Chick feeder hole size.

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NysiaAnera

NysiaAnera

Songster
Jun 22, 2015
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Malad City, ID
How small/big do holes in a feeder need to be for chicks, from hatchlings up to 8 weeks, to fit their heads in but keep the adults and older chicks out?
 
Last edited:
Oh, no! I was going to sacrifice one of my pumpkins just so I could enter this contest, but we had to go into town, and I totally forgot!! My chickens LOVE pumpkins!! Oh well, maybe next year?

At any rate, I put together a collage of just *some* of the damage my chickens did in my squash patch. The goats tore down the garden fence and the chickens devoured 24 pumpkins, and around 18-22 other squashes, and then the goats ate the rinds. I lost over half my squash harvest to them.

Enjoy!

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And yes, the one picture is a pumpkin stem, the entire thing was gone!
 
NysiaAnera said:
How small/big do holes in a feeder need to be for chicks, from hatchlings up to 8 weeks, to fit their heads in but keep the adults and older chicks out?
Click to expand...

Not sure how one would successfully achieve that. If you can create a place of refuge for the chicks, and keep their food and water in that place, that might work. I made (but have yet to use) something of this nature. Basically, i built a "table" and then added vertical strips of wood all around. The idea being that the chicks can get through the gaps, but the mature chickens cannot. As I say, its just an idea that i had - not yet tested.
 
CTKen said:
Not sure how one would successfully achieve that. If you can create a place of refuge for the chicks, and keep their food and water in that place, that might work. I made (but have yet to use) something of this nature. Basically, i built a "table" and then added vertical strips of wood all around. The idea being that the chicks can get through the gaps, but the mature chickens cannot. As I say, its just an idea that i had - not yet tested. 
Click to expand...


That is a good idea, I think it would work great!

I had an idea for a feeder for the chicks just like the ones for adult birds, that use a container and pvc pipe elbows, so they stick their heads in to eat the food. It might not actually work for chicks, but I figured it was worth a try.
 
Nothing ventured, nothing gained! I'd suggest trying whatever ideas you feel suit your situation best.
 
Okay, took a little bit to get everything figured out and finished in our busy lives, but I now have two functional chick feeders. I didn't get a picture of the chicks using them yet, but they love them! I have one for younger chicks, and one for older chicks.

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The holes in this one are 1-1/4 in.

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The top bucket has a hole in the bottom for feed to drop through.

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The bottom bucket has an upside-down dog bowl on a piece of wood to push the feed to the edges and keep too much food from coming down all at once. All secured with screws so nothing moves.

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View from inside.

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The holes in this one are 2 inch. The rest is put together exactly the same way.
 
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Also, we did not use pvc elbows because they are difficult to attach securely. Our large chicken feeder fell apart and we had to completely redo it so it would stay together. Too much work and hassle for these little ones.
 

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