[brick22]

Hiya

Is it OK to give sunflower seeds that are still in their shell or should it just be the hearts. I put some down for my girls but they just turned their beaks up at them, I shelled a few & they loved them.

Please don't tell me I have to shell them all, I'll be out there for weeks!! 

[joyfull]

I usually give mine the hearts but at the weekend was given some black sunflower seeds. The reception to these is pretty mixed and I have found not all the hens like them  . Perhaps they are an aquired taste 

[brick22]

mmmmm, think you could be right there, so glad I just bought a 3.5 kilo bag 

[Lindeggs]

They are capable of eating the whole seed rather than just the kernel, but it took mine a while to realise that the whole ones were edible. 

I bought a 1kg bag of whole seeds and was disappointed that the girls showed no interest in them.  So one sunny afternoon I sat out with them and cracked a few open in front of them so they associated the yummy kernel with the whole seed.  Now they happily eat the whole seeds.

[PhilDotte]

There are black sunflower seeds in the mixed corn that I buy and all then hens love them.  I've started mixing in a little bit of the mixed corn with the chick crumbs for the youngsters and its the black sunflower seeds they pick out first to eat.