Switching food from crumbles to pellets not going well

[Tillie43]

My 8 month old pullets have been eating crumbles until now but I’d like to switch them to pellets. There seems to be a lot of powder with crumbles when they eat. The girls don’t seem to like the change in texture. I have two feeders in their run, one was filled with crumbles and the other with pellets to see if they would eat them. After a week I emptied the crumble feeder and filled it with pellets mixed with some crumbles. Not well received. They pick out the crumbles and leave the pellets. I’ve tried tossing some pellets on the ground like treats - they just looked at me like I was crazy. They do free range about4-5 hours a day so they are getting bugs and grass. Don’t want the girls to starve.

Any suggestion on what to do next?
How long do I give them to adjust before going back to crumbles?

 

[Chickassan]

The only way these here will eat pellets is if they're softened with water which defeats the purpose entirely.
I don't think they are a comfortable shape to swallow, saying this I only tried unmoistened for maybe 5 days.
I did see attempts to eat pellets but the reaction was lacklustre at best.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Chickens, like every animal, will take the path of least resistance when the option is presented to them. So crumble is way easier to eat than pellets because they have to break up the pellets. But, they will eat them, and they may feel hard to your fingers but they are nothing for a chicken beak to rip right through. If you want to move them top pellets, just remove all the scratch for a few days and offer nothing but pellets. I guarantee you they will be eating pellets in no time and you will have not food waste like all the crumble powder.

 

[featheredplanets]

They won’t starve. Just feed them pellets and only pellets. When they’re hungry they’ll eat them. My pullets eat pellets without a problem, but as soon as I get the chick crumb out (for my growers) I’m surrounded!

 

[chickens really]

I only feed crumble. My birds eat Grower finisher feed all their lives from 6 weeks. I supply Oyster shell in a separate dish once a week.

 

[chickenlittle21]

try putting some alfalfa or herb with the food, chickens love anything green and while the chickens are eating the herbs with the food, they will taste the food and realize its food.

 

[igorsMistress]

I feed an all flock pellet once my chicks are about 8 weeks old. I grind it a bit in my blender, a little less each day, until they're used to it.

 

[featherhead007]

Easy, just throw in a few dried meally worms into the same bowl as the crumbles. then they think all the crumbles are good to eat! "Icing on the cake" so to speak.

 

[featherhead007]

Ps.. Use the crumble powder mixed with scratch, molasses and other seeds. Then
make your own chick blocks.

 

[Tillie43]

Use the crumble powder mixed with scratch, molasses and other seeds. Then
make your own chick blocks.

Good idea. I hate to toss the powder.