# Not interested in chicken feed?



## serena (Aug 31, 2013)

Hello~
We are one week into our lovely hens! I have noticed they are not too fond of their chicken feed. They love the "scratch," which we put out a couple times a day. They also enjoy edible compost. Are we feeding them too many table scraps?


----------



## serena (Aug 31, 2013)

One more thing that I found odd. They killed and ate a small mouse? Is this common?


----------



## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

They are not eating the feed and holding out for the scratch and scraps lol They know whats good. Scratch is like junk food to them. I would give them the feed and withhold the scratch a couple days. You can keep giving the scraps though. They will eat the feed once they stop expecting the scratch. The mouse hunt is normal. My cat plays with mice, moles, and red squirrels then leaves them and the chickens run around with them like they hit the jackpot lol.


----------



## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

I agree!


----------



## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

My girls are vicious killers... they've torn apart moles and live frogs in front of my eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if they caught a mouse every now and then. I like to feed as many scraps as possible - I think it's a more natural diet (in that it is varied and more like a free range diet which I just can't give them here.) I don't really trust the feed to have everything they need and supplement their calcium with oyster shell when they need it. Never fed scratch... just mealworms and a "Flock block" in the winter months to alleviate boredom and cabin fever (or would that be coop fever??) But yeah, I'd say your chickens are normal.


----------



## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

And they look plenty fat!


----------



## back2simplelife (Jul 6, 2013)

7 of my 9 girls had never free ranged before.. the first week they only came out of the coop then right back in.. second week they have caught frogs, mice, and 3 baby rat snakes! guess they are catching on fast! lol


----------



## nj2wv (Aug 27, 2013)

one of mine found a baby sparrow and ran off and ate it


----------



## serena (Aug 31, 2013)

Thanks for all the feedback!


----------

