much tastier, but its not good for them in large quantities as it makes them fatter, can interfere with laying and health, and is not a balanced feed, which pellets are. A bit of tough love is required! I don't know if your birds are bantams or large fowl, but Smallholder feed is very good, and the pellet size is small, meaning it is easier for small birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Also, if you feed a decent pellet, you really don’t need extra oyster shell added. Just grit in a small feeder, separate from their food, is enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellasflock Posted February 22, 2021 Author Share Posted February 22, 2021 Ahh that is interesting, thank you for the advice! I will buy the smaller omelet feeder in a few days and let them get used to their pellets and then add small amounts of corn to their separate feeder. And yes they do make a mess and dig for corn! Mine are bantams so I will look into that feed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 I accidentally got some corn in with their pellets once and I swear they dug out the whole feeders worth of pellets onto the ground three times just in case there was any more corn in there. So yes - exactly what Daphne and Cattails have said - don’t mix them! My bantams have Marriages Farmyard Layers pellets which are quite small and they seem to get on well with. I’d definitely recommend them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursula123 Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 OH accidentally picked up the wrong sack of food in the shop instead of buying just pellets I got a mix of corn, seeds, pellets and oyster shell the girls only eat the nice bits so I have taken to making the pellets they leave into a warm porridge late afternoon. Sad to say this has been since last year as OH thinks it’s nice for the girls to have a treat and he is the one who usually buys the food as it’s a heavy 25kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellasflock Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share Posted February 23, 2021 Interesting! I now know why my girls have decided to make an absolute mess every time I give them a fresh feeder. I will definitely get some bantam pellets that are a little bit smaller! thank you for everyone’s advice ☺️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
