Feeding too much?

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ChickTree said:
Should we keep a feeder and waterer available for them 24/7? Including at night in the coop?
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Not once they are adults. Food at night invites mice. Besides the chickens are sleeping and not interested in the fiof until morning. But little chicks, especially those under a heat lamp, I do keep food and water 24/7 Water being the most important.
 
OrganicFarmWife said:
Not once they are adults. Food at night invites mice. Besides the chickens are sleeping and not interested in the fiof until morning. But little chicks, especially those under a heat lamp, I do keep food and water 24/7 Water being the most important.
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Thank you for that reply! Mine are 6 weeks. Still feed them at night? And do you lock the feed up somewhere and give in morning?
 
I leave the food out all night in the coop, though the birds don't eat at night. The coop is more secure against rodents than my house, our house is super old, but I won't go there. I also add a lot of cayenne pepper to the feed just in case. Some folks subscribe to cayenne helping all matter of things, which you can look into it, however I love the fact that it's not harmful to chickens (chickens and birds in general don't have the receptors to feel the hot) and most mammals hate it. I use it on the wild bird food as well, to discourage rodents eating from the wild bird seed as well.
 
I hd not heard of cayenne pepper working, but that does not mean much, if it does it is a great solution. It is not not so much that ir needs to be locked up, as it should be in a container, something mouse proof. By 6 weeks they do not need food at night.
 
marilyngurl22 said:
I'm paying $75/month on feed now. Would it cost more than that you think?
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$75 dollars for 50lbs of feed?
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I understand being selective about what your birds eat, but at some point there has to be some cost effectiveness going on. Do you apply those same standards to the food your family eats?

I agree for the most part the bagged feed is way more affordable than making your own, but if your standards are that high you might investigate some of the home made recipe threads and see if you can glean anything from them. There have been several with lots of good information.
 
Yes I do.
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My son has health issues so diet is extremely important here. I make everything (most days) from scratch and as much organic non gmo and gluten free as possible. It's exhausting but my little man needs it. Since we eat those eggs, I want to make sure they are eating the best too. I'll price check some of the homemade stuff. I'm also going to look into feeding them from a different feeder. They very well may be wasting a lot. But yes. It's expensive. So I'll see what I can tweak to save some cash a month!
 
I understand. I mean to eat most of my birds, so I am also picky about their diet. But you do not need to break the bank to feed them. You can make your own food for them or you could shop around. I get some of my chicken feed from my seed supplier (I have found that many small companies that sell seed (organic crop seeds) also sell chicken feed) You might do a search for local organic seed suppliers, you may find something better priced.
 
marilyngurl22 said:
Yes I do.
1f609.png
My son has health issues so diet is extremely important here. I make everything (most days) from scratch and as much organic non gmo and gluten free as possible. It's exhausting but my little man needs it. Since we eat those eggs, I want to make sure they are eating the best too. I'll price check some of the homemade stuff. I'm also going to look into feeding them from a different feeder. They very well may be wasting a lot. But yes. It's expensive. So I'll see what I can tweak to save some cash a month!
Click to expand...

I would never restrict feed, but depending on what you're feeding them, you may get less waste if you switch to a different type of feed. I've switched to pellets and the birds eat a lot less and there is a lot less waste around the feeders than when I feed the same formula in crumbles.
 

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