[farmerGiles]

About a fortnight ago, all five chickens stopped eating their layers pellets.

Now they only eat the grain, which I wouldn't mind but grain is expensive and it takes them two days to empty the 5kg grain feeder. That works out at 500 grams of grain per hen per day!

Should I just stop refilling the grain feeder and hope they will become hungry enough to start eating their pellets again?

The odd thing is, they have continued to lay plenty of eggs. I didn't think grain had any protein value.

[jinty1911]

They should only get grain as a treat, usually about bed time (dusk).  It's the same as feeding a child sweets all day and then expecting them to eat their dinner. Cut out the grain and they will have to eat their pellets.  I was giving mine too many treats and they didn't touch the pellets.  

[Aunt Sally]

Grain should only be given about half an hour before bed time and a good handful between about 4 hens is ample.

Remove the grain feeder !!!!

[alancane]

I would remove the grain feeder and give them only pellets from now on. They will eventually go back for the pellets when they are hungry enough, but definitely not whilst grain is still being served. Expect very vocal complaints from them, so close your ears to their moaning.

If a child had a choice between sprouts or chocolate, you know which one the child is going to go for - same with chickens. Why have pellets when they can have corn.

[alancane]

FarmerGiles - have you given them some grit with oyster shell mixed in, in a separate little feeder? This would be beneficial for them

[Lindeggs]

500g per hen per day?!    You're feeding more than hens there!  I certainly hope the rats, mice and pigeons are laying eggs for you too!   

Depending on what grains you're feeding, it is definitely possible to achieve a good balanced diet.  Some seeds and grains (especially legumes) contain huge amounts of protein.  But it's much more difficult to balance the right kinds of grains and get consistent quality.  It's especially hard to get all the right amino acids without overdoing the protein, if you're getting most of the protein from plant sources.

Personally I feed grains as a staple diet instead of pellets, but it does require a lot of careful balancing - and it's almost doing my head in.    

[Casey76]

Did you change your brand of layers pellets?  Had they become damp or mouldy?  did they go out of date?

Normally there would be a reason for a bird to go off a feed it had been eating for a while... however these are chickens we are talking about, so anything is possible

I'm afraid it is time for tough love.  Put a feeder of layers into the pen/run (it might be worth trying a new bag, if they stopped eating out of a half full one), and do not feed anything else.  No treats, no scraps, and certainly no grain!

It might take them a couple of days, but when they get hungry enough they will eat the pellets

[izzy]

tough love no grain  they'll soon eat the pellets

[andreadon]

agree, remove the Grain Feeder.

and also, yes, what Casey said - have you bought a new sack from somewhere new?

[binghamd]

Do the hens free range? if so they are probably getting lots of protein from the worms, insects etc they are eating. The grain will be providing mainly carbohydrate with a bit of protein. But 500g per hen per day is a lot. Sounds like something else is helping themselves to the grain. Wild birds, rats?
They are telling you they really don't much like this manufactured food. Has it gone rancid?

[farmerGiles]

Thanks for the replies I removed the grain feeder a week ago. Unfortunately the hens have stubbornly refused to go near the pellet trough, and consequently lost a lot of weight. So I'm going to give them a bowl full of grain before bed time.

The pellets are the same brand the hens have always had. The bag was purchased in February. No sign of dampness.

binghamd, the hens do not free range, they range in a flagged run (6ft x 20ft) that has a 3ft square patch of soil for them to scratch around in. Apart from when I hose down the run, the soil is constantly bone dry, so they probably don't find many worms in there.

alancane, there is a seed tray full of oyster shell and grit mix in the run which they help themselves to as and when needed.

[helens-hens]

If the pellets are OK, have you tried tempting them with pellet porridge i.e. mixture of pellets and hot (but not too hot!) water to make it into a sort of mash. My 2 get this for breakfast in the mornings in an old plastic tub and can't resist it. Maybe worth a shot?

[ManicMum]

Try scattering some of the pellets on the floor of the run (as well as the feeder), amongst whatever bedding is on your slabs.  They are foragers by nature, so hunting for and finding something edible fits better with their natural behaviour then just standing round a feeder, chomping.