A FOOD/PELLET NIGHTMARE

[ChickNanny13]

Ferment your feed, besides NO WASTE there's alot of nutritional benefits & less stinky poop, alot firmer too. There's a forum on FF & if you decide to try some, very important not to use anything metal (utensils, feeder, container)

 

[theblondeangler]

Are you mixing something more attractive with the pellets. Chickens will sort through their feed to get to the good stuff like scratch grains or cracked corn. I feed pellets and have never had a problem with waste. Right now a bag of pellets last 7-9 days depending the quantity of kitchen scraps available. When I was feeding mash I couldn't get but half that many days out of a 50lb bag of feed.

Nope. Just straight pellets.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

I have a hanging feeder as well, and its outside my coop in the run. When I close up the coop every night, I bring the feeder into our house. I know I have rodents already outside, I'm trying to discourage them to finding a 'better' food source. I'd suggest increasing the protein... Mine are all still on grower with OS on the side, and bringing the food inside at night so you don't encourage rodents getting into your coop.

 

[Fairview01]

Nope. Just straight pellets.

There is no reason for chickens to flick pellets out of the feeder. The corn pieces are compressed into the pellets.

I would suggest trying another bag of feed with a different lot number. Chickens have very low standards when it comes to water and food. There could have been a manufacturing glitch and too much of something was added or it is rancid rendering it unplatable to the chickens but something on a level we can't detect.

 

[theblondeangler]

There is no reason for chickens to flick pellets out of the feeder. The corn pieces are compressed into the pellets.

I would suggest trying another bag of feed with a different lot number. Chickens have very low standards when it comes to water and food. There could have been a manufacturing glitch and too much of something was added or it is rancid rendering it unplatable to the chickens but something on a level we can't detect.

coincidently, I had a bag with some moldy pellets. I got rid of most of it but I'm wondering if they knew it wasn't fresh.

 

[JackE]

My feeder hangs though.

How high is the feeder? If it's too low, you may have a chicken or two, billing out the feed. Make them reach for it, (Stretch their necks a bit). I have the same feeder as you, and raising it solved the waste problem.

 

[Circle D Enterprises]

I ended up going back to pellet form instead of crumbled form. They do not waste it. If any gets on the floor of the house, they pick it up. So I'm not going to worry about doing anything different with the feeder since I have the problem solved.

 

[Squishychicken]

I had the exact same problem so I switched to fermented feed! I noticed a huge change in their food intake and what was wasted! i just feed the FF in a rubber feeding tub on a brick if there grown birds and on the ground if there younger.

 

[KCAmelia]

I would love to ferment the feed; thanks for the reminder!

I happened to have old stainless steel no-tip dog food bowls that I had to use one day out of desperation. They are perfect! Chickens can’t tip them, either, and if you only fill them halfway, they can’t bill out any feed! I’ve been feeding pellets, and I don’t find a single one on the ground. Before, I fed crumble in a hanging feeder and had tons of waste. I discovered the whole ground under the coop where it hung was really just old layer crumble. It never got wet, so I didn’t realize. But that was a huge emergency clean up when I had to put a broody mama and her chicks under there in the spring. So glad I’ve found the dog food bowls. I may try crumble again because I have a roo and can’t find grower pellets. I think the layer feed is really getting to him.

 

[ChickNanny13]

@KCAmelia - DO NOT USE any metal when fermenting, the chemical reaction with fermenting process toxic. Read up some on FF thread, it's long but very informative. I use a molded plastic dog dish, never had a issue of tipping. Other make a trough style with plastic gutter or even cutting a PVC pipe in half and mount to a stand.