hens shoveling food out of feeder

[allpeepedout]

Although it lacks the convenience of a hanging feeder, a deep trough filled 1/2 to 1/3 full allows billing without spilling. I use plastic drywall mud pans, which are about 4 inches deep, braced against coop wall with a small block of limestone. Although my rooster has scratched some out a couple of times, I have had little spillage, never had a trough dumped. I have only once or twice had any poo in the trough, since it's too close to the wall for the birds to perch on, and the edges of the pan are unfriendly perches.

Since you have relatively few birds, a trough or multiple troughs like this might be a solution, if you have time to refill a couple of times a day. They are easy to clean.

 

[Nonny]

I had the exact same problem with the Darling Downs Layer Mash!!!

I was going through three scoops of it per day for only three chooks - having to replace the 20kg back every month. Since I swapped to one that has almost the exact same mix but without the sunflower seeds (although I think it smells sweeter, so maybe more molasses?), they stopped throwing it all over the place, and actually eat it properly rather than wasting it.

Although there is only about a $2 per 20kg bag price difference between the two types, because I now buy the bags half as often so it's working out a heck of a lot cheaper!

 

[SteveBaz]

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

You are spoiling your chickens too much, any animal would pick treats out of feed. I would get feed thats just the pellets or crumbles, they might not like it at first but they won't starve themselves. Its like spoiling a child, if you give in to their demands, the problem will only get worse.

 

[abejita]

stevebaz,

This is kind of like I was thinking...it looks like your feeder is on the ground, do your hens get in the pan?

I might also take a look at the drywall mud pans. I think that I am probably have the same problem as kittykat, my feed is not pellets and they are probably digging through to find their favorite things. Weird that they all started doing this so suddenly. I've also been watching to see if squirrels have been snacking during the day, but I have yet to catch one...and the girls think of the squirrels as walking snacks so it would be hard for them to sneak in, LOL!

The 9 adults have gone through 6lb of food since yesterday morning!

 

[abejita]

A tray like this one ?

 

[Beekissed]

I have a trough style feeder that I wrap in welded wire, which prevents climbing into and flicking out of. I haven't had any feed waste since switching to this setup. Also easier to put out feed, just scoop and dump....no filling of containers.

I feed a mix of mash and whole grains...they may pick out some or parts of the feed first but I don't put more feed into the feeder until the original feed is gone. If they don't clean up, they aren't hungry enough.

 

[abejita]

how much space is between each wire? I'm thinking that I may be able to retrofit my current feeder.

 

[Beekissed]

2x3 welded wire...I found chicken wire to be too small. I used to use this method on rabbit feeders as well but I used the chicken wire then.

 

[ScottyHOMEy]

Chickens are odd critters, but aren't they all? Finicky cats, dogs, horses . . . chickens.

I feed crumbles, and always wind up with a mess of mash/dust in the pan of the cylinder feeder that they won't touch. The ladies will act like they're starved before they'll ever peck that mash out of the feeder.

But let me dump that mash and what crumbles are left with it onto the litter on the floor before I replace it with a fresh pailful of crumbles in the feeder, and, next morning, the floor is bare where they've scratched and pecked to clean up every last morsel of what I dumped out before they turned to the fresh crumbles in the feeder.

They're chickens, yes, so there are things one can say in general about the way they behave, but there are as many variables between individual chickens, never mind flocks, and their behavior as there are between any two people or communities.My tendency to crumbles has to do with our long winters and sometimes deep snow which can keep the girls cooped up. Crumbles, of necessity, give them something to peck at besides each other, in addition to the toys I have on hand to hang up for them for distraction if I see any sign of them pecking on each other during those spells.