Are They Messy

[anthonyjames]

So I have had 17 hatch out this past week out of 30. And all I can say is are they messy. Running in and out of the water, food everywhere. I think there is as much food in the feeder as there is in the brooder itself.

And recommendations on how to limit the food all over the place?

 

[Cetawin]

Chicks can make a big mess...I put a small cookie sheet under their feeder and the stuff they spilled when on the cookie sheet and they either ate it or I cleaned up later. Hang in there...they grow fast.

 

[kingmt]

They seem to waste less mash then dry food. If you feed them small amounts at a time & have a feeder they can;t get inside of helps. I can't feed mine every little bit so I just let them eat as they want it but I still don't have as much mess with mash as dry food.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
I agree, a damp mash will get packed down instead of scattered all over. I feed mine a damp mash as long as they are in a brooder, once they go outside they have the round chick-feeder bases, and I don't have hardly any waste with those

 

[Quail_Cottage]

After the first few days when mine were on paper towel, and I switched to pine shavings and took out the plastic lids I was using for feed, and went straight to the round chick feeder. They still kick some of the shavings into the feeder and a few managed to climb over and inside, but most were happy to stick their head through the holes like the are supposed to

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
I have been putting mine on shavings after about a week but I put a couple small piecs of plywood in the brooder for the waterer and feeder almost no shavings in the feed or water

 

[anthonyjames]

You can see them here. They have been on pine shaving for 4 days now.

http://gallery.me.com/anthonyjames420 you can see all the feed around the feeder