Wheat alternatives

Thom1

Hatching
Jul 13, 2022
2
0
2
Hi,
So my partner and I have 9 young hens. And a bantam roster that's about 50 years old. 🙃

This is our third group of hens.

These ones just won't eat the wheat.

We have a big feeder of wheat and they just don't touch it. We have a smaller Feeder with Red Hen and they go straight for the corn and sunflower seeds. Then pick and choose a bit what's left.
We have tried mixing some of the wheat in with Red Hen but that doesn't work
and even alot the wheat that's in the Red Hen mix is left.

We tried sourcing some wheat from a different place and they liked that even less.

I'm not trying to force them to eat wheat but what else can we feed them with along side the Red Hen? The wheat basically goes to waste or the birds get it because the chooks spread it on the ground.

They eat our scraps once a week and get bread basically daily. So it's not just Red Hen.
Based in Australia of you have any products you can recommend
 

rosemarythyme

Scarborough Fair
6 Years
Jul 3, 2016
19,933
41,348
1,122
WA, Pac NW
My Coop
My Coop
I'd consider trying different pelleted or crumble feeds (and sticking strictly to that to force them to eat it - no additional treats, bread, etc), and/or look into fermenting or at least wetting the feed. It's problematic that your birds are picking and choosing what they want out of the feed because not only is it wasteful for your wallet, but it can also lead to malnutrition as they're not getting a complete diet.
 

raingarden

Songster
Premium Feather Member
Apr 12, 2021
1,178
2,527
241
Windward Oahu
The Red Hen sounds like a mix of whole grains. For us, a mix of whole grains or hard red wheat alone is much more expensive than formulated crumble or pelleted chicken feed. If mixed together, they will pick the wheat out and leave the chicken feed. The formulated feed is better for their health though.
 

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