What would cause a 33 week old pullet to eat straw and not crumbles?

[Dynamissa]

This is a new issue that’s cropped up. This girl is usually a little pig but lately she’s been turning her nose up at the chicken feed (nutrena layer and kalmbach all flock) even when wet. I know it’s cold and maybe they don’t appreciate the cold food but even dry she’s primarily eating the chopped straw in the run… she’ll eat eggs, larvae,fish etc but her poop is chock full of straw. She goes after it explicitly.

Going to try to get her to the vet but I’m looking for some thoughts in the interim… been giving a drop of nutridrench twice a day for a couple days now if it’s some kind of perceived lack of something … she hates the drench and it’s not doing anything so far to stem it.

She’s still laying.

Thanks.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

This girl is usually a little pig but lately she’s been turning her nose up at the chicken feed (nutrena layer and kalmbach all flock) even when wet. I know it’s cold and maybe they don’t appreciate the cold food but even dry she’s primarily eating the chopped straw in the run… she’ll eat eggs, larvae,fish etc

Top 3 reasons I can come up with are.. curiosity, boredom, and being spoiled by the treats.

Please note that the possibility of an impacted crop is one of the reasons many choose not to use straw/hay.

If the straw is a new addition to the set up.. maybe it's the novelty of it.

 

[Dynamissa]

Top 3 reasons I can come up with are.. curiosity, boredom, and being spoiled by the treats.

Please note that the possibility of an impacted crop is one of the reasons many choose not to use straw/hay.

If the straw is a new addition to the set up.. maybe it's the novelty of it.

It’s not! That’s what’s weird! They’ve had it for months.

I guess it could be the treats.

I would like to use something other than straw for the litter in the run but I have no room for a chip dump and it’s so wet between snow melting, rain, ice and a saturated water table I need something other than the hard packed dirt…

 

[Dynamissa]

Top 3 reasons I can come up with are.. curiosity, boredom, and being spoiled by the treats.

Please note that the possibility of an impacted crop is one of the reasons many choose not to use straw/hay.

If the straw is a new addition to the set up.. maybe it's the novelty of it.

Also. I’ve been checking her crop in the morning and it appears to be completely flat… so I don’t think there’s an impaction thus far?

I’m just not sure what to do. I’d take out all the straw but the ground seems like it needs something covering it and my options are very limited in the winter
And the fact that I live in a suburb with a small amount of space for things to get dropped off in…

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Also. I’ve been checking her crop in the morning and it appears to be completely flat… so I don’t think there’s an impaction thus far?

I’m just not sure what to do. I’d take out all the straw but the ground seems like it needs something covering it and my options are very limited in the winter
And the fact that I live in a suburb with a small amount of space for things to get dropped off in…

I've used straw and hay in the past and never (yet) had to deal with an impaction. I do recall the birds digging through it and eating little specks but do not recall actually seeing large amounts in the droppings.

I'm sure you're correct about the ground needing something other than bare compacted dirt. When I lived in the city and even now, if there's not enough room to have something taken out back or I don't want the truck driving across my septic leach lines, then I have stuff dropped in the driveway and wheelbarrow it to it's final destination. It's definitely extra work and not convenient per say.

One thing I can say about *perceived* lack of something nutrient wise is that.. my dogs (and pigs) have everything needed in their diet 100% and both still like eating chicken poo. Given the chance, the dogs will still eat piggy poo (and cat poop). I've read that there *may* be the purpose of populating their own digestive tract with "healthy" microbiota. That being said, one of my dogs eats so many things she should not.. dog toys, the squeaker out of dog toys, underwear/socks, ammo shells, etc.. anything that doesn't pass out of the stomach has *thus far* been vomited back up.. but blockage is a real concern.. and it's a personal quark/behavioral issue that's hers alone.

One thing I might suggest since the straw is clearly not digestable would be to get an accurate weight on her just to make sure she's not losing condition. Chickens aren't the brightest sometimes, and don't always eat what's good for them, I've had mine eat styrofoam.

I probably would not be visiting the vet over this issue, but you should definitely do what makes sense to you.

 

[Perris]

her poop is chock full of straw. She goes after it explicitly.

Going to try to get her to the vet but I’m looking for some thoughts in the interim

my guess would be she is seeking some fibre. There are lots of sources for it in real food, either fresh or in your store cupboard.

 

[Dynamissa]

my guess would be she is seeking some fibre. There are lots of sources for it in real food, either fresh or in your store cupboard.

Interesting. That’s possible given the ratios in the food. Thanks for the thought - what do you recommend?

 

[Perris]

Interesting. That’s possible given the ratios in the food. Thanks for the thought - what do you recommend?

there are lots of suggestions here
https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritional-information/fibre/
You could offer a little of something there that you have to hand, until you find something that she thinks satisfies her appetite. Anything on the list is probably better for her than straw.