Chickens Not Using New Feeder

[Plushness]

I have read some forum posts related to this topic, though I'm interested to get an answer for my current situation. I recently made a new feeder, one that is made of cardboard as I found it easier to craft my own than to just buy one. The design I came up with is a trough system, on one side they have grit and the other for their feed. The reason why I have one side grit while the other is feed, the grit helps weighing it down as to not have it toppled over, my larger Cornish Cross tends to destroy my cardboard creations lol.

They used to have a feeder from when they were chicks, then my flock of 4 grew up to now their 8th week! \(๑•́o•̀๑)/
With them being Cornish Cross, they do get big rather quickly and started to feed from the top down, where the lid used to go, than the holes at the bottom. I notice my pullet likes to lay down and eat from those holes, but my 3 other cockerels often times eat from the top. This ultimately can cause them to knock over the feeder, though it isn't as often anymore thanks to them getting so big and tall. They also seem to prefer their old way of getting grit, which I just put it on a plate inside their coop.

My current idea is to just take away their old feeder and eventually they will have no choice to use my new trough feeder. However, I just noticed they're foraging around the substrate at the very place where their old feeder used to be. They'll eat up scraps of what was left on the floor, despite them having a pretty large trough for them to eat out of. Here and there, before I took their old feeder, I do notice a couple of my chickens will eat at the feed and grit from their new feeder.

I have started my current idea, taking away old feeder, from last night. So it hasn't even been a full day yet, but I do get worried my chickens may starve because of this new change. Speaking of new change, I have their feeder outside the coop as to schedule their feed a bit where they don't eat, but have access to water, throughout the night and can eat during the day. Should I be concerned with my current plan or should I try something else? Do you have any tips and tricks of your own to help with the new change?

 

[nuthatched]

They're not going to starve but it might stunt their growth. If they have access to the ground they can get grit there, they don't need a special 24/7 feeder for it. They aren't made to live long so they don't need it as much as other breeds

 

[Plushness]

They're not going to starve but it might stunt their growth. If they have access to the ground they can get grit there, they don't need a special 24/7 feeder for it. They aren't made to live long so they don't need it as much as other breeds

I do intend to keep them around, not really keeping them just for their meat. More so as a pet in some way, though I will cull one, two or all of them when I will eventually invest for a larger flock. Depending on if I can make accommodations for the ones sticking around to live separately from other birds raised specifically for meat or for eggs.

These Cornish Crosses kinda grew on me, since it is my first time keeping chickens of my own. But this is my current intent, which may change in the future depending on if I can realistically keep them around. Of course depending on running costs and space for them. My main concern is the 3 males and 1 female, so I may be forced to cull at least one or two as to not have issue with the males fighting over the one female.

 

[FunClucks]

If they're cornish cross, you should be harvesting them this week or next, correct? Remove the old feeder. As long as they know where the new feeder is and can reach the food, they will not starve. Put their noses in it, and observe to be sure they can reach while standing. They will get off their rears and eat it - they're highly food motivated. Check them to be sure no one is having any leg issues - these can show up at 7 wks and beyond depending on your management methods. If they sit on their hocks and have a lot of trouble getting up, or can't get up, they need to be processed and may have trouble reaching the food.

I use 5 gal buckets with horizontal nipples for water and a 10 ft vinyl gutter supported on the ends and middle with cinder blocks for food. The height of the water and feed is such that the birds have to stand up to eat. I raise it up on blocks as they grow. Also water and food are at the opposite end of the enclosure. This helps ensure they get some exercise.

I put out a casserole dish or no-tip dog bowl of grit to be sure they get some. They eat a fair bit of it. Mine don't range at all. If I'm going to lose a CX, it's not going to be from a crop issue.

They may scratch about where the old feeder used to be for any fallen feed - this is a good thing and means they're getting exercise.

If you need more info on how to raise or process cornish cross, the Meat Bird Forum is an excellent resource.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/meat-birds-etc.21/

 

[Plushness]

If they're cornish cross, you should be harvesting them this week or next, correct? Remove the old feeder. As long as they know where the new feeder is and can reach the food, they will not starve. Put their noses in it, and observe to be sure they can reach while standing. They will get off their rears and eat it - they're highly food motivated. Check them to be sure no one is having any leg issues - these can show up at 7 wks and beyond depending on your management methods. If they sit on their hocks and have a lot of trouble getting up, or can't get up, they need to be processed and may have trouble reaching the food.

I use 5 gal buckets with horizontal nipples for water and a 10 ft vinyl gutter supported on the ends and middle with cinder blocks for food. The height of the water and feed is such that the birds have to stand up to eat. I raise it up on blocks as they grow. Also water and food are at the opposite end of the enclosure. This helps ensure they get some exercise.

I put out a casserole dish or no-tip dog bowl of grit to be sure they get some. They eat a fair bit of it. Mine don't range at all. If I'm going to lose a CX, it's not going to be from a crop issue.

They may scratch about where the old feeder used to be for any fallen feed - this is a good thing and means they're getting exercise.

If you need more info on how to raise or process cornish cross, the Meat Bird Forum is an excellent resource.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/meat-birds-etc.21/

Thank you, this feedback is very well detailed! ^^

 

[FunClucks]

I do intend to keep them around, not really keeping them just for their meat. More so as a pet in some way, though I will cull one, two or all of them when I will eventually invest for a larger flock. Depending on if I can make accommodations for the ones sticking around to live separately from other birds raised specifically for meat or for eggs.

These Cornish Crosses kinda grew on me, since it is my first time keeping chickens of my own. But this is my current intent, which may change in the future depending on if I can realistically keep them around. Of course depending on running costs and space for them.

If you haven't specifically restricted their feed from the beginning, they may start dying by themselves. They are designed to be processed around 8 weeks, and are not bred to live longer. Even with special feeding, CX rarely make it past a year or 1.5 years. They're not bred to be pets, they are bred for eating. I personally think it's cruel to keep them alive too long, once health issues start showing up. They will die from heart attack or because their legs give out, there's really nothing you can do.

I had a hen at 9 wks fall over on her back and was not able to turn herself back over and get up again. If I hadn't caught her and flipped her back over she'd have died of a heart attack due to stress. I had one lose ability to walk at 7 weeks. I had several die of heart attacks at 2 weeks old, 7 wks, and 8 wks.

ETA: the above info is from one batch of 25 CX I raised from Jan - March 2023. I fed 22% protein meat bird food the whole time, 12 hrs on/12 hrs off after the first 5 days. They had a 150 sq ft pen after getting out of the brooder, and that amount of space worked well.

They are super sweet. I understand why you might want to make pets of them, and folks do, but I'd recommend you not do that. You'll be setting yourself up for heartache. I wanted to keep a few females back to breed, but all of mine got way too huge by 9 wks. I hadn't planned ahead and restricted feed from the beginning.

If you are determined, there's folks on the Meat Bird forum who have been relatively successful at keeping CX for a year or so, you may look into how they've done that. It's very management intensive, but possible if you're committed and plan ahead.

 

[Plushness]

If you haven't specifically restricted their feed from the beginning, they may start dying by themselves. They are designed to be processed around 8 weeks, and are not bred to live longer. Even with special feeding, CX rarely make it past a year or 1.5 years. They're not bred to be pets, they are bred for eating. I personally think it's cruel to keep them alive too long, once health issues start showing up. They will die from heart attack or because their legs give out, there's really nothing you can do.

I had a hen at 9 wks fall over on her back and was not able to turn herself back over and get up again. If I hadn't caught her and flipped her back over she'd have died of a heart attack due to stress. I had one lose ability to walk at 7 weeks. I had several die of heart attacks at 2 weeks old, 7 wks, and 8 wks.

They are super sweet. I understand why you might want to make pets of them, and folks do, but I'd recommend you not do that. You'll be setting yourself up for heartache. I wanted to keep a few females back to breed, but all of mine got way too huge by 9 wks. I hadn't planned ahead and restricted feed from the beginning.

If you are determined, there's folks on the Meat Bird forum who have been relatively successful at keeping CX for a year or so, you may look into how they've done that. It's very management intensive, but possible if you're committed and plan ahead.

I have had quite the bad feeling that this may be the case, I intend to at least keep them around to their fullest size at around 14 weeks of age. At least this is what I have researched when it comes to their largest size they can get.

Thankfully, I am in a situation where I can keep them monitored and tend to their needs on a near constant basis. Unfortunately I have found myself in a situation where I'm forced to keep them indoors due to unforeseen issues when I was planning things out in advance, it is a rather long story as to why this is the case.

Nonetheless, I have had the mentality of "it is what it is" and see what I can do in the moment to best provide a good life for them before they have to be culled. I thought about the possibility of keeping them as indoor chickens and have made effort to try this idea out, like getting chicken diapers. I know it's not a common breed for people to do this and is probably the first. Though I will make sure to cull them as their original intent of being meat if this idea doesn't work out, as so they don't live in pain.

But speaking of my birds and their quality of life, they look to be just like any normal bird. I haven't seen anything that'd be cause of concern, except for this issue of their feed. Though I will say, it has been some tough decisions that really tests myself. Especially with the current situation of either culling them or keep them around as pets.

 

[FunClucks]

I have had quite the bad feeling that this may be the case, I intend to at least keep them around to their fullest size at around 14 weeks of age. At least this is what I have researched when it comes to their largest size they can get.

Thankfully, I am in a situation where I can keep them monitored and tend to their needs on a near constant basis. Unfortunately I have found myself in a situation where I'm forced to keep them indoors due to unforeseen issues when I was planning things out in advance, it is a rather long story as to why this is the case.

Nonetheless, I have had the mentality of "it is what it is" and see what I can do in the moment to best provide a good life for them before they have to be culled. I thought about the possibility of keeping them as indoor chickens and have made effort to try this idea out, like getting chicken diapers. I know it's not a common breed for people to do this and is probably the first. Though I will make sure to cull them as their original intent of being meat if this idea doesn't work out, as so they don't live in pain.

But speaking of my birds and their quality of life, they look to be just like any normal bird. I haven't seen anything that'd be cause of concern, except for this issue of their feed. Though I will say, it has been some tough decisions that really tests myself. Especially with the current situation of either culling them or keep them around as pets.

Have you had chickens before? Are you sure these are CX? What have you been feeding them, and what % protein does your feed have? Can you post pictures of your CX, including side shots standing normally showing body and comb, and top shots showing body and also face shots? Do they seem starving all the time, and do you give them 24/7 access to food?

I ask because by 8 weeks CX should look like full grown chickens, about 3x to 4x the size of normal chickens, eggers or heritage breeds. If you aren't seeing a drastic difference in size compared to normal chickens, there's something going on. They should be the size of a medium grocery store whole chicken by 5-6 weeks, and triple that size by 9 weeks.

I'm glad they're doing well for you so far, and that you haven't had any health issues yet.

 

[Plushness]

Have you had chickens before? Are you sure these are CX? What have you been feeding them, and what % protein does your feed have? Can you post pictures of your CX, including side shots standing normally showing body and comb, and top shots showing body and also face shots? Do they seem starving all the time, and do you give them 24/7 access to food?

I ask because by 8 weeks CX should look like full grown chickens, about 3x to 4x the size of normal chickens, eggers or heritage breeds. If you aren't seeing a drastic difference in size compared to normal chickens, there's something going on. They should be the size of a medium grocery store whole chicken by 5-6 weeks, and triple that size by 9 weeks.

I'm glad they're doing well for you so far, and that you haven't had any health issues yet.

I have not had previously owned chickens before, I got these chickens breed confirmed on the backyard chickens website. The feed these chickens have been getting was the standard feed I got them at the store, unfortunately it wasn't designed as meat bird starter feed and didn't have a high % of protein. I don't recall what % of protein it was, but I did get new feed online that is a grower feed, for chickens at 8-20 weeks, at 17% protein. They do not seem to be starving all the time, only recently I have done a more scheduled diet where at night they cannot have feed. I don't see any lethargy or them having issues with standing.

For my first time keeping chickens, it has been rather unfortunate for what my situation is. I was actually intending to get egg laying chickens who would be outdoors, but I believe there was a labeling issue that showed a different breed at the point of purchase and I'm forced to keep them indoors. So I had to change my plans accordingly and I'm just glad to see they are doing pretty well off over all. A couple of them really likes to sit in my lap and be petted by me, even asking for me to pick them up. My pullet is pretty chill, she does seem to like it when I pick her up for sitting in my lap and get pets. I only have cockerel that tends to be more avoidant of me, I must've not been so well with socializing him or he just has a more independent personality.

I do have some pictures at the ready, you can see them attached to this reply. These two seem to be the best I have on hand to satisfy your picture request:

 

[FunClucks]

I have not had previously owned chickens before, I got these chickens breed confirmed on the backyard chickens website. The feed these chickens have been getting was the standard feed I got them at the store, unfortunately it wasn't designed as meat bird starter feed and didn't have a high % of protein. I don't recall what % of protein it was, but I did get new feed online that is a grower feed, for chickens at 8-20 weeks, at 17% protein. They do not seem to be starving all the time, only recently I have done a more scheduled diet where at night they cannot have feed. I don't see any lethargy or them having issues with standing.

For my first time keeping chickens, it has been rather unfortunate for what my situation is. I was actually intending to get egg laying chickens who would be outdoors, but I believe there was a labeling issue that showed a different breed at the point of purchase and I'm forced to keep them indoors. So I had to change my plans accordingly and I'm just glad to see they are doing pretty well off over all. A couple of them really likes to sit in my lap and be petted by me, even asking for me to pick them up. My pullet is pretty chill, she does seem to like it when I pick her up for sitting in my lap and get pets. I only have cockerel that tends to be more avoidant of me, I must've not been so well with socializing him or he just has a more independent personality.

I do have some pictures at the ready, you can see them attached to this reply. These two seem to be the best I have on hand to satisfy your picture request:

Those chickens look healthy, but a lot smaller than I expect 8 wk CX to be. By feeding them a non-meat bird feed having a lower protein from the beginning, you may have unintentionally achieved your objective, namely having healthy CX you can keep as pets for as long as possible. Just keep doing what you're doing, they look good.

Since you can't take them outside, you may need to make them a dust bath inside the garage, or on a patio or something (in a pinch the bathroom might work because it's easy to clean), because dust bathing is an instinctive behavior that helps them get rid of dead skin and any parasites (not that you'll have parasites much inside). A container of dirt from the yard is usually sufficient, it doesn't have to be super dusty. Just large enough for them to lay in it. [I've had a few chicks that tried to dust bathe in their grit bowl while still in the brooder around 1-2 wks old.] It's good that you have more than one chicken - it's important for their mental health to have a flock, even if it's just 2 birds.

Anything you can do to take them on field trips, or be exposed to grass, so they have opportunities to scratch in the dirt will make them happy. Scattering chicken feed or scratch in their enclosure may give them something to hunt and peck for. Also, treats of sprouted greens, legumes, and basically any type of sprouts people eat would be a nice healthy fun thing for them to play with and eat. I'd recommend training them to come when you call for hand feeding of treats (if you haven't already), that way if they ever get out or run off for some reason, you can give the food/treat call, and they'll come running back.

Might consider planting a large sheet pan with grass or wheatgrass, sprouting it in the sun on a balcony or window (in dirt), and then putting it in their enclosure so they can play/eat it.

They make chicken harnesses, and some folks take chicken on walks... As long as you have a plan for keeping them safe from predators, they may enjoy it.

Eventually, around 5-6 months old (?), your hen should start to lay eggs with or without roosters being around, so you may eventually get some eggs from her, maybe 150-200 eggs per year is what I think the estimate is.

At 3-6 months, you may start to have trouble with some of your roosters, if it hasn't started already. I do encourage you to consider rehoming one or more of them, they can be very difficult for beginners. There are a number of excellent articles on this site about rooster behavior. Shadrach is one member who is super knowledgeable about roosters - I learned a ton by reading his posts and articles. I'd encourage you to become as knowledgeable as possible about rooster behavior as soon as you can, since they do not interpret our behaviors like cats and dogs do, but speak an entire language of their own. There are a number of schools of thought about roosters, and if they're trainable or not, etc. They can do quite a bit of physical damage to adults and especially children if not managed well. Now is the time to lay the groundwork for how your rooster(s) will treat you in the future. About half is behavior based learned behavior, and at least half if not more is genetic.

Also, I'd encourage you to wear wraparound safety glasses if/when you ever have your chickens near your eyes. They can/will peck out eyes with no warning. Eyes are very attractive to them and must be pecked, apparently.

Have lots of fun with your awesome chickens!!!