Chook Food

[Cornonthecob]

The guy I brought my chooks off only fed them Layers Mash (crushed up seed mix)....on the way home I stopped off and brought a bag of layer mash and layer pellets.

I thought that if I only gave them the layer pellets I could get them to eat both....to no avail! Seems to me they're happy to strave than eat the pellets!

Now the chooks are just over a year old....am I fighting a losing battle here trying to get them to change their eating habits?

There's quite a difference in price between the two different feeds....am not wanting them to change from the mash to pellets....just want them to eat both.

Ideas???

:?

[ho-hum]

Corn,


Dont overfeed them and try mixing the two.

Boil your veggie scraps, let it cool and then mix a few pellets in just before you serve.[haha]

Fussy chooks!!! - it must be caused by either global warming or John Howard.

Cheers

[biofarmag]

Try a bit of molasses? Mix it in with the feed, and see if they'll take to it. It seems to be a good rule-of-thumb with most critters is that if you want them to eat something new, add molasses. All critters seem to like the muck, for some reason.

[Cornonthecob]

Will buy some today!

Ta

[biofarmag]

It's cheap. Just make sure it hasn't been stored in old fuel drums (no I am NOT joking!)

[barely run]

Even some :lol: people like mollasses
Cathy

:lol: Ok.. am laughing here Corny - because I did EXACTLY the same thing!

Turns out, after scratching my head for ages and talking to lots of locals, that....

If your chooks are raised on pellets you can get them over to mash.

BUT -

If they are raised on mash - you will never get them to eat pellets!

I finally accepted this when I visited an old guy here who keeps both (mash and pellet raised) in the same pen and feeds heaps of alternatives straight from a very productive garden. The pellet raised, after 2 years are still the only ones to eat it.

You can try soaking the pellets Corny - turning them into a moosh, and mixing the mash through, but its just an extra thing to do. Very annoying, but that's how I used it.

[Cornonthecob]

Hmmm...maybe keep the pellets for ducks?

mmm. At the time, we had our first batch of ducklings, and I'm pretty sure they ate the moosh. I doubt ducks would have a problem with it. I never bought them again...pellets, I mean.

[Cornonthecob]

lol it's sounding like I should be thankful it only cost me $16 for a 40kg bag!

Awww well, such is life.