Hens have stopped eating pellets

[Equiem]

I noticed that my hens are not eating their pellets.
Their food has not been going down in the feeder and their crops aren't as full
I'm pretty sure they are losing weight because of this too
They are happy to eat "treats" - spinach, kale, sunflower seeds, yogurt etc but this isn't sustaining them
I'm worried that this is stopping them from eating their pellets but I feel like I need them to eat something
I have even tried making their food into a warm mash but they turn their nose up at that for the most part too

I need some advice as they haven't completely stopped eating their pellets before and I'm a little worried about their health deteriorating during winter
I also plan on worming them again in January but I can't if they are not eating!

*note - they are ex battery hens and I've had them for 9 months. They were successfully switched from crumble to pellets after a month or so and I've only had one problem before (in Summer) when we were treating them to melon/grapes/pomegranate seeds too often*

Any advice welcome!
Please help!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Healthy chickens are voracious eaters. If you cut out all treats, they will eat the pellets and get back on the straight and narrow. They are holding out for those things they never had before in their lives. You have to get them on a complete feed and after a couple weeks you can start treating sparingly.

 

[21hens-incharge]

How old is the bag of feed? There is a date printed on the bottom seam tape on most brands. It is the date it was milled (made).

Feed does lose nutrients as it ages. It is often recommended not to buy feed that was milled more than 2 months prior. I don't offer feed that is more than 4 months post mill date.

If the feed is is not old/rencid I would reduce the treats or stop the treats completely and see if they will eat the pellets.

If the feed in the dish got damp at all it could be spoiled or growing mold that you cannot see too.

 

[Equiem]

How old is the bag of feed? There is a date printed on the bottom seam tape on most brands. It is the date it was milled (made).

Feed does lose nutrients as it ages. It is often recommended not to buy feed that was milled more than 2 months prior. I don't offer feed that is more than 4 months post mill date.

If the feed is is not old/rencid I would reduce the treats or stop the treats completely and see if they will eat the pellets.

If the feed in the dish got damp at all it could be spoiled or growing mold that you cannot see too.

I will go out and look at the date soon!

As for getting damp, their feeder is bought in every night and it is kept in a covered area during the day so I wouldn't have thought that would have been the case.

Thank you!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Sometimes really high humidity can get soaked up by the exposed pellets even if they are under a covered area.

I notice you are in the UK. I am not sure if the UK has the same mill date location as the US.

 

[Equiem]

Sometimes really high humidity can get soaked up by the exposed pellets even if they are under a covered area.

I notice you are in the UK. I am not sure if the UK has the same mill date location as the US.

I didn't know about humidity! I'll dump all their food and refresh it and also check the dates on the big bag of food. I'm guessing there will be dates on it somewhere!

 

[Mosey2003]

They will eat their feed if you stop giving them treats.

 

[GC-Raptor]

My hens and pullets get one treat a day.
I open the coop at 5 am and turn on the lights.
The first thing they do is go to the feeder and waterer. .

Around 9 am they get their Treats for the day scattered in their pen. .
They clean it up in about 20 minutes.
That's the only Treats they get for the day.
Chicken Feed and Water are available all day.
My 7 nineteen week old Barred Rocks consume about 2 pounds of feed a day and 4 of them are squatting. Can't wait for the first egg. GC

 

[chickens really]

Stop providing all snacks. A Chicken won't starve themselves. Feed snacks in tiny amounts once or twice a week.

 

[Equiem]

Still having trouble with hens not eating pellets!
All snacks and treats have been stopped for the last few weeks but they still aren't eating and are going to bed with almost empty crops!
They are otherwise okay - still socialising, crops fine, combs fine, vents fine and are still laying almost daily.
I have tried mixing their pellets, crumble and chick crumb together with water to see if that helps and it sort of does but most of the feed ends up on the floor and wasted.

I am trying to worm them at the moment too with the Heygates pellets with added flubenvet but I am worried that this is fruitless if they are not eating it.

Any more suggestions?? I am stumped! They used to eat so much!