My hens are piggies!!!!

[Kickin' Chickin']

Ok, I have 4 BO hens, and they (to me ), go through an enormous amount of feed. I feed them a laying mash and they have access to a run that is filled with leaves and what not to scratch in and still they act like they haven't eaten in days. Not to mention all the grain that they spill out of the feeder that they completely ignore. How much should I be feeding them ,I want to keep the feeder full but there is at least 2 inches of grain covering the floor of the coop what am I doing wrong? I want them to eat but at the same time the waste seems to be toooooo much. Any ideas?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Do as you wish, but THAT much wasted food is not acceptable to me or to my budget.

If I see that behavior, the feeders are pulled, the hens are "shown" the feed on the ground and that's it until they've cleaned up their mess. They won't starve. They clean it up after while. From then on, they are on measured rations. All they want, mind you, but only that which they clean up by 3 pm.

The result of feed spillage is a major, major rodent infestation, which is neither fun nor healthy.

 

[Break an Egg]

They will clean up the floor when the feeder is empty, but you need to let them by not filling the feeder. Also, to reduce waste, you can start feeding them layer pellets they are less messy.

 

[chicmom]

Hello! Isn't that waste just awful? I had the same problem, but I think it was because my feeder was on the floor. Now, I have the feeders either hanging, or I set it one a wooden crate that is just head level to the hens. So they don't get their feet up there and scratch the food out. I also switched to layer pellets instead of the crumbles. At first you'll be panicing and think, "OMG, they don't like this and they're not eating!" But hang in there because when they get hungry, they'll eat it! It may take a few days......

I have alot less waste that way, and I always keep my feeders full (just in case I get busy one day...).

I hope this helps!

 

[Fred's Hens]

I assume if our kids did this at the lunch table, we'd know exactly what to do. Chickens aren't so different.

We'd know our kids weren't hungry, so they just play with their food.
Agree on the crumbles, but just like kids, don't feed them if they aren't hungry and don't feed them more than they'll eat up within a hour or two, or it just goes to waste. The rats and mice, however, will appreciate greatly!!!

 

[Kickin' Chickin']

Thank you all for the quick reply. I was thinking that maybe not filling it for a day(or so) would be ok. Just didn't want to starve them. I think for those girls I will be switching to pellets. The feeder is a hanging one but they just throw all the small stuff out meanwhile only eating the large pieces. Little weenies!!!

 

[alhanse77]

Quote:
x2. Also, as some others have said, wait to refill the feeders until they have made some progress on the food that has spilled. I had to do this especially after I switched to pellets.