Chicken Stupidity wins badge of Honor

[Shogun99]

All,

Well I went out to my coop today to check why their feeder wasn't working, looked in the top and saw 2 chickens staring up at me. They had gotten stuck in the feeder and couldn't get out. So I pulled them out and low and behold were two more...that had passed away.

I love chickens, but they killed themselves trying to get at the food that they had been without for a few hours tops. So I fixed the problem, put a better lid on the feeder so they won't be able to do the same thing in the future.

My feeder design was the one that was on the BYC website made with the wooden design and the slant that pools the crumble at the bottom of the feeder. It killed 2 of my chickens, but then again, I can be blamed for being an apprentice and trying to take on a project like that. I've had to adjust it already 1/2 dozen times to prevent food loss, proper food pooling, etc.

I'm wondering if it would have just been easier to buy a metal one and hang it from one of the trees in their pen. Ugh...

Advice? Etc?

Ryan

 

[Poultra]

So sorry about your chickens - they can be a bunch of dumb clucks sometimes, can't they? You said you put a better lid on it, which would have been what I would have suggested. Can you post a pic of your feeder? I or someone else might be able to help better if we had a visual.

 

[SterlingAcres]

I hear ya there. I went out to the barn this morning and noticed the lid was off the storage barrel. DH must have forgot about it yesterday. There were a few chickens stuck inside and crying. I guess it was too jammed to fly out.

Sorry your chooks died!

 

[ebonykawai]

So sorry for your losses. Some of them really take the cake. We have one we named Einstein. She can barely find her way back to the coop each evening, keeps getting lost under the apple tree. Hello?? They're over HERE!!! Duh...

 

[lovemychix]

I guess it was a meal to die for.

Chickens can be so stupid but then turn around and amaze you. Sorry for your loss!!

 

[debilorrah]

My 11 week olds get inside ours, thankfully they are big enough to get out again. and the roo eats from the top not the bottom where he is supposed to.

 

[Bebop]

Sorry about what happened

I say do what you think is best. Sorry, that's all I can offer right now.

 

[silkiechicken]

Sorry it happened. I've heard of birds piling into feed cans so think they killed each other on accident even when they had food available in their feeders!

 

[Ellie]

I don't think chickens are stupid.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[DottieMarie]

What an awful surprise; sorry for your loss.