Feeder Problems

[lat3dd3r]

About a month ago we got one of those long feeders with all the holes in it but as of late my chickens keep knocking it over, dumping all the food on the ground (I keep the feeder outside) and eating it that way instead of just pecking it out of the holes.. I'm wondering if I should possibly get a bigger (heavier) feeder? Something that I could attach to the walls of the coop? Or should I just start dumping a jar full of it on the ground in the morning? We live up in the mountains and do have raccoons and coyotes, I haven't had any problems with predators this summer, I do close up the are at night where I feed them. Just looking for some opinions on what others have done.

 

[KoopOnTruckin]

I'm not sure what your setup is, or how many chickens you have or how old they are, but I use a 5-gal bucket, cut some holes around the bottom edge, and that sits in a larger diameter metal hog pan. The food pours out into the pan, and I only have to fill it once a week or so with my 16 hens. They can't dump it over until it's empty, which they do. I've also used 1- and 2-gallon buckets the same way with my younger chicks in a smaller pen.

I wouldn't suggest pouring it out, it will attract ants and will turn to mush in the rain, and you can't accurately keep track of how much they eat.

 

[chickluvinfreak]

About a month ago we got one of those long feeders with all the holes in it but as of late my chickens keep knocking it over, dumping all the food on the ground (I keep the feeder outside) and eating it that way instead of just pecking it out of the holes.. I'm wondering if I should possibly get a bigger (heavier) feeder? Something that I could attach to the walls of the coop? Or should I just start dumping a jar full of it on the ground in the morning? We live up in the mountains and do have raccoons and coyotes, I haven't had any problems with predators this summer, I do close up the are at night where I feed them. Just looking for some opinions on what others have done.

Why do chickens love dumping their food out?! I think the best feeder is a hanging one attached th the coop roof. It's impossible to dump over and really difficult to scratch out.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Why do chickens love dumping their food out?! I think the best feeder is a hanging one attached th the coop roof. It's impossible to dump over and really difficult to scratch out.

I think that chickens like to see what they are eating and because chickens don't have any hands to pick up and examine their food with they like to rake it around and back and forth with their bills, while looking for the choice bits.

 

[lat3dd3r]

I think that chickens like to see what they are eating and because chickens don't have any hands to pick up and examine their food with they like to rake it around and back and forth with their bills, while looking for the choice bits.

Definitely think thats probably accurate! Thanks for the helpful tips everybody. Anybody have any luck with those DIY PVC pipe feeders? Those seem pretty cool

 

[Stephine]

I thought about the PVC feeders, but I think chickens can still make a mess with it. Mine would - they like to use their beaks to throw feed sideways while looking for choice morsels and any round feeders will have them throw most of it on the ground. I got a long range feeder for them (2 feet), it has a lip on both long sides and a long bar across the top that spins and throws them off if they try to perch on it. It is the best thing ever. I have no more spilled feed since I got it. It has legs, to lift it off the ground by maybe 4".

 

[GC-Raptor]

I use a hanging feeder about crop height with pellets and have no waist sense they grew their combs. They have to eat with their heads turned to the side. So it's not easy to toss out even with crumbles. With pellets there is no favorite seed to hunt for. GC

 

[chickengeorgeto]

About a month ago we got one of those long feeders with all the holes in it but as of late my chickens keep knocking it over, dumping all the food on the ground (I keep the feeder outside) and eating it that way instead of just pecking it out of the holes.. I'm wondering if I should possibly get a bigger (heavier) feeder? Something that I could attach to the walls of the coop? Or should I just start dumping a jar full of it on the ground in the morning? We live up in the mountains and do have raccoons and coyotes, I haven't had any problems with predators this summer, I do close up the are at night where I feed them. Just looking for some opinions on what others have done.

To prevent your hens from overturning their galvanized feeders use 3 or 4 short screws to fix a piece of 1X8 inch board each about 12 inches long cross wise onto both ends of the feeder and that will give the metal feeder a wider stance as well as a broader base and more mass which will make overturning the feeder almost impossible. The feeders with the roosting guards or spinners on the top are the best all around type of feeder in my book except for raising baby chicks where I prefer the feeders with the portholes. I have never noticed any difference health wise or production wise with any feeder and I doubt that you will either but you can have a huge difference in wastage.

If you have roosters with High Straight Combs then you may need to think about dubbing those bad boys so they can get at the vittles easier without cutting or bruising their head gear.