Sorry I ask so many questions, I am new to chickens, even though I'm already obsessed.
Anyway, I have a few bowls of pellets I give to my chickens, along with bugs (and then five of them spend a good amount of time free ranging, the other 4 are still too afraid to come out of the coop for some reason). I feed them in the morning around 7 and then I feed them right before I go to work (around 2:30pm). I give them about 3 cups of pellets each time (9 chickens a little over 3 mo. old). They also always have fresh greens in their coop (not that that gives them many calories). Anyway, chickens being chickens they scratch half of the pellets out of their bowls and usually by the next time I feed them they have a bowl with a few pellets and lots of dirt. There are pellets ALL over the coop floor. They are always very enthusiastic when I feed them, though, so I wonder if they just don't get that they can eat the pellets off the ground and are hungry? I was thinking that maybe I should just feed them on the ground and/or try to figure out a different feeding situation so that it doesn't get all over the ground? Thanks!
Anyway, I have a few bowls of pellets I give to my chickens, along with bugs (and then five of them spend a good amount of time free ranging, the other 4 are still too afraid to come out of the coop for some reason). I feed them in the morning around 7 and then I feed them right before I go to work (around 2:30pm). I give them about 3 cups of pellets each time (9 chickens a little over 3 mo. old). They also always have fresh greens in their coop (not that that gives them many calories). Anyway, chickens being chickens they scratch half of the pellets out of their bowls and usually by the next time I feed them they have a bowl with a few pellets and lots of dirt. There are pellets ALL over the coop floor. They are always very enthusiastic when I feed them, though, so I wonder if they just don't get that they can eat the pellets off the ground and are hungry? I was thinking that maybe I should just feed them on the ground and/or try to figure out a different feeding situation so that it doesn't get all over the ground? Thanks!