Babies wasting feed...what to do?

[EggsForIHOP]

Okay, until now I have never really noticed things like this so much, but until now I was working full time....now, I spend a good chunk of my day watching chicks

I have developed several home rigged set ups of my own and from ideas found here on BYC in the past to help with the shavings getting in the water while brooding my chicks, but we got a TON of little "packing peanuts" in an order from Ideal this week and BOY! Do they ever waste some food!

The broiler chicks do NOT miss one lick of food! The ducks don't seem to waste much either...but these little BR/maybe sex link roosters probably...well...they are another story! I am using the small quart jar type feeders, and there is more feed in the shavings than in their crops and the feeder combined!

Does anyone have any ideas on how to cut back on this? Or do I just need to go invest in the red flip top feeders? I tried a few tricks, like putting them into pie tins, and all they did was kick shavings into those and then poop in it...

 

[BarredBuff]

I'd do the flip top feeders.....

 

[MustLoveHens]

Not sure if this applies in your case, but if your chick starter is a crumble it may be to "course" of a grind and they cannot eat it so they are pecking around to get to the stuff they can eat. I recommend to grind it into a mash or meal with your blender.
I had the same problem. Where I live, none of the feed companies make a mash/meal so I have to grind my chick starter. The chicks eat it well with less mess. Another thing you can try is to elevate the feeder so the babies can eat but not kick shavings into the feeder as they scratch.
HTH

 

[EggsForIHOP]

Ahhh...there it may be! I went and REALLY gave this feed a good looking at...and you know... It is a VERY coarse grind compared to what I have been getting (just switched feed stores as a "had to due to distance" not a want to thing...) I bet they may be having a hard time with it...there it may be! I'll try giving it a grinding and see what happens! I did elevate it a tad, and still there was a ton in the shavings...so just maybe you have hit right on the head there!

 

[NightsInWhiteSilkies]

I have also found that they arent kicking it out of the dish near as much now that I grind it and alot less has been waisted plus very little is in their water dish now too.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Don't bother getting a red flip top - mine just knock that upside down and scatter the feed all over the place. I hung my chick starter feed in a hanger dish - that helped reduce the knock outs & shavings in the feed. They will peck around in it until they find the piece they like.

 

[Chemguy]

Quote:
Agreed. The red flip top becomes a perch/pooping platform. I just propped my feeder up on a block, a block that was slightly smaller than the base of the feeder. For me, that did the trick.

 

[EggsForIHOP]

LOL - I have the red flip top and I actually don't mind it

It's just in use with other chicks at the moment.

I did grind up the feed a little bit before going to bed last night and now that it is smaller, they seem to be happier and there aren't anymore "big chunks" on the brooder floor this morning (I cleaned it out before I went to bed)....I think they were picking out the big pieces and only eating the really mashed up stuff when I inspected it closely - I've never really had a problem, but my old feed was MUCH finer crumbles than this one...I think no matter what these little guys would have not wanted those "chunks"...they're just so tiny and sweet compared to the broiler chicks we have! THOSE little critters are like vultures and gobble up EVERYTHING you stick in the feeders AND the brooders including fingers!

 

[onthespot]

You can put the feed in a low dish, like an inch and a half tall tupperware thing and they can get in there and eat, and kick it around and peck to their heart's content, but most of it stays in there. There will be some poop in there too by the end of the day. I just put enough in there that at the end of the day I just dump a little left over and some poo, rinse it out and refill it. I feed the outside hens the same. I put a scoop of feed in about four inch tall top of a plastic tote. They all get in there and kick around, but the feed mostly stays put and gets et.

 

[Garrisonkidsduo2]

Quote:
I noticed that to but I started giving them just a little and when it was mostly gone I would give them a little more. I noticed that if there was a lot in the dish I was using that they would just scratch it out and not eat it but if there isn't that much in there they don't seem to scratch as much. i have baby chicks now and it is working with this batch to.