Chickens are dumping all the pellets out of their feeder

[JennyMay21]

Hello,

We're very new to having chickens, and have a questions about their recent behavior. We have 4 Bovans in our backyard coop. We have been putting their lay pellets in a feeder that hangs from the ceiling at their chest height. The first week was fine; the food level gradually went down. But for the past week, we fill the feeder, come out to check an hour later and the whole thing has been emptied onto the floor of the coop and spread around in the pine shavings!

I'm not sure what is causing them to do this or what, if anything, we should do about it! Is it okay to let them eat the pellets off the floor? Maybe we have been feeding them too many "treats" so that they no longer want the pellets? We were told than anything "extra" we give them, such as greens and scratch, should make up no more than about 10% of their total diet, and that they should only be getting these extras in the late afternoon or evening, so that they have the whole day to eat the pellets first. Apparently the pellets are a complete nutrition source and should be consumed first? Is that right? How many "extras" are too many?

I'm worried that they may not be eating the pellets during the day but rather waiting for us to bring them the scraps in the afternoon. Does anyone have any advice? How can we stop them from wasting their food and making a mess all over the coop floor?! Thanks for any input!

 

[farmer boy]

its normal for them to spill it on the floor they like scratching for their food rather then eating it out of the feeder mine do this and they eat off the ground outside so they will be fine eating off their coop floor .. mine free range so their many diet is grass bugs and anything else they find they eat the pellets some but the ducks mostly eat the pellets .. how old are your chickens ?? and what kind of feed are you feeding them ??

 

[JennyMay21]

They are 21 weeks, and we're giving them 16% layer pellets.

 

[farmer boy]

are they laying yet ??

 

[Going Quackers]

Did the feed change recently?

 

[JennyMay21]

3 of them are laying, and we haven't changed the feed since we got them...

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Are you feeding any crushed oyster shell on the side?

Usually with my birds when they suddenly start beaking it all out onto the ground from a properly adjusted feeder it seems to be a sign they are looking for something they are not finding. Since your birds are just starting to lay they have a pronounced calcium appetite. Try providing some crushed oyster shell on the side if you are not already doing so and see if that puts a stop to it.

If you are feeding oyster already then raise the feeder height until it is just a little higher than their back height so that they have to reach up slightly to get into it. Also, if your feeder has an adjustable flow gap (the space between the tube and pan bottom) then tighten it up so the feed does not run out so readily.

It's OK for them to eat pellets off the floor. This is a major reason to feed pellets in the first place so that spilled feed is not so readily wasted. But you want to minimize it as much as you can since they will inevitably miss a lot.