Chicks refuse to eat crumbles

[EmmaDonovan]

Chicks are 5 & 8 weeks. They've been eating an organic mash, plus the occasional wet treat which is oats, collard greens, blueberries, and molasses mixed together, and some dandelions and seedy grass from the yard. They love all of this. All are healthy and growing fast. They've never refused any food before.

Amazon delayed my usual organic mash shipment so I bought some organic crumble locally and they refuse to eat it. I tried mixing the wet treat in it and they just picked out the wet treat and left the crumbles. I left the crumbles with them overnight and they didn't touch any of it. The next morning they were all agitated and running at me. "Hey, feed lady! Why'd you leave us these little inedible things? We can't eat those! We're hungry! Where's our regular food? FOOD food food food cluck peep..."

Now I'm stuck with 40 lbs. of crumble they don't want. Is there a good way to coax them to eat it? I hate to let anything to go waste.

 

[DobieLover]

You can try fermenting it.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

That's a thought. I'll give it a try thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Or mix a small amount with water to make a wet mash. You want them to be able to clean it up so it doesn't go sour.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Good idea. I'm soaking some right now to use in their wet treat in place of the oats. I'll see if they eat that.

Edit: most of them ate it, less than enthusiastically but they ate it.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

You can try fermenting it.

I found this article on fermenting feed which was helpful. I fermented it for 24 hours then mixed it with some vegetables, blueberries, and a little molasses.

The chicks ate more of that than they did when it was merely wet. I'll keep giving it to them as a supplement to their regular grains. It's being eaten and not wasted so I am happy.